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Amoxicillin-clavulanate may improve small bowel function in children experiencing motility disturbances

The common antibiotic, amoxicillin-clavulanate, may improve small bowel function in children experiencing motility disturbances, according to a study appearing in the June print edition of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition from Nationwide Children's Hospital.

30 Apr 2012

Report: Nursing homes and anti-psychotic drugs

A report by the Boston Globe based on government information finds many nursing homes use powerful sedatives on patients who should not be getting them.

30 Apr 2012

Vitamin D strengthens innate immunity against viral infections

Vitamin D may be known as the sunshine vitamin, but a new research report appearing in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that it is more than that. According to the report, insufficient levels of vitamin D are related to a deficiency in our innate immune defenses that protect us from infections, neoplasias or autoimmune diseases.

30 Apr 2012

FDA approves Levaquin for plague

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Levaquin (levofloxacin) to treat patients with plague, a rare and potentially deadly bacterial infection. The agency also approved the drug to reduce the risk of getting plague after exposure to Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the disease.

30 Apr 2012

Teva, Mylan settle patent infringement litigation for Nuvigil

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., one of the world's largest producers of pharmaceuticals, announces that it has settled patent infringement litigation regarding U.S. Patent Number 7,132,570 (the "'570 patent") with respect to Mylan Inc.'s ANDA for Teva's wakefulness product NUVIGIL (armodafinil) tablets.

30 Apr 2012

BTG launches Voraxaze for treatment of toxic plasma methotrexate

BTG International Inc., the specialist healthcare company today announces the launch of Voraxaze (glucarpidase) in the US. Voraxaze is indicated for the treatment of toxic plasma methotrexate concentrations (>1 micromole per liter) in patients with delayed methotrexate clearance due to impaired renal function.

30 Apr 2012

Parents with poor math skills more likely to make dosing errors

Many parents cringe when their child asks for help with math homework. New research shows that poor math skills can cause another difficulty for caregivers - measuring the right amount of medicine.

30 Apr 2012

Hispanic children less likely to receive medication for abdominal pain in ED

Black children are less likely than white children to receive medication for abdominal pain in the emergency department (ED) even when they report severe pain, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 28, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.

30 Apr 2012

UCSD researchers analyze landscape of smoking cessation over the past 20 years

Smoking is a major public health issue and quitting is the single most important thing smokers can do to improve their health. In the 2012 edition of the prestigious Annual Review of Public Health, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have reviewed the landscape of smoking cessation over the past 20 years.

30 Apr 2012

Detrimental effect of tetracycline on male reproductive function, sperm viability of pseudoscorpions

In a paper published today in Nature's open access journal Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno report that male pseudoscorpions treated with the antibiotic tetracycline suffer significantly reduced sperm viability and pass this toxic effect on to their untreated sons. They suggest that a similar effect could occur in humans and other species.

30 Apr 2012

VIVUS receives FDA approval for Stendra to treat erectile dysfunction

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Stendra (avanafil), a new drug to treat erectile dysfunction.

30 Apr 2012

Cellon introduces PharmaTainer sterile single-use containers

Cellon, specializing in providing products and services to the vaccine production and bioprocessing industries, announced today the launch of PharmaTainer sterile single-use containers for storage, freezing, and manipulation of biological solutions.

30 Apr 2012

FDA approves VIVUS’ STENDRA for treatment of erectile dysfunction

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved STENDRA (avanafil) tablets for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), marking the first new prescription agent approved in nearly a decade for the condition that afflicts as many as 30 million men in the U.S.

30 Apr 2012

U.S. District Court rules in favor of Merck over ZETIA and VYTORIN patent litigation

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has ruled in Merck's favor in two jointly related patent infringement suits against Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.

30 Apr 2012

Novel liquid drug used successfully in a heart attack patient

They did the first procedure of its kind by injecting the dissolvable liquid device into a patient - a Victorian grandmother. The device flows to the damaged heart muscle and helps it repair. The liquid is derived from seaweed and was injected into Pauline Fulton's heart, a fortnight ago, two days after she suffered a major heart attack.

29 Apr 2012

Researchers discover small molecules that kill HPV-infected cancer cells

Researchers at The Wistar Institute announce the discovery of small molecules that kill cancer cells caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Their results, in both cell and mouse models, demonstrate that the small molecule inhibitors protect a tumor-suppressing protein targeted by viral proteins, thus killing the infected tumor cells.

27 Apr 2012

Blog posts report on International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver

Two separate posts in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog report on the International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver. The first post recaps an update from Stephen Becker of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday "about the Foundation's treatment optimization activities," writing, "According to Becker, the Foundation acknowledges that treatment will be at the center of HIV prevention efforts, but 'no amount of treatment will obviate the need for primary prevention modalities.'"

27 Apr 2012

Combination of Velcade and Fasudil could treat NSCLC

A common cancer drug and a drug used for a rare condition affecting the heart could together treat an aggressive form of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published in Cell today.

27 Apr 2012

FDA ODAC to review Onyx’s NDA for carfilzomib

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will review the company's new drug application (NDA) for carfilzomib for the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies. ODAC will review carfilzomib at its meeting on June 20, 2012.

27 Apr 2012