Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Effects of refusal and delay in childhood vaccination

Alison M. Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, assistant professor at Penn Nursing answers parents' questions about childhood vaccines. Dr. Buttenheim is a public health researcher and social demographer who studies parent behavior and child health.

22 Jul 2011

DNA test reveals unlisted ingredients in herbal brews, teas

Take a second look at your iced or steaming tea. Guided by scientific experts, three New York City high school students using tabletop DNA technologies found several herbal brews and a few brands of tea contain ingredients unlisted on the manufacturers' package.

22 Jul 2011

GIDAC recommends FDA approval of Janssen's REMICADE for treatment of pediatric UC

Janssen Biotech, Inc., formerly Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc., announced today that the Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended the approval of REMICADE for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in pediatric patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy.

22 Jul 2011

EMA says link between narcolepsy and Pandemrix 2009 H1N1 vaccine exists

A final review result from Europe's drug regulatory agency released a positive link between narcolepsy and the Pandemrix 2009 H1N1 vaccine. The agency recommends a labeling change that limits the vaccine's use in children and teens to when protection is needed and seasonal trivalent vaccine isn't available.

21 Jul 2011

Breathing problems trouble U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, speculation about inhaled toxins

According to a new study some U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering unexplained breathing problems that may be related to exposure to unknown toxins.

21 Jul 2011

Clinical Vaccine Immunology publishes NanoBio's NB-1008 influenza study results

NanoBio Corporation announced today that data from its ferret influenza vaccine study of NB-1008 have been published in the July 2011 issue of Clinical Vaccine Immunology by the American Society of Microbiology.

21 Jul 2011

Cell biologists identify infection mechanism of adenoviruses

Mucosal epithelia do not have any receptors on the outer membrane for the absorption of viruses like hepatitis C, herpes, the adenovirus or polio, and are thus well-protected against pathogenic germs. However, certain viruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, still manage to enter the body via the mucous membrane.

21 Jul 2011

Older Americans with low health literacy may face higher risk of death

Low health literacy in older Americans is linked to poorer health status and a higher risk of death, according to a new evidence review by researchers at RTI International-University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center.

21 Jul 2011

Channel Swim Relay event aims to raise money for JDRF

Six swimmers congregate along the Dover coastline today, to participate in a 17-hour relay swim across the English Channel to France. The relay event, sponsored by Animas,aims to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and celebrate people with diabetes performing at their best.

21 Jul 2011

Heaviest meals on the menu

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this week the accuracy of caloric counts from restaurants is unknown. On the same day, the Center for Science in the Public Interest released its annual ‘Xtreme Eating Awards’ to eight menu items on the restaurant menus.

20 Jul 2011

Australia sees early rise in flu cases

Australia is gripped with a fourfold increase in the number of people suffering flu. This rise is even before the usual peak season in August and September. Already nearly 8,000 cases have been reported compared with about 2,000 at the same time last year. The increase has disproportionately affected Queensland, NSW and South Australia. In January and February more than 1,700 people were recorded with flu, compared with fewer than 300 the year before.

20 Jul 2011

Millennium submits VELCADE sNDA to FDA to add OS data for previously untreated multiple myeloma

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company with its parent company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for VELCADE® (bortezomib) for injection to add overall survival data after a five-year follow up to the product label.

20 Jul 2011

Johnson & Johnson second quarter sales increase 8.3% to $16.6 billion

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $16.6 billion for the second quarter of 2011, an increase of 8.3% as compared to the second quarter of 2010.

19 Jul 2011

Medically treated patients with GERD more likely to develop esophageal cancer

Medically treated patients with mild or no symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are at higher risk for developing esophageal cancer than those with severe GERD symptoms, according to a University of Pittsburgh study published in the current issue of Archives of Surgery.

19 Jul 2011

Sherpa opens new CGMP production facility in San Diego

Sherpa Clinical Packaging, a privately held provider of Clinical Trial Material management services, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony today to mark the opening of its newly constructed state-of-the-art, CGMP production facility in San Diego, CA.

19 Jul 2011

U.S. FDA approves 2011-2012 influenza vaccine formulation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved the influenza vaccine formulation for the 2011-2012 vaccine that will be used by the six manufacturers licensed to produce and distribute influenza vaccine for the United States.

19 Jul 2011

Flu vaccine for 2011-12 season approved and ready

According to an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday, it has approved the new flu vaccine for the season beginning this year. Each year the FDA works with other federal agencies and global health experts to design a vaccine to protect against the three viral strains most likely to cause the flu.

19 Jul 2011

Peak of Australian flu season is imminent so take the necessary precautions now: Experts

The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) is today warning that high rates of influenza outbreaks have been confirmed in QLD, SA and NSW, but there is still time for most Australians, especially those in at-risk groups, to protect themselves and those around them.

18 Jul 2011

Measles epidemic grips Kenya and Ethiopia

The UNICEF announced Friday that children in Kenya and Ethiopia are at risk of a measles epidemic. Ethiopia has had more than 17,584 cases of measles in 2011, with 114 deaths. The WHO urges measles vaccination of young children to combat the situation.

18 Jul 2011

Facts and myths about bed bugs

Bed bugs are back. Since 2000, bed bug infestations have risen 81 percent, according to The National Pest Management Association. This resurgence has consumers nationwide on high alert, seeking information on the pests and how they can protect themselves.

18 Jul 2011