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Folic acid fortification may reduce incidence of some childhood cancers

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and Washington University in St. Louis have found folic acid fortification of grain products in the United States may have an impact on lowering some childhood cancers.

23 May 2012

H1N1 flu vaccination during pregnancy provides unanticipated benefits to the baby

Getting a flu shot during pregnancy provides unanticipated benefits to the baby, according to the authors of a large population-based study examining the issue. Specifically, the study showed that H1N1 vaccination during the pandemic was associated with a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and extremely small babies at birth.

23 May 2012

Prodigy Generics launches injectable irinotecan

Prodigy Generics, a division of Prodigy Health Supplier Corporation (PHS), has launched injectable irinotecan. Irinotecan is the generic equivalent of the branded drug Camptosar by Pfizer.

23 May 2012

Scientists develop new type of anti-cancer drug

A team of University of Hawaii Cancer Center scientists led by James Turkson, Ph.D. have created a new type of anti-cancer drug named BP-1-102. The drug, which can be orally administered, targets a key protein that triggers the development of many types of cancer including lung, breast and skin cancers.

23 May 2012

Researchers identify new mechanism for drug-related autoimmune reactions

A team of researchers led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has discovered a new mechanism for identifying and understanding drug-related autoimmune reactions.

23 May 2012

Critically ill patients on antidepressants more likely to die

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, have found that critically ill patients were more likely to die if they were taking the most commonly prescribed antidepressants when they were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

23 May 2012

Inexpensive sleep disorder drug appears to be potent inhibitor of cancer cells

An inexpensive "orphan drug" used to treat sleep disorders appears to be a potent inhibitor of cancer cells, according to a new study led by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

22 May 2012

Statins may reduce hospital stay for patients with stroke

A new study suggests that using cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins after having a stroke may increase the likelihood of returning home and lessen the chance of dying in the hospital.

22 May 2012

$Bisphosphonate therapy may increase risk of atypical femoral fractures$

Bisphosphonate therapy may increase risk of atypical femoral fractures

Treatment with bisphosphonate therapy appears to be associated with an increased risk of atypical fractures of the femur, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

22 May 2012

Bill introduced in U.S. Senate is latest push to award prizes for new drug development

"As Washington prepares for a major international AIDS conference this summer, developments on the drug front are once again elevating the subject of the continuing epidemic in the public eye," CQ HealthBeat reports.

22 May 2012

Government-supported 'Prize Funds' would help important drugs have greater social impact

"Every year, millions of people die from preventable and treatable diseases, especially in poor countries," World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate, writes in this BusinessDay opinion piece.

22 May 2012

Combination of vitamin D and BCG vaccine improves bladder cancer survival

The tuberculosis vaccine is often used as a treatment for bladder cancer, and adding vitamin D might improve the vaccine's effectiveness, according to new research from the University of Rochester Medical Center presented today at the American Urological Association annual meeting.

22 May 2012

HSF-1 protein likely source of chemotherapy-related heart damage in mice

Blocking a protein in the heart that is produced under stressful conditions could be a strategy to prevent cardiac damage that results from chemotherapy, a new study suggests.

22 May 2012

New strategy can reactivate genes that cause cancer tumors to shrink and die

A team of scientists has developed a promising new strategy for "reactivating" genes that cause cancer tumors to shrink and die. The researchers hope that their discovery will aid in the development of an innovative anti-cancer drug that effectively targets unhealthy, cancerous tissue without damaging healthy, non-cancerous tissue and vital organs.

22 May 2012

InterMune reaches definitive agreement with Vidara to sell Actimmune

InterMune, Inc. today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement with Vidara Therapeutics International Limited (Vidara) to sell its rights to Actimmune (interferon gamma-1b) in a cash transaction valued at $55 million plus a two-year royalty stream.

22 May 2012

Opexa's Tovaxin for MS is now Tcelna

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), announced today that the Company is rebranding its leading MS therapy with the new name Tcelna. The product, previously known as Tovaxin, will now be known as Tcelna as the company positions itself towards the treatment of patients with Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS).

21 May 2012

Study shows how a drug-lead compound suppresses tumour formation

A team of scientists from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Biological Sciences and Mechanobiology Institute have discovered how a drug-led compound - a compound that is undergoing preclinical trials as a potential drug - can deprive cancer cells of energy and stop them from growing into a tumour. This drug-led compound is named BPTES.

21 May 2012

HS6ST2 enzyme an important regulator of breast cancer cell-bone interactions

Researchers from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have in collaboration with the University of Turku, Indiana University and two Finnish companies, Biotie Therapies Corp. and Pharmatest Services Ltd, discovered a novel mechanism regulating the development of breast cancer bone metastases and showed that heparin-like compounds can potentially be used to inhibit breast cancer metastasis to bone.

21 May 2012

Pernix Therapeutics introduces Omeclamox-Pak® for the treatment of H. pylori infection and duodenal ulcer disease

Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PTX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the introduction of Omeclamox-Pak®, a ten-day therapy of omeprazole delayed-release capsules (20 mg), clarithromycin tablets (500 mg) and amoxicillin capsules (500 mg) for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and duodenal ulcer disease (active or one-year history) to eradicate H. pylori in adult patients.

21 May 2012

Dr. Reddy's launches OTC Lansoprazole delayed-release capsules in the U.S.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced today that it has launched over-the-counter (OTC) Lansoprazole delayed-release capsules in the U.S. market on May 18, 2012, following Dr. Reddy's ANDA approval by the United States Food & Drug Administration.

21 May 2012