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Conatus commences multi-center CTS-1027 Phase 2b trial for HCV treatment

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today the treatment of the first patient in a multi-center Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating CTS-1027 in combination with Peginterferon Alfa-2a and ribavirin in a treatment experienced, hepatitis C null responder patient population. Safety, tolerability, and antiviral activity of the triple combination will be assessed after up to 48 weeks of therapy.

18 Feb 2011

Study: Ventilator-associated pneumonia infections drop by 70% in Michigan hospitals

Cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia — the most lethal and among the most common of all hospital-associated infections — dropped by more than 70 percent in Michigan hospitals where medical staff used a simple checklist designed by Johns Hopkins researchers. Such pneumonias kill an estimated 36,000 Americans each year.

17 Feb 2011

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Pneumococcus accounts for as much as 11 percent of mortality in young children worldwide. While successful vaccines like Prevnar exist, they are expensive and only work against specific pneumococcal strains, with the risk of becoming less effective as new strains emerge.

17 Feb 2011

Experts say signs and treatment of bacterial infection often misunderstood

According to the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases, antibiotics are the second most frequently prescribed class of drugs - second only to pain relievers. Yet most people don't know the difference between a true bacterial infection, like chronic bronchitis that can be treated with antibiotics — and viruses like the common cold, which cannot.

17 Feb 2011

Clinical trial finds atorvastatin may inhibit HIV progression, help in infection's management

A recent multicenter clinical trial of atorvastatin, a type of cholesterol-lowering drug, found that although the drug did not inhibit plasma HIV RNA levels, it did inhibit expression of cellular markers of immune activation and inflammation in patients with HIV infection.

17 Feb 2011

Poll: 73% of New Jersey people think investment on global health research is important to state's economy

Despite the unpredictable economy, nearly three-quarters of New Jersey residents think spending money on research to improve health globally is important to jobs and incomes in the state, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by Research!America.

17 Feb 2011

WH statement says Obama would veto FY11 budget that 'undermines critical priorities or national security'

The Office of Management and Budget released a statement on Tuesday warning that President Barack Obama would "veto the continuing resolution funding bill now being debated in the House if it contains drastic cuts to national security, but it remains unclear if large cuts in diplomacy and foreign aid programs would be enough to force White House action," Foreign Policy's blog "The Cable" reports.

17 Feb 2011

HHS unveils new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of immunization activities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled a new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of all aspects of federal vaccine and immunization activities. Its goal is to ensure that all Americans can access the preventive benefits of vaccines.

17 Feb 2011

Upcoming Bangladeshi mass cholera vaccine program might shed light on strategy effectiveness

TIME reports on an oral cholera vaccination program to kick off on Thursday in Bangladesh that researchers hope will determine how good of a "weapon" the mass vaccination strategy can be "against an old disease".

17 Feb 2011

Study: 1 in 5 homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of diagnosis

One in five homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of their diagnosis, according to a study led by St. Michael's Hospital's Dr. Kamran Khan. And that number remains unchanged over the last decade despite recommendations calling for greater improvements in prevention and control of tuberculosis in homeless shelters.

17 Feb 2011

New fully human monoclonal antibodies to battle Chikungunya

The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), an institute of the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and VIVALIS, a French biopharmaceutical company, announced today the discovery of two new fully human monoclonal antibodies which could battle Chikungunya, a disease that currently has no available vaccine or specific treatment.

16 Feb 2011

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Vical Incorporated announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,888,112 covering DNA vaccines for cytomegalovirus containing specific gene sequences and formulated with Vical's Vaxfectin adjuvant.

16 Feb 2011

Flu vaccine update

This new vaccine which could become available in the United States in the next few years, is made by growing the influenza virus in cultures of animal cells rather than in the chicken eggs that have been used for more than five decades. This shortens the process by six months. Using animal cells, which are grown in enclosed steel tanks, also reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, which has led to shortages of seasonal vaccines in some years. The study was reported in The Lancet this Tuesday.

16 Feb 2011

Bioniche presentation focuses on implementing E. coli cattle vaccine to reduce risk of human infection

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, gave a presentation about its E. coli O157 cattle vaccine at the First International One Health Congress in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

16 Feb 2011

Over 20% of young children with respiratory viral infections will develop middle ear infections

More than 20 percent of young children with colds or other respiratory viral infections will develop middle ear infections of varying severity—including some mild infections that don't require antibiotics, according to a study in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Feb 2011

Also in global health news: Gates Foundation global health head to step down; drug, medical supply shortages in Gaza; food security in N. Korea

Tachi Yamada, president of the global health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Monday announced he would step down in June after five years serving in the position, the Associated Press/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

16 Feb 2011

GAVI chair calls for greater reductions in vaccine prices for developing countries

On Monday, the same day the GAVI Alliance helped oversee the roll out of a routine pneumococcal vaccine in Kenya, GAVI chairman Dagfinn Hoybraten highlighted the need for greater reductions in vaccine prices in developing countries during an interview with Reuters, the news service reports. The piece examines the funding mechanism in place to finance the pneumococcal vaccines, known as Advance Market Commitment (AMC), as well as the budget shortfall facing the group (Kelland, 2/14).

16 Feb 2011

Viral Genetics' lead researcher, Advisor to receive Lauren F. Brooks Hope Award

Viral Genetics, Inc. announced today that lead researcher Dr. M. Karen Newell Rogers and Advisor Mr. Richard Gerstner will receive the Lauren F. Brooks Hope Award, presented by Time for Lyme, Inc.

16 Feb 2011

AHF condemns budget move by House Republicans for global AIDS programs

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which provides AIDS medical care and services to more than 152,000 individuals in 26 countries worldwide, today strongly condemned a move by House Republicans, who on Friday proposed slashing President Obama's 2011 funding for global AIDS programs by $813 million.

16 Feb 2011

NGDI-UBC, CDRD partner for drug development platform to treat neglected global diseases

The Centre for Drug Research and Development and the Neglected Global Diseases Initiative at the University of British Columbia today announced that they will collaborate on developing interventions for neglected global diseases and ensuring their delivery to those in need.

16 Feb 2011

Disease/Infection News

Conatus commences multi-center CTS-1027 Phase 2b trial for HCV treatment

Study: Ventilator-associated pneumonia infections drop by 70% in Michigan hospitals

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Experts say signs and treatment of bacterial infection often misunderstood

Clinical trial finds atorvastatin may inhibit HIV progression, help in infection's management

Poll: 73% of New Jersey people think investment on global health research is important to state's economy

WH statement says Obama would veto FY11 budget that 'undermines critical priorities or national security'

HHS unveils new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of immunization activities

Upcoming Bangladeshi mass cholera vaccine program might shed light on strategy effectiveness

Study: 1 in 5 homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of diagnosis

New fully human monoclonal antibodies to battle Chikungunya

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Flu vaccine update

Bioniche presentation focuses on implementing E. coli cattle vaccine to reduce risk of human infection

Over 20% of young children with respiratory viral infections will develop middle ear infections

Also in global health news: Gates Foundation global health head to step down; drug, medical supply shortages in Gaza; food security in N. Korea

GAVI chair calls for greater reductions in vaccine prices for developing countries

Viral Genetics' lead researcher, Advisor to receive Lauren F. Brooks Hope Award

AHF condemns budget move by House Republicans for global AIDS programs

NGDI-UBC, CDRD partner for drug development platform to treat neglected global diseases

Unlocking drug amorphization: Continuous, solvent-free twin screw granulation

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

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