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Sosei initiates SO-1105 Phase I trial in oropharyngeal candidiasis

Sosei Group Corporation, the biopharmaceutical company, today announces that its wholly owned Japanese subsidiary, Sosei Co., Ltd., has initiated a Japanese Phase I trial for SO-1105 for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis.

8 Mar 2012

Fera introduces Sulfacetamide Ointment for conjunctivitis

Fera Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce the launch of Sulfacetamide Sodium Ophthalmic Ointment USP, 10%.

7 Mar 2012

South Africa announces initiative to test thousands of miners for TB

"South Africa wants to test hundreds of thousands of miners for tuberculosis [TB] and ensure sufferers get treatment over the next year," David Mametja, head of South African National Department of Health's TB program, said Tuesday at a workshop organized by the Stop TB Partnership, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

7 Mar 2012

Yemen to launch measles vaccination campaign after increase in number of cases, deaths

"Measles has killed 126 children in Yemen since mid-2011, a consequence of the breakdown of basic health services during the year-long political crisis," and "in response ... , the Yemeni government has appealed for international assistance and an outbreak-response vaccination campaign will begin in the hardest-hit regions on 10 March," IRIN reports.

7 Mar 2012

Many Ethiopians coming to camp in search of traditional cure for HIV turn to ARVs, WSJ reports

The Wall Street Journal examines how many HIV-positive Ethiopians coming to a "squatter's camp" at Ethiopia's Entoto Mountain in the hopes that a spring believed to contain holy water would cure HIV instead begin treatment with antiretrovirals.

7 Mar 2012

Only about 75% of U.S. HIV/AIDS patients remain in care consistently

Only about 75 percent of HIV/AIDS patients in the United States remain in care consistently, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published online this week in AIDS. The study of patients across the United States is the first to provide a comprehensive national estimate of HIV care retention and information about patients who are most likely to continue their treatment over time.

7 Mar 2012

MTPC, Medicago partner to develop and commercialize three new vaccines

Medicago Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced the establishment of a strategic alliance with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) through the execution of a Master Research Collaboration Agreement.

6 Mar 2012

Leading AIDS experts issue new HIV guidelines

Leading AIDS experts at Johns Hopkins and other institutions around the world have issued new guidelines to promote entry into and retention in HIV care, as well as adherence to HIV treatment, drawn from the results of 325 studies conducted with tens of thousands of people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

6 Mar 2012

Male circumcision initiative in Kenya fails to meet target for first time, PlusNews reports

"Kenya's most recent male circumcision rapid results initiative failed to meet its target, and officials are stepping up efforts to identify and fix the problems that could foil the government's campaign to circumcise more than one million men by 2013," PlusNews reports.

6 Mar 2012

Rep. Sensenbrenner sends 'fact-finding letter' to White House science adviser about bird flu studies

"Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), a former head of the House committees on science and the judiciary, and currently vice chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, last week sent a 'fact-finding letter' to White House science adviser John Holdren, asking pointed questions about how the U.S. government has handled the controversy" surrounding two studies that showed how H5N1 bird flu virus could be manipulated to become transmissible among ferrets, a model for humans, "and questioning whether it should have funded the two flu studies," ScienceInsider reports.

6 Mar 2012

Russia should abandon 'zero-tolerance' approach to drug use and implement proven prevention strategies

Why have effective, "simple tools such as Medication Assisted Therapy and clean needle-exchange services" -- methods that are "very effective in decreasing drug abuse and reducing risk of infection with HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases" – "had so little impact on the policies and programs of the Russian Federation?" Bertrand Audoin, executive director of the International AIDS Society, and Chris Beyrer, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, write in this New York Times opinion piece.

6 Mar 2012

Zimbabwe parliamentarians lauded for undergoing voluntary HIV counseling, testing and male circumcision

"More than 170 of Zimbabwe's parliamentarians from across the political divide have resolved to undergo voluntary counseling and HIV testing in a bid to encourage the grassroots to follow suit," and "the 150 male members in the 175-member group have also resolved to be circumcised," a Herald editorial states.

6 Mar 2012

Microneedle vaccine patches may effectively protect against flu

Recent research found that microneedle vaccine patches are more effective at delivering protection against influenza virus in mice than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. A new, detailed analysis of the early immune responses by the Emory and Georgia Tech research team helps explain why the skin is such fertile ground for vaccination with these tiny, virtually painless microneedles.

6 Mar 2012

Mount Sinai researchers argue different views of how to safely handle H5N1 flu viruses

In the controversy surrounding the newly developed strains of avian H5N1 flu viruses, scientists and policy makers are struggling with one question in particular: what level of biosafety is best for studying these potentially lethal strains of influenza? In a pair of commentaries, researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the University of Michigan argue their different views of how to safely handle H5N1 flu viruses.

6 Mar 2012

WHO reports more than 900,000 lives saved because of HIV/TB care and prevention guidelines, releases updated version

"An estimated 910,000 lives were saved globally in six years due to guidelines intended to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS are protected from tuberculosis [TB], the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today, releasing an updated policy on joint prevention, diagnosis and treatment of both diseases," the U.N. News Centre reports.

6 Mar 2012

AIDS advocacy groups ask Obama to reconsider FY13 budget request for PEPFAR

"Nine global HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations sent a letter [.pdf] to President Obama Thursday asking him to rethink his fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget recommendation to slash $546 million in funding from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

6 Mar 2012

Ukraine Security Secretary says HIV, TB remain threat to nation's security, encourages cooperation with Global Fund

Speaking about two bills concerning Ukraine's cooperation with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Ukraine Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kliuyev said "the epidemics of AIDS and tuberculosis [TB] remain a threat to national security in Ukraine and require redoubled efforts to treat and prevent these diseases," Interfax reports.

5 Mar 2012

Sun-dried tomatoes may be contaminated with hepatitis A virus: Officials warn

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said two confirmed cases of the infection had been found to have an identical strain to three cases reported in England and confirmed at HPA Colindale in 2010. Both people had recently eaten sun-dried tomatoes.

5 Mar 2012

High blood pressure due to stress maybe due to the immune system

If stress is giving you high blood pressure, blame the immune system. T cells, helpful for fighting infections, are also necessary for mice to show an increase in blood pressure after a period of psychological stress, scientists have found.

5 Mar 2012

Bill Gates meets MTBVAC TB vaccine researchers in Spain

On 21 February Bill Gates met with Dr. Carlos Martin of the University of Zaragoza and members of his team in Madrid, Spain. The scientists are working on the development of MTBVAC, a new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB). Gates showed great interest in the scientific background of MTBVAC, the most advanced vaccine based on attenuation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

5 Mar 2012

Disease/Infection News

Sosei initiates SO-1105 Phase I trial in oropharyngeal candidiasis

Fera introduces Sulfacetamide Ointment for conjunctivitis

South Africa announces initiative to test thousands of miners for TB

Yemen to launch measles vaccination campaign after increase in number of cases, deaths

Many Ethiopians coming to camp in search of traditional cure for HIV turn to ARVs, WSJ reports

Only about 75% of U.S. HIV/AIDS patients remain in care consistently

MTPC, Medicago partner to develop and commercialize three new vaccines

Leading AIDS experts issue new HIV guidelines

Male circumcision initiative in Kenya fails to meet target for first time, PlusNews reports

Rep. Sensenbrenner sends 'fact-finding letter' to White House science adviser about bird flu studies

Russia should abandon 'zero-tolerance' approach to drug use and implement proven prevention strategies

Zimbabwe parliamentarians lauded for undergoing voluntary HIV counseling, testing and male circumcision

Microneedle vaccine patches may effectively protect against flu

Mount Sinai researchers argue different views of how to safely handle H5N1 flu viruses

WHO reports more than 900,000 lives saved because of HIV/TB care and prevention guidelines, releases updated version

AIDS advocacy groups ask Obama to reconsider FY13 budget request for PEPFAR

Ukraine Security Secretary says HIV, TB remain threat to nation's security, encourages cooperation with Global Fund

Sun-dried tomatoes may be contaminated with hepatitis A virus: Officials warn

High blood pressure due to stress maybe due to the immune system

Bill Gates meets MTBVAC TB vaccine researchers in Spain

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