Disease/Infection News

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Researchers show how malaria parasites infect red blood cells, impede blood flow to organs

Although the incidence of malaria has declined in all but a few countries worldwide, according to a World Health Organization report earlier this month, malaria remains a global threat. Nearly 800,000 people succumbed to the mosquito-borne disease in 2009, nearly all of them in the developing world.

21 Dec 2010

Hemispherx to manufacture and supply Alferon N Injection to GP Pharm in Argentina

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. announced that the Company has entered into an agreement with GP Pharm Latinoamerica, an affiliate company of Spanish GP Pharm SA for the marketing of Alferon N Injection®, the Company's natural interferon injection product which has been FDA approved for a category of sexually transmitted diseases in Argentina with an option for other Latin American countries upon receipt of those respective countries' regulatory approval for any use of the product.

21 Dec 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oncolys complete license agreement for festinavir

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Oncolys BioPharma Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in Japan, announced today that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture, develop and commercialize festinavir, a once-a-day, orally available nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) in Phase II development for HIV.

20 Dec 2010

Idera reports positive data from IMO-2125/ribavirin combination Phase 1 trial in null-responder HCV patients

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today preliminary data from a 4-week dose-ranging Phase 1 clinical trial of IMO-2125 in combination with ribavirin in 60 treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In the trial, treatment with IMO-2125 in combination with ribavirin was well tolerated and achieved substantial decline in virus levels at two days after the first dose of IMO-2125 and after four weeks of treatment.

20 Dec 2010

AHF calls on Sen. Nelson to address Florida's AIDS drug crisis

On Monday, December 20 at 6:00 PM, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a town hall and public forum at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center calling on U.S. Senator Bill Nelson to immediately address Florida's AIDS drug crisis which has left nearly 2,400 patients without access to lifesaving AIDS medications. Town hall attendees will include AIDS advocates, patients, healthcare professionals, community leaders and concerned citizens.

20 Dec 2010

New communication toolkit could improve information and advice on emerging food risks

Improvements in the delivery of information and advice on emerging food risks could lead to fewer food-related illnesses, a reduction in economic losses related to food scares, and improved consumer confidence in foods.

20 Dec 2010

FDA warns against consumption of Sally Jackson cheese due to risk of E. coli O157:H7

The FDA, in cooperation with other state and local public health agencies, is warning consumers not to eat any Sally Jackson cheeses. The products were processed under conditions that create a significant risk of contamination of the unpasteurized raw milk and finished cheese, and Sally Jackson cheeses have been identified as one possible source of eight cases of E. coli O157 infections in an ongoing investigation.

20 Dec 2010

MDI adds McKesson's CareEnhance Disease Monitor software to Viewpoint Analytics solutions portfolio

MDI announced today that it has added McKesson's CareEnhance® Disease Monitor software to the Viewpoint Analytics solutions portfolio. Integrating one of the industry's leading disease management products increases the breadth of solutions available from Viewpoint Analytics.

20 Dec 2010

Walgreens partners with HHS to provide over $10M worth of flu shots for people without adequate health insurance

Walgreens and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are teaming up in an effort to make 2011 a healthier New Year for those without adequate health insurance.

20 Dec 2010

Germany has not yet achieved influenza vaccination rates set by WHO

The World Health Organization set a target for the influenza vaccination rate for 2006 of more than 50% of the elderly population and an increase to more than 75% by 2010. These rates have thus far not been achieved in the old German states. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[48]: 845-50) the working group around Annicka M. Reuss presents rates from flu seasons past.

17 Dec 2010

Possible stem cell cure for AIDS

An explosion of stem cell breakthroughs, including a possible cure for AIDS, is reshaping the possibilities for curing deadly and debilitating diseases around the globe, says Emerging Healthcare Solutions President and CEO Cindy Morrissey.

17 Dec 2010

NIAID renews funding of PRIME to develop mathematical models to study influenza infection

Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed funding of the Program for Research on Immune Modeling and Experimentation. This program seeks to develop easy-to-use, predictive mathematical models to better understand patterns of infection among individuals affected by the H1N1 and 1918 influenza viruses and other related viruses.

17 Dec 2010

U.N. says it will investigate source of Haitian cholera epidemic as death toll rises

The U.N. is looking into establishing an independent commission to identify the source of Haiti's cholera epidemic, Alain Le Roy, the U.N. under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, said on Wednesday, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "We are urging and we are calling for what we could call an international panel," Le Roy said at a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York. "We are in discussions with (the U.N. World Health Organization) to find the best experts to be in a panel to be completely independent," he added.

17 Dec 2010

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment.

17 Dec 2010

Global Fund approves 79 grants with two-year commitment of $1.7B

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Board of Directors on Wednesday approved 79 grants with a two-year commitment of "$1.7 billion dollars for projects against the diseases, amid warnings that some hard-hit African countries were being left out," Agence France-Presse reports. The commitment, according to Ethiopian Health Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who chairs the Global Fund's board, "shows that even in hard economic times, we can continue to expand the fight against the three diseases" (12/15).

17 Dec 2010

U.S., South Africa sign PEPFAR partnership agreement

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane on Tuesday signed a "partnership agreement that will guide efforts on fighting HIV/AIDS in the African nation," Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports (Wessels, 12/15).

17 Dec 2010

Anacor Pharmaceuticals initiates AN2690 phase 3 program for onychomycosis fungal infection

Anacor Pharmaceuticals announced today that enrollment has been initiated and the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 3 program of AN2690, a topical antifungal product candidate for the treatment of onychomycosis.

16 Dec 2010

HIV patient cured!

German researchers working with stem cell therapy have claimed they have cured an American patient with HIV and leukemia. Experts are wary of accepting the development at its face value and caution that there is a need for further research. Dr David Scadden, a co-director of the Harvard University Stem Cell Institute added, “Cured is a strong word. But this is very encouraging… from all indications, there was no residual virus… It’s as good an outcome as one could hope for.”

16 Dec 2010

Unclean vehicle cabin air filters more dangerous to children

Though air pollution is still a serious threat to public health, it appears to be even more so to the health of our children, recent studies show. Outdoors, indoors, and even while being driven with the windows rolled up, children are potentially more susceptible to the ill effects of pollution than adults.

16 Dec 2010

Adeona expands and enhances zinc-based product candidate portfolio

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, announced today that it has acquired access to clinical data supporting a zinc-based therapy for the prevention of infections in the elderly. This acquisition expands and enhances Adeona's zinc-based product candidate portfolio that already includes its proprietary zinc-based tablets for use in the dietary management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment patients, and age-related macular degeneration.

16 Dec 2010

Disease/Infection News

Researchers show how malaria parasites infect red blood cells, impede blood flow to organs

Hemispherx to manufacture and supply Alferon N Injection to GP Pharm in Argentina

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oncolys complete license agreement for festinavir

Idera reports positive data from IMO-2125/ribavirin combination Phase 1 trial in null-responder HCV patients

AHF calls on Sen. Nelson to address Florida's AIDS drug crisis

New communication toolkit could improve information and advice on emerging food risks

FDA warns against consumption of Sally Jackson cheese due to risk of E. coli O157:H7

MDI adds McKesson's CareEnhance Disease Monitor software to Viewpoint Analytics solutions portfolio

Walgreens partners with HHS to provide over $10M worth of flu shots for people without adequate health insurance

Germany has not yet achieved influenza vaccination rates set by WHO

Possible stem cell cure for AIDS

NIAID renews funding of PRIME to develop mathematical models to study influenza infection

U.N. says it will investigate source of Haitian cholera epidemic as death toll rises

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Global Fund approves 79 grants with two-year commitment of $1.7B

U.S., South Africa sign PEPFAR partnership agreement

Anacor Pharmaceuticals initiates AN2690 phase 3 program for onychomycosis fungal infection

HIV patient cured!

Unclean vehicle cabin air filters more dangerous to children

Adeona expands and enhances zinc-based product candidate portfolio

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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