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Multiple studies find no consensus on kava-induced hepatotoxicity in Western countries

A major new review of scientific knowledge on kava - a plant used to make dietary supplements and a trendy drink with calming effects - has left unsolved the mystery of why Pacific Island people can consume it safely, while people in the United States, Europe, and other Western cultures sometimes experience toxic effects. The article appears in ACS' journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

14 Jul 2011

SAS expands Global Certification Program offerings

SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services and the de facto industry standard for clinical data analysis and reporting in the life sciences/pharmaceutical industry, today expanded its Global Certification Program offerings with the introduction of a new credential - SAS Certified Clinical Trials Programmer using SAS9.

14 Jul 2011

Cornell grants ChromaDex worldwide rights to novel manufacturing process for nicotinamide riboside

ChromaDex Corp. today announced that Cornell University has granted the natural products company ChromaDex exclusive worldwide rights to a novel manufacturing process for nicotinamide riboside (NR).

14 Jul 2011

New approach for producing human-derived gelatin

Scientists are reporting development of a new approach for producing large quantities of human-derived gelatin that could become a substitute for some of the 300,000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually for gelatin-type desserts, marshmallows, candy and innumerable other products.

14 Jul 2011

Pre-exposure prophylaxis reduces risk of HIV infection

In a result that will fundamentally change approaches to HIV prevention in Africa, an international study has demonstrated that individuals at high risk for HIV infection who took a daily tablet containing an HIV medication - either the antiretroviral medication tenofovir or tenofovir in combination with emtricitabine - experienced significantly fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo pill.

14 Jul 2011

Progesterone could fight against neuroblastoma

High doses of the hormone progesterone can kill neuroblastoma cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found in laboratory research.

14 Jul 2011

OncoVista commences OVI-117 additional safety study in a second animal species

OncoVista Innovative Therapies, Inc. reported that it has initiated an additional safety study of OVI-117 in a 2nd animal species.

14 Jul 2011

AIDS activists and advocates to protest against Gilead's drug pricing at San Francisco federal building

A small group of committed AIDS activists and advocates spearheaded by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will protest the Bay Area's own Gilead Sciences over its pricing and policies on its HIV/AIDS medications.

13 Jul 2011

FDA accepts Eisai's DACOGEN sNDA for review to treat acute myeloid leukemia

Eisai Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) seeking approval of DACOGEN (decitabine) for injection in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

13 Jul 2011

FDA issues draft guidance to promote development of targeted medicines, diagnostics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a new draft guidance to facilitate the development and review of companion diagnostics – tests used to help health care professionals determine whether a patient with a particular disease or condition should receive a particular drug therapy or how much of the drug to give.

13 Jul 2011

AHF applauds Gilead for licensing AIDS drugs to Medicines Patent Pool

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today lauded Gilead Sciences for being the first major AIDS drug company to share some drug patents with a new international Medicines Patent Pool, a move that will help ensure access to newer AIDS treatments in developing countries.

13 Jul 2011

Study about impact of drug shortages on U.S. health systems

Increasing drug shortages are impacting patient care and increasing costs to the nation's health system, according to a new study released today by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

13 Jul 2011

Gilead becomes first company to license drugs to Medicines Patent Pool

"In the first agreement between a pharmaceutical company and the new international Medicines Patent Pool, Gilead Sciences announced Tuesday that it would license four of its AIDS and hepatitis B drugs to the pool," the New York Times reports.

13 Jul 2011

BRICS health ministers agree to improve access to low-cost medicines

Health ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in Beijing "on Monday vowed to improve access to low-cost and high-quality medicine - and called on developed nations to shoulder responsibility in helping the poor," Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Jul 2011

USFDA approves Dr. Reddy's ANDA for Fondaparinux Sodium Injection

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Alchemia Limited, Brisbane, Australia announced today that Dr. Reddy's has received final approval of Dr. Reddy's ANDA for Fondaparinux Sodium Injection, a bioequivalent generic version of Arixtra, in the US market on July 11, 2011 by the United States Food & Drug Administration.

13 Jul 2011

U.S. hospitals report severe drug shortages: Survey

A survey called “Impact of Drug Shortages on U.S. Health Systems” released this Tuesday showed that a vast majority of U.S. hospitals have restricted the use of life-saving chemotherapy drugs and other critical-care medications in the past six months to cope with unprecedented shortages.

13 Jul 2011

Blood cancer drug trial results questioned by FDA

U.S. drug reviewers might limit the use of a Seattle Genetics Inc’s experimental blood cancer drug due to the narrow scope of its clinical trials. According to papers released Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it requests an advisory panel to consider the drug, under the proposed trade name Adcetris known chemically as brentuximab vedotin, for use in previously treated patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

13 Jul 2011

Gilead, Mylan expand license deal for HIV/AIDS medicines

Mylan Inc. today announced an expanded licensing agreement between Gilead Sciences Inc. and Mylan's Matrix Laboratories Limited.

12 Jul 2011

EPO grants patent for Aeterna Zentaris' perifosine to treat benign, malignant tumours

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that the European Patent Office has granted a patent for the use of alkyl phosphocholines, more specifically perifosine, in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of benign and malignant tumours, prior to and/or during the treatment with approved anti-tumour anti-metabolites such as 5FU and capecitabine.

12 Jul 2011

Rapid method can predict immune responses against flu vaccines

Researchers at the Emory Vaccine Center have developed a method for predicting whether someone will produce high levels of antibodies against a flu shot a few days after vaccination.

12 Jul 2011