Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Human brown fat may actually be beige

Beige fat cells are more closely related to white than brown fat cells, say researchers who found that brown fat deposits in humans appear to be composed of beige cells.

24 Jul 2012

FDA approves Forest Laboratories’ Tudorza Pressair to treat COPD

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Almirall, S.A. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tudorza Pressair (aclidinium bromide inhalation powder) for the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchospasm associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

24 Jul 2012

Forest Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for Tudorza Pressair to treat COPD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tudorza Pressair (aclidinium bromide) for the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchospasm (narrowing of the airways in the lung) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

24 Jul 2012

Bayer, Onyx and Astellas announce results from Tarceva plus Nexavar Phase 3 trial on HCC

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced that a Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the addition of Tarceva (erlotinib) tablets to Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets did not improve overall survival for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) vs. Nexavar alone.

23 Jul 2012

BioDiem presents positive findings of their eye disease drug at international conference

Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company BioDiem Ltd (ASX: BDM) today announced positive results from formal studies of its BDM-E eye disease drug, presented over 21 – 22 July at the International Society for Eye Research (ISER) meeting in Berlin, Germany. The ISER convenes leading researchers and clinicians in the area of eye disease.

22 Jul 2012

Exposure to high-intensity vibrations increases risk of Parkinson's

Severe influenza doubles the odds that a person will develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to University of British Columbia researchers.

21 Jul 2012

New CHAIT initiative on development of novel immunological therapeutic interventions

The CHAIT initiative is a public-private partnership focusing on the development of novel immunological therapeutic interventions to achieve a 'functional HIV cure' with the ultimate goal of HIV eradication.

21 Jul 2012

FDA grants accelerated approval for Kyprolis to treat multiple myeloma

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its licensee, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Kyprolis (carfilzomib) for Injection, a proteasome inhibitor indicated for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies, including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent, and have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy.

21 Jul 2012

Research roundup: Gastric bypass costs, paying for psychotherapy

Health Expenditures Among High-Risk Patients After Gastric Bypass and Matched Controls -- A few studies have shown that bariatric surgery can help reduce health care spending by obese patients, particularly those with conditions such as diabetes. This latest study looked at 847 patients who received bariatric surgery through the Veterans Affairs medical system. Inpatient and outpatient spending both before and after surgery were compared to 847 obese patients who did not have the operation.

21 Jul 2012

FDA grants accelerated approval to Onyx's Kyprolis for treatment of multiple myeloma

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval of Kyprolis (carfilzomib) for Injection, a proteasome inhibitor, indicated for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies, including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent, and have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy.

21 Jul 2012

Study describes 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to reduce infection incidence

Because whooping cough (pertussis) is almost as contagious as measles (affecting ~12-17 individuals with each case), clinicians are required to report cases of this bacterial respiratory tract infection to the state's department of public health. In 2010, California had the highest number of cases of whooping cough in 60 years. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics describes the 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to decrease the incidence of this infection.

20 Jul 2012

IMDx HSV-1/2 for Abbott m2000 assay receives CE-marking

IntelligentMDx (IMDx) announced today that it has obtained CE-marking for its fourth automated, high-throughput molecular test designed and developed for the Abbott m2000 System.

20 Jul 2012

BioDiem signs agreement with RMIT to create new non-influenza vaccines

Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company BioDiem Ltd (ASX: BDM) today announced that BioDiem has signed an agreement with The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) regarding a research program that will investigate the use of BioDiem’s live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) to create new non-influenza vaccines. Developing the potential of the LAIV technology for new indications is an important part of BioDiem’s strategy, and this research is part of the work towards that goal.

19 Jul 2012

Hyperoxygenation postsurgery benefits in doubt

Supplementation with 80% fraction of inspired oxygen during surgery does not reduce patients’ risk for surgical site infections, research shows.

19 Jul 2012

Researchers discover potential drug targets that might reduce ventilator-induced lung inflammation

When hospital patients need assistance breathing and are placed on a mechanical ventilator for days at a time, their lungs react to the pressure generated by the ventilator with an out-of-control immune response that can lead to excessive inflammation, new research suggests.

19 Jul 2012

AOA honors Medical College of Georgia student with Kuckein Fellowship

A student at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University is among 47 recipients of the 2012 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship from the national medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha.

19 Jul 2012

Study gauges depression among spouses of severe-sepsis survivors

Severe sepsis, a body's dangerous defensive response against an infection, not only diminishes the quality of life for patients - it puts their spouses at a greater risk of depression, a joint University of Michigan Health System and University of Washington School of Medicine study shows.

19 Jul 2012

Abscisic acid has anti-inflammatory effects in the lungs and gut

Building on previous work with the botanical abscisic acida, researchers in the Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory (NIMML) have discovered that abscisic acid has anti-inflammatory effects in the lungs as well as in the gut.

19 Jul 2012

State roundup: Mass. to allow coupons for some branded drugs

Johns Hopkins Hospital lost its coveted spot as the nation's top-ranked hospital for the first time in 22 years, edged out by Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital in the latest analysis by U.S. News & World Report to be released Tuesday. Hopkins still ranked No. 2, and marketing experts said falling one spot will hurt the hospital's ego more than its reputation.

18 Jul 2012

Adding stroke severity in hospital mortality model may improve prediction of death risk

Adding stroke severity to a hospital 30-day mortality model based on claims data for Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke was associated with improvement in predicting the risk of death at 30 days and changes in performance ranking regarding mortality for a considerable proportion of hospitals, according to a study in the July 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Jul 2012