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New drug appears to help patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

A new drug appears to help chronic myeloid leukemia patients who are out of treatment options after first- and second-line drugs have failed them or because their cancer cells have a mutation that makes them resistant from the start, researchers reported at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

7 Dec 2010

Boceprevir drug may cure hepatitis C

The outlook for patients with hepatitis C continues to improve as results from a clinical trial led by a Saint Louis University researcher found that the drug boceprevir helped cure hard-to-treat patients. The findings were reported at the 61st annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease's earlier in November.

7 Dec 2010

Drug prescribed for Parkinson's disease may also treat restless leg syndrome: MCG researchers

A drug prescribed for Parkinson's disease may also treat restless leg syndrome without the adverse side effects of current therapies, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

7 Dec 2010

Researchers develop new drugs to prevent post-traumatic stress syndrome

Post-traumatic stress syndrome - when a severely stressful event triggers exaggerated and chronic fear - affects nearly 8 million people in the United States and is hard to treat. In a preclinical study, Northwestern Medicine scientists have for the first time identified the molecular cause of the debilitating condition and prevented it from occurring by injecting calming drugs into the brain within five hours of a traumatic event.

7 Dec 2010

Champions Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Industries sign Master Service Agreement

Champions Biotechnology, Inc., an oncology drug development company with a predictive translational platform aimed at accelerating the development and enhancing the value of oncology drugs, announced that a Master Service Agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has been commissioned for the testing of a novel anti-angiogenic compound in the Champions Tumorgraft™ platform.

7 Dec 2010

Ancora receives two federal grants to develop vaccine for malaria, staphylococcus aureus

Ancora Pharmaceuticals announced today that it received two federal grants under the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Program to continue funding its groundbreaking research and development of vaccine candidates to prevent malaria and infection by staphylococcus aureus.

7 Dec 2010

No evidence of toxicity in hemophilia B patients enrolled in gene therapy trial

Investigators report no evidence of toxicity in the four hemophilia B patients enrolled to date in a gene therapy trial using a vector under development at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and UCL (University College London) to correct the inherited bleeding disorder.

7 Dec 2010

Experimental flu vaccine triggers immune response, protects against flu

Vaccine production hinges on the availability of hundreds of millions of eggs - and even with the vaccine, flu still claims somewhere around 36,000 lives in the United States during a typical year.

7 Dec 2010

One shot, cheap meningitis vaccine now available in Africa

As a boon to millions of children who die of meningitis, a cheap new vaccine for bacterial meningitis debuted today with the launching of an immunization drive in the West African country of Burkina Faso, in the first stage of an effort that could rid sub-Saharan Africa of the primary cause of meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.

6 Dec 2010

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Galderma expand their multi-year collaboration agreement

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class, anti-infective compounds for the treatment and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections, and Galderma, a global leading pharmaceutical company dedicated exclusively to the field of dermatology, announce the expansion of their multi-year collaboration agreement. Based on positive data assessing the activity of NovaBay's Aganocide compounds against impetigo, Galderma has agreed to exercise its option for this indication.

6 Dec 2010

MenAfriVac to help health workers eliminate meningococcal A epidemics

The West African nation of Burkina Faso today became the first country to begin a nationwide campaign to introduce a new meningitis vaccine that promises to rid the entire region of the primary cause of epidemic meningitis. The first vaccine designed specifically for Africa, MenAfriVac is expected to help health workers eliminate meningococcal A epidemics in the 25 countries of the meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

6 Dec 2010

HP, mPedigree Network introduce life-saving service to fight counterfeit drugs in Africa

HP and African social enterprise mPedigree Network have introduced a potentially life-saving service that targets counterfeit pharmaceuticals by enabling people in Nigeria and Ghana to easily check the authenticity of their malaria medication.

6 Dec 2010

Oral levetiracetam may be effective in stopping neonatal seizures

Seizures that occur in the first few weeks of life are a major predictor of future adverse neurological outcomes. Currently approved antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are effective in stopping seizures in less than 50% of these neonatal cases. The approved therapies can also have undesirable side effects.

6 Dec 2010

UNICEF spearheads polio immunization campaign across Abkhazia

UNICEF, the Abkhaz authorities and the European Union have left no stone unturned in their efforts to keep the region polio-free. In the first round of the polio immunization campaign that began here in November, 98 percent of all children up to 17 years of age were vaccinated.

4 Dec 2010

Access adds patient experience testimonial video to MuGard website

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, cancer supportive care and diabetes, announced it has updated its lead product website, www.MuGard.com, with its first patient MuGard experience testimonial video and additional clinician feedback.

4 Dec 2010

Wide-scale study of flu vaccine's effectiveness in European children needed

A wide-scale study of the effectiveness of flu vaccine in children is needed in Europe to fully assess the benefits, not only in keeping the kids from getting sick, but limiting the spread of flu to adults.

4 Dec 2010

IOM releases new dietary recommendations for calcium, vitamin D intakes

The Institute of Medicine recently released new dietary recommendations for calcium and vitamin D intakes, known as Dietary Reference Intakes, used broadly by health professionals and policy makers to guide consumers' dietary patterns. Citing a strong body of new scientific evidence, the IOM based their recommendations on bone health outcomes, confirming the importance of vitamin D and calcium in promoting bone growth and maintenance through various stages of life.

4 Dec 2010

Sermo releases report on potential replacements for warfarin

Sermo, the world's largest online community for physicians, today announced a free Sermo Report titled, "Potential Replacements for Coumadin (warfarin)." The report gathered feedback from physicians about awareness and understanding of these products and potential barriers to prescribing.

4 Dec 2010

IDRI awarded $1.8M contract to develop adjuvant formulations for pandemic influenza

The Infectious Disease Research Institute has been awarded an $1.8 million contract from the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority. IDRI's work will focus on development of adjuvant formulations with options up to $8.5 million over three years when further development and manufacture of priority candidates are approved by the agency.

4 Dec 2010

NFID supports CDC's National Influenza Vaccination Week

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual observance of National Influenza Vaccination Week to communicate the importance and availability of influenza vaccination into the winter months and beyond. It is critical that physicians and patients, especially parents of pediatric patients, remain vigilant about flu protection this and every year.

4 Dec 2010