Disease/Infection News

RSS

Isis receives $4 million in milestone payment from Achaogen for initiation of plazomicin Phase 3 study

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has earned a $4 million milestone payment from Achaogen, Inc. associated with the initiation of a Phase 3 study of plazomicin in patients with serious multi-drug resistant (MDR), gram-negative bacterial infections.

17 Sep 2014

Janssen announces availability of PREZCOBIX for Canadians living with HIV

Janssen Inc. announced today that PREZCOBIX (darunavir/cobicistat), a once-daily, oral medication for the treatment of HIV infection in combination with other antiretroviral agents, is now available in Canada. It is the first HIV treatment option available to patients that provides boosted darunavir in a single tablet.

17 Sep 2014

NIH and West African leaders to discuss current crisis of Ebola outbreak at TJU

Leaders from West African Nations and representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will attend a meeting on September 22nd from 3:00-5:15 pm at Thomas Jefferson University to discuss the current crisis and plan future collaborations.

16 Sep 2014

MSU researchers show how bacterial immune systems fight off viruses

When this week's print issue of the journal Science comes out, a collective cheer will go up from New Mexico, Montana and even the Netherlands, thanks to the type of collaborative effort that is more and more the norm in these connected times. Yes, the research was brilliant, and if we're lucky, it will produce innovations in biology, medicine, biotechnology and agriculture. It could save lives, and it happened because this scientist talked with that one, that one knew another one, and brilliant minds overcame geographic distance to advance human understanding.

16 Sep 2014

T-bet protein fights off hepatitis infections

A single protein may tip the balance between ridding the body of a dangerous virus and enduring life-long chronic infection, according to a report appearing in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

16 Sep 2014

GHIT Fund announces new grants to tackle malaria, chagas disease and dengue

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, a new public health partnership that is bringing Japanese know-how and investment to the global fight against infectious diseases, today announced seven grant investments totaling US$15.3 million to speed the development of promising drugs and vaccines to battle three insect-borne diseases-malaria, dengue and Chagas disease.

16 Sep 2014

Massive global response needed to prevent Ebola infection, say experts

The current Ebola outbreak now requires a "rapid response at a massive global scale", according to experts at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

15 Sep 2014

Getting flu shot every autumn can lead to better health

Everyone knows that the best way to avoid the flu is by getting an annual flu shot. But a trip to your physician every autumn for the vaccination can help you avoid much more than the dreaded flu bug. "At the doctor's office, the focus is on you and what is going on with your health. This is your time to talk about concerns to improve your well-being beyond the flu season," says Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, the medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Loyola University Health System.

15 Sep 2014

New antiseptic agent holds promise for treatment of periodontitis

The study, published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, by Shinichi Arakawa and colleagues at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, evaluated the bactericidal activities of ozone nano-bubble water - also known as NBW3 - against the two main bacterial agents that cause periodontitis as well as its toxicity to human oral tissue cells.

15 Sep 2014

Synthetic Biologics' SYN-005 antibody gets FDA Orphan Drug designation for Pertussis treatment

Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel anti-infective biologic and drug programs targeting specific pathogens that cause serious infections and diseases, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug designation to the Company's proprietary SYN-005 monoclonal antibody (mAb) combination for the treatment of Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough.

15 Sep 2014

New research analyzes transmission rates of Ebola in West African countries

New research from Arizona State University and the University of Tokyo that analyzes transmission rates of Ebola in West African countries shows how rapidly the disease is spreading.

12 Sep 2014

Measles infections worse than flu, new study reveals

Measles causes significant absence from school or work and has a much larger impact on people’s daily lives than illnesses like flu or chicken pox, according to a new study by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Public Health England.

11 Sep 2014

Gates Foundation pledges $50 million to support emergency efforts to control Ebola epidemic

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that it will commit $50 million to support the scale up of emergency efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and interrupt transmission of the virus.

10 Sep 2014

Mapping fruit bat habitats could help fight against Ebola

In the fight against Ebola, mapping fruit bat habitats could be one important step, says a geoinformatics researcher at Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology.

10 Sep 2014

USFDA clears Caya- contoured diaphragm for marketing in the United States

The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has cleared the Caya- contoured diaphragm for marketing in the United States, bringing women one step closer to a new option for safe and effective non-hormonal contraception.

10 Sep 2014

Improper removal of personal protective gear increases risk for Ebola health care workers

A team of American infectious disease and critical care experts is alerting colleagues caring for Ebola patients that how they remove their personal protective gear can be just as crucial as wearing it to prevent exposure to the deadly virus.

10 Sep 2014

Weak spot in complex life cycle of malaria could prevent spread of deadly disease

A new study has revealed a weak spot in the complex life cycle of malaria, which could be exploited to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

10 Sep 2014

Pharmaceuticals against malaria can now be produced from waste of plant-extraction

Research success through collaborative efforts of chemists and engineers from Berlin/Potsdam and Magdeburg. All of the best currently available pharmaceuticals against malaria can now be produced in pure form using a single process, even from the waste of the plant-extraction.

10 Sep 2014

SCD patients who experience discrimination are less likely to follow physician recommendations

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is the most common genetic condition detected by newborn screening in the United States - a physically devastating and painful illness affecting an estimated 100,000 individuals currently nationwide.

10 Sep 2014

Expert creates new evidence-based guideline for managing sickle cell disease

An expert panel has created a new evidence-based guideline for managing sickle cell disease (SCD), with a strong recommendation for the use of the drug hydroxyurea and transfusion therapy for many individuals with SCD, although high-quality evidence is limited, with few randomized clinical trials conducted for this disease, according to an article in the September 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Sep 2014