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NPS completes patient randomization in GATTEX Phase 3 study for PN dependent short bowel syndrome

NPS Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, today announced the completion of patient randomization in its Phase 3 registration study of GATTEX® (teduglutide). The double-blind, placebo-controlled safety and efficacy study, which is known as STEPS, is being conducted in patients with parenteral nutrition (PN) dependent short bowel syndrome (SBS) and is now fully randomized with 86 patients.

23 Jul 2010

Cytrx’s tamibarotene achieves molecular complete remission in advanced acute promyelocytic leukemia

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced that a 44-year-old female patient with advanced acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) achieved molecular complete remission with no evidence of disease in the blood cells and/or bone marrow following treatment with CytRx's oncology drug candidate tamibarotene.

23 Jul 2010

Schizophrenia patients likely to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stay

People with schizophrenia are more likely than others to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stays, a large national study finds.These findings confirm that medical and surgical hospitalizations are an at-risk time for this group, and a national problem, said lead study author Elizabeth Khaykin, at the Department of Mental Health at Bloomberg Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

23 Jul 2010

Major breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research

Researchers from the University of Sydney's Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Laboratory have achieved a major breakthrough by finding the causes of Alzheimer's disease at a cellular level and thereby identifying a potential therapy as a result.

23 Jul 2010

New drug to treat chronic pain in SCD patients

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team led by Kalpna Gupta, Ph.D., has discovered that cannibinoids offer a novel approach to ease the chronic and acute pain caused by sickle cell disease.Using a mouse model of SCD, Gupta and University of Minnesota colleagues studied the pain mechanisms by observing animals that exhibited both musculoskeletal pain and temperature sensitivity, symptoms similarly experienced by humans with SCD. The team compared two classifications of drugs in their ability to manage pain sensed by the animals, the traditionally prescribed classification of drugs, opioids, with a new therapeutic approach, cannabinoids, a synthetic compound based on marijuana derivatives. Currently, the only approved treatment for management of severe pain in SCD is opioids.

23 Jul 2010

FDA approves Mylan's ANDA for generic Solodyn ER tablets for acne treatment

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Matrix Laboratories Limited received final approval on July 20 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Minocycline Hydrochloride Extended Release Tablets (Minocycline ER), 45 mg, 90 mg and 135 mg, the generic version of Solodyn® ER, a treatment for acne, sold by Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Medicis). Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. commenced immediate shipment of the product after approval.

23 Jul 2010

FDA approves Impax's ANDA for generic OPANA ER 30mg tablet

Impax Laboratories, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval of the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for the generic version of OPANA® ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride) Extended Release 30mg tablet. In June 2010, the Company was granted final approval for the 5mg, 10mg, 20mg, and 40mg tablets.

23 Jul 2010

Poor intake of vitamins tends to have low bone density in children with celiac disease

Children with celiac disease need to include certain must-have vitamins in their diets to stave off weak bones and osteoporosis, say researchers at the University of Alberta. A study of 43 children and teens from three to 18 years of age diagnosed with celiac disease showed that they also tended to have low bone density, likely due to poor intake and absorption of vitamins and minerals. That means they should be getting more of bone-boosting vitamins such as K and D in their diets, says Diana Mager, a professor of agricultural, food and nutritional science at the U of A, and one of the researchers on the project.

23 Jul 2010

Study reveals link between allergies, asthma and old age

Mistaken for illnesses like bronchitis and emphysema, exacerbated by medications like aspirin, and overlooked by patients and doctors alike, asthma is a common and highly treatable condition in older adults. And while allergies tend to decrease with age, they also are frequently disregarded as a potential cause of misery for the elderly.

23 Jul 2010

2010 Life Beyond Cancer Retreat invites applications

The Life Beyond Cancer Foundation is calling for applications from cancer survivors, oncology nurses, social workers, oncologists, and primary care physicians who help diagnose cancer to attend the 2010 Life Beyond Cancer Retreat. The 11th annual retreat, held Nov. 18 – 21 at Lakeway Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, helps women rekindle their spirits, relax their minds and bodies, and rejuvenate their souls.

23 Jul 2010

hBD-3 biomarker helps early stage detection of oral cancer

Detecting oral cancer in its earliest stages can save the lives of the nearly 40,500 people diagnosed annually. But early detection has been difficult. Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers discovered a biomarker, called human beta defensin-3 (hBD-3), which may serve as an early warning. The defensin is present in all oral cancers and associated with the early stages of oral cancer.

23 Jul 2010

Osteocalcin hormone can regulate glucose levels: Research

Researchers led by Columbia University Medical Center have discovered that the skeleton plays an important role in regulating blood sugar and have further illuminated how bone controls this process. The finding, published in Cell, is important because it may lead to more targeted drugs for type 2 diabetes.

23 Jul 2010

Gene expression profiling may provide molecular diagnostic tool to diagnose depression

Blood tests have been extremely important tools aiding doctors in making medical diagnoses and in guiding the treatment of many diseases. However, psychiatry is one area of medicine where there are few diagnostic blood tests.New scientific fields may someday generate blood tests that can be used for these purposes. Some of the areas under increasingly intensive study are genetics, the study of variations in the genes that can be extracted from blood cells, and genomics like proteomics, the measurement of the levels of specific proteins in the blood, and gene expression profiling, which measures the levels of RNA produced from DNA as an indication of the level of the "activity" of particular genes.

23 Jul 2010

Protein parkin essential for hypothalamic neurons recovery in Parkinson's disease patients

A Michigan State University researcher is working to uncover how a protein known as parkin may help nerve cells fight off damage from Parkinson's disease, a strategy that could lead to new therapies for the degenerative ailment.

23 Jul 2010

Drugs that activate SIRT1 hold potential to combat Alzheimer's: Study

MIT biologists report that they have discovered the first link between the amyloid plaques that form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and a gene previously implicated in the aging process, SIRT1.

23 Jul 2010

Three toxins in food identified as triggers to gluten intolerance: study

Coeliac disease cause by intolerance to gluten present in food and drinks like bread, pasta, cereals, biscuits and beer commonly affects many people all over the world. This affects 1 percent of all people in UK, especially women. Patients are advised to stay away from gluten to prevent damage to their intestines. In spite of this in five years most patients develop problems in their intestines. A gluten free diet is also difficult to maintain. Possible symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, recurrent stomach pain, tiredness, headaches, weight loss and mouth ulcers. These may be mild, moderate or severe in different individuals.

22 Jul 2010

60% of surgical reconstruction for ACL could be avoided: KANON study

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common injuries to the knee, primarily affecting young people who practise sport and often treated with surgical reconstruction. A research group from Lund University has now shown that 60 per cent of these operations could be avoided, without negatively affecting treatment outcomes.

22 Jul 2010

Painters at higher risk of developing bladder cancer: Study

A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has provided further evidence that professional painters may face a higher risk of developing bladder cancer than the general population.

22 Jul 2010

New understanding on insulin resistance, action of diabetes drugs may lead to safer medication

A new understanding of insulin resistance and the action of diabetes drugs such as Avandia and Actos could pave the way for improved medications that are more selective and safer, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Scripps Research Institute.Our findings strongly suggest that good and bad effects of these drugs can be separated by designing second-generation drugs that focus on the newly uncovered mechanism, said Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, of Dana-Farber, senior author on a report appearing in the July 22 issue of Nature.

22 Jul 2010

Fatal risk of software defects in implantable medical devices

Software vulnerabilities in life-sustaining medical devices such as pacemakers and infusion pumps pose a growing threat to public health, warns a new report published by the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC).

22 Jul 2010