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EU and U.S. regulatory authorities accept Biogen Idec’s BG-12 NDA for review

Today Biogen Idec announced that U.S. and EU regulatory authorities have accepted the company's marketing applications for the review of BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate), an oral therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

10 May 2012

Lenalidomide improves overall survival for patients with multiple myeloma

Data from the first large U.S. study assessing the effectiveness of long-term "maintenance" therapy with lenalidomide for patients with multiple myeloma show that the drug significantly improves the time to progression and overall survival for patients with this often-deadly hematologic cancer.

10 May 2012

U.S. spends $190.2 billion annually for adult obesity treatment

John Cawley is a professor of policy analysis and management and of economics at Cornell University. He is also co-director of Cornell's Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities, and has served on advisory boards and expert panels for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

10 May 2012

Treatment with IL-12 triggers T cell exhaustion in cancer patients

Rather than stimulating immune cells to more effectively battle cancerous tumors, treatment with the protein interleukin-12 (IL-12) has the opposite effect, driving these intracellular fighters to exhaustion, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

10 May 2012

ACOEM honors JNJ with 2012 Corporate Health Achievement Award

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services for the consumer and pharmaceutical and medical devices and diagnostics markets, has been awarded the 2012 Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA) by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

10 May 2012

Discovery Labs reports data from SURFAXIN preclinical study on RDS

Discovery Laboratories, Inc., a specialty biotechnology company dedicated to advancing a new standard in respiratory critical care, reported that data from a preclinical study of SURFAXIN LS (lyophilized KL4 surfactant) was recently published in the May issue of Pediatric Research.

10 May 2012

Scientists develop new method to directly identify miRNA targets in cells

Human cells are thought to produce thousands of different microRNAs (miRNAs)-small pieces of genetic material that help determine which genes are turned on or off at a given time. miRNAs are an important part of normal cellular function, but they can also contribute to human disease-some are elevated in certain tumors, for example, where they promote cell survival.

10 May 2012

NCKU student receives Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award from ASBMB

Wan-Pei Su, a graduate student of Molecular Medicine at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), southern Taiwan, has received a Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) to attend the annual conference on Experimental Biology (EB) in San Diego in April 2012.

10 May 2012

Article evaluates benefits and costs of screening programs for prevention of SCD

An article, published in Circulation by Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH from the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and colleagues from Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, has evaluated the lifesaving benefits and costs of screening programs for the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children and adolescents.

10 May 2012

Chronic exposure to cocaine drives structural changes in the brain

Chronic exposure to cocaine reduces the expression of a protein known to regulate brain plasticity, according to new, in vivo research on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction. That reduction drives structural changes in the brain, which produce greater sensitivity to the rewarding effects of cocaine.

10 May 2012

FDA AAC recommends approval of Pfizer’s tofacitinib for RA

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the Arthritis Advisory Committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted 8-2 to recommend approval of the investigational agent tofacitinib for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis.

10 May 2012

New non-embryonic stem cell treatment for cancer and leukaemia

A monumental discovery that provides the promise of a cure not only for leukaemia, but cancer at large was announced this morning in London during GIL 2012: Europe. Steve Shor, the founder of the National Children's Leukemia Foundation, a leading non-profit organisation in the United States, unveiled a ground-breaking therapy his research teams in the United States and Israel have discovered.

10 May 2012

BP sunscreens may increase risk of endometriosis in women

Scientists are reporting a possible link between the use of sunscreen containing a certain ingredient that mimics the effects of the female sex hormone estrogen and an increased risk of being diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful condition in which uterine tissue grows outside the uterus. They describe the report, published in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, as the first to examine whether such a connection may exist.

10 May 2012

Resverlogix completes RVX-208 Phase 2b trial on CVD

Resverlogix Corp. is pleased to announce that dosing in SUSTAIN, a Phase 2b clinical trial to assess lipid trends and safety of RVX-208, has been completed on schedule.

10 May 2012

Janssen submits XARELTO sNDA with FDA to reduce risk of stent thrombosis in ACS patients

Janssen Research & Development, LLC announced today that it has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for the use of XARELTO, an oral anticoagulant, to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

10 May 2012

FDA approves St. Jude Medical’s Ellipse ICD

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its Ellipse implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

10 May 2012

Addiction on the rise in Europe

Addiction is on the rise in Europe. An increasing number of young people are unable to control their use of drugs, alcohol, sex, computer games, technology, shopping, dieting or exercise.

9 May 2012

Combination of Pressure Right device and antiemetics effective in reducing PONV

Pressure Point Inc. stated in a recent press release that in a peer reviewed research article appearing in the Anesthesia & Analgesia Journal last month entitled: Use of Disposable Acupressure Device, its Pressure Right acustimulation disposable (adhesive) wrist device confirmed a positive advantage when used as part of a multimodal antiemetic regimen. The clinical effects of the Pressure Right acupressure technique in a sham-controlled study comparison demonstrated a definite impact in reducing PONV.

9 May 2012

Truvada deemed safe & effective in HIV infection risk reduction

Gilead Sciences Inc's Truvada pills are deemed safe and effective for reducing the risk of HIV infection, U.S. regulators said on Tuesday. But they recommended a cautious approach for using the drug in efforts to prevent the virus that causes AIDS.

9 May 2012

Human Gene Therapy highlights new advances in human retinal disease

Gene therapy strategies to prevent and treat inherited diseases of the retina that can cause blindness have progressed rapidly. Positive results in animal models of human retinal disease continue to emerge, as reported in several articles published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 May 2012