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Genzyme receives FDA approval for Kynamro to treat homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kynamro (mipomersen sodium) injection as an addition to lipid-lowering medications and diet to treat patients with a rare type of high cholesterol called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

30 Jan 2013

Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol may reduce risk of heart attack or stroke in diabetics

For people with diabetes, meeting the recommended guidelines for blood pressure and cholesterol is even more important than meeting the guidelines for blood sugar control in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

29 Jan 2013

KLF8 protein could be helpful in preventing cancer recurrence

Just as the body can become resistant to antibiotics, certain methods of killing cancer tumors can end up creating resistant tumor cells. But a University of Central Florida professor has found a protein present in several types of cancer, including breast and ovarian cancer, which could be helpful in preventing tumors from coming back.

29 Jan 2013

New DNA-delivering film holds promise for improving effectiveness of vaccines

Vaccines usually consist of inactivated viruses that prompt the immune system to remember the invader and launch a strong defense if it later encounters the real thing. However, this approach can be too risky with certain viruses, including HIV.

29 Jan 2013

Meridian reports positive pre-IND meeting with FDA for ML061

Buffalo Grove, Illinois-based specialty-oncology drug development company, Meridian Laboratories, Inc (Meridian) held a Type B Pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) meeting with the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation Research, Division of Oncology Products on Wednesday January 23, 2013 to discuss its plan to commence clinical development of ML061, Meridian's lead product, as a treatment for various types of cancer.

29 Jan 2013

Sanofi announces availability of Auvi-Q in U.S. retail pharmacies

Sanofi announced today that Auvi-Q (epinephrine injection, USP) is now available in U.S. retail pharmacies nationwide with a prescription from a healthcare provider.

29 Jan 2013

Emotional stress can reduce prostate cancer drugs’ effectiveness

Not surprisingly, a cancer diagnosis creates stress. And patients with prostate cancer show higher levels of anxiety compared to other cancer patients. A new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center indicates that stress is not just an emotional side effect of the diagnosis; it also can reduce the effectiveness of prostate cancer drugs and accelerate the development of prostate cancer.

29 Jan 2013

Amneal enters license and distribution agreement with Hanmi for generic Nexium

Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC today announced that it has entered into a license and distribution agreement with South Korea-based Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd to acquire exclusive distribution rights to Hanmi's new drug application (NDA), currently under FDA review, for esomeprazole strontium delayed-release capsules.

28 Jan 2013

ED visits involving ADHD stimulant medications are on the rise

A new report shows that the number of emergency department visits involving attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulant medications more than doubled from 13,379 visits in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010.

28 Jan 2013

Immunosuppressive drugs do not increase risk of cancer in lupus patients

People who take immunosuppressive drugs to treat lupus do not necessarily increase their cancer risk according to new research led by scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC).

28 Jan 2013

Examining benefits of vaccine investment

Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Joe Cerrell, director of the foundation's Europe office, and David Ferreira, managing director for innovative finance and head of the Washington, D.C., office at the GAVI Alliance, examine the benefits of investing in vaccines, stating, "Funding and supporting the delivery of life-saving vaccines is one proven way that the private sector can obtain measurable, long-term, and extremely cost-effective results."

28 Jan 2013

Study explores regular aspirin use and potential risks for macular degeneration

This week, a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, explored the connection between regular aspirin use and the potential risks for developing the blinding eye disease, macular degeneration. As a result, there is increased confusion and anxiety in the general public about whether aspirin can harm your vision and what to do if you need the heart-protective therapy.

28 Jan 2013

Antibiotics not being used properly, leading to 'apocalyptic scenario' of drug-resistant infections, England's chief medical officer says

"The rise in drug-resistant infections is comparable to the threat of global warming, according to the chief medical officer for England," BBC News reports. Professor Dame Sally Davies "said bacteria were becoming resistant to current drugs and there were few antibiotics to replace them."

28 Jan 2013

HSS involving resiniferatoxin receives U.S. patent to alleviate intractable pain

The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued a patent to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services involving resiniferatoxin, or RTX, an experimental compound that represents a potential new class of drugs to alleviate the intractable pain that can occur in people with advanced cancer, severe arthritis, and other extremely chronic conditions.

28 Jan 2013

Parental behavior, quality preschool and diet can effectively raise children's IQ

Supplementing children's diets with fish oil, enrolling them in quality preschool, and engaging them in interactive reading all turn out to be effective ways to raise a young child's intelligence, according to a new report published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

28 Jan 2013

FDA accepts Genzyme’s LEMTRADA sBLA for review

Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) file seeking approval of LEMTRADA (alemtuzumab) for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS).

28 Jan 2013

Research into anesthesia neurotoxicity in the developing brain

Several studies have found evidence that children who undergo repeated surgical operations with general anesthesia before the age of 4 may be at an increased risk for learning disabilities.

28 Jan 2013

AstraZeneca, Orexo partner on OX-CLI preclinical program to treat respiratory diseases

Orexo AB announced today that the company has entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca regarding OX-CLI, a preclinical program for a potential novel treatment of respiratory diseases.

28 Jan 2013

IRHOM2-targeted drugs can effectively treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a potential new target for drugs to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a protein known as IRHOM2. The finding could provide an effective and potentially less toxic alternative therapy to tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers (TNF-blockers), the mainstay of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and could help patients who do not respond to this treatment. Efforts to develop drugs that hone in on this new target are underway.

28 Jan 2013

FDA approves Pfizer’s Prevnar 13 to prevent pneumococcal disease in older children, adolescents

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for the expansion of the company's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]), for use in older children and adolescents aged 6 years through 17 years for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease caused by the 13 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes contained in the vaccine.

28 Jan 2013