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GSK launches Medivir's Xerclear for OTC use in Europe

Medivir AB, the research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, announces that its unique cold sore product Xerclear, which Medivir developed in-house, is now being launched for over-the-counter (OTC) use by its partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Europe.

8 Feb 2012

Study determines prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among post menopausal women with DRF

Wrist fractures, also called distal radius fractures (DRF), are among the most common osteoporosis-related fractures occurring on average 15 years earlier than hip fractures. As vitamin D deficiency has recently been linked with muscle weakness, increased fall risks, and bone fractures, investigators sought to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among post menopausal women with DRF.

8 Feb 2012

Tips to understand drug-related recall

With the new year came many drug recalls. In the first six weeks of 2012, there were at least 13 drug-related recalls. Some were due to bacterial contamination. Eight distinct bacterial contaminants were identified in one over-the-counter product.

8 Feb 2012

New immunotherapy combination prolongs survival in dogs with NHL

A new immunotherapy for companion dogs with advanced-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has been shown to improve survival while maintaining quality of life, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

8 Feb 2012

FDA accepts Genentech's pertuzumab BLA and grants Priority Review

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's Biologics License Application for pertuzumab and granted Priority Review.

8 Feb 2012

Umbilical cord cleaning with chlorhexidine reduces infant's risk of infection

Cleansing a newborn's umbilical cord with chlorhexidine can reduce an infant's risk of infection and death during the first weeks of life by as much as 20 percent, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

8 Feb 2012

FGF21 hormone causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice

An endocrine hormone used in clinical trials as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drug causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice, raising concerns about its safe use, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have shown.

7 Feb 2012

FDA approves ivermectin lotion for treatment of head lice

Sanofi announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sklice® (ivermectin) lotion, 0.5% for the topical treatment of head lice, in patients 6 months of age and older. Effective and well-tolerated, Sklice Lotion treats lice in most patients with a single 10-minute application of the lotion, without nit combing.

7 Feb 2012

Roche’s new breast cancer drug Pertuzumab up for FDA review

U.S. health regulators, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has granted a priority review for an experimental Roche breast cancer drug that in clinical trials added six months to the time before the disease worsened. Pertuzumab approval decision is due by June 8th this year. It could be used with Herceptin in HER2-positive patients. This was announced by Roche Holding AG's Genentech unit on Tuesday.

7 Feb 2012

Merck applies for approval of its new insomnia drug suvorexant

Merck & Co. announced this Monday that they would file for U.S. marketing approval of their experimental insomnia drug suvorexant in 2012.

7 Feb 2012

FDA reviews Amgen’s prostate cancer drug Xgeva

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) researchers say that an Amgen drug slowed the spread of cancer to the bone in men with hard-to-treat prostate cancer, though the drug did not extend life and carried significant side effects.

7 Feb 2012

Antiretroviral therapy does not increase severity of psychiatric disorders

A study of more than 300 children and adolescents with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) revealed no association between specific antiretroviral therapy and the severity of psychiatric disorders.

7 Feb 2012

Proactive test-and-treat case-detection strategy can combat malaria

As researchers work to eliminate malaria worldwide, new strategies are needed to find and treat individuals who have malaria, but show no signs of the disease. The prevalence of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic malaria can be as high as 35 percent in populations with malaria and these asymptomatic individuals can serve as a reservoir for spreading malaria even in areas where disease transmission has declined.

7 Feb 2012

New blood-thinning drugs likely to replace Coumadin for patients with non-valvular AF

Within a few years, a new generation of easy-to-use blood-thinning drugs will likely replace Coumadin for patients with irregular heartbeats who are at risk for stroke, according to a journal article by Loyola University Medical Center physicians.

7 Feb 2012

DMPA intake may increase risk of periodontitis, gingivitis in women

Injectable progesterone contraceptives may be associated with poor periodontal health, according to research in the Journal of Periodontology. The study found that women who are currently taking depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injectable contraceptive, or have taken DMPA in the past, are more likely to have indicators of poor periodontal health, including gingivitis and periodontitis, than women who have never taken the injectable contraceptive.

7 Feb 2012

New scoring method helps predict functional outcomes in stroke

A new scoring method can help doctors quickly decide which stroke patients will respond well to the clot-busting drug alteplase, according to a study published in the February 7, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2012

EpiCept seeks FDA Fast Track designation for AmiKet to treat CIPN

EpiCept Corporation today announced that it has filed for Fast Track designation for AmiKet(amitriptyline 4%, ketamine 2% cream) for the treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

7 Feb 2012

Mylan acquires two dermatological drugs from Valeant

Mylan Inc. today announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of two dermatological products from Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

6 Feb 2012

Watson, Acorda partner to introduce tizanidine hydrochloride capsules

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the Company has partnered with Watson Pharma, Inc., a subsidiary of Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to introduce tizanidine hydrochloride capsules, an authorized generic version of ZANAFLEX CAPSULES (tizanidine hydrochloride).

6 Feb 2012