Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Rochester General Hospital Research Institute awarded $7M for Prevnar 13 study of ear infections in children

The Rochester General Hospital Research Institute has been awarded a $7.1 million grant to study the effectiveness of a new vaccine on the bacteria that cause ear infections in children. Michael E. Pichichero MD, Director of the Research Institute, has been named Principal Investigator of the five year study which will follow children who receive the Prevnar 13 vaccine. The vaccine is manufactured by Pfizer Vaccine Research of Collegeville, Pennsylvania which is funding the grant.

6 Oct 2010

IDMC recommends early termination of Phase 3 intramuscular depot aripiprazole trial

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (OPC) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) announced today that an independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) has recommended the early termination of its Phase 3, 52-week, placebo-controlled, intramuscular depot aripiprazole trial.

6 Oct 2010

Altravax receives two SBIR grants for antibody-inducing vaccines research on HIV-1

Altravax, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded two SBIR grants totaling $1.2 million from the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for research on antibody-inducing vaccines for HIV-1.

6 Oct 2010

Walgreens September sales increases 5.3% to $5.64 billion

Walgreens had September sales of $5.64 billion, an increase of 5.3 percent from $5.36 billion for the same month in fiscal 2010. Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, contributed 2.8 percentage points to the total sales increase for the month.

5 Oct 2010

Liquidia commences dosing in LIQ-001 Phase 1 trial for seasonal influenza

Liquidia Technologies, a privately held nanotechnology company developing particle-based vaccines and therapeutics, today announced the initiation of human dosing of its lead vaccine product candidate, LIQ-001, in a Phase 1 clinical trial. LIQ-001, the first in a pipeline of PRINT® vaccines, is being developed as a seasonal influenza vaccine for enhanced protection in the elderly and represents the company's migration from proof of concept to the clinical application of PRINT technology.

5 Oct 2010

Tris Pharma receives FDA final approval for generic Tussionex ANDA

Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. today announced that its licensing partner, Tris Pharma, Inc., has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for hydrocodone polistirex and chlorpheniramine polistirex (CIII) extended-release (ER) oral suspension (equivalent to 10 mg of hydrocodone bitartrate and 8 mg of chlorpheniramine maleate per 5 mL).

5 Oct 2010

FMCNA offers annual flu vaccine to patients and clinical staff

Beginning in mid-October, Fresenius Medical Care North America will offer all of its patients and clinical staff an annual flu vaccine, which protects against both seasonal flu and H1N1 this year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cautions that it is likely that H1N1 will continue to spread along with seasonal viruses this flu season.

5 Oct 2010

Dangers of not vaccinating children

Deadly diseases are making a comeback. Pertussis, or whooping cough, has killed nine infants this year in California, and outbreaks of measles and Hib meningitis have struck U.S. communities in the past three years.

5 Oct 2010

Maternal influenza vaccination prevents flu in infants

Babies whose mothers who receive influenza vaccines while pregnant appear less likely to be infected with flu or hospitalized for respiratory illnesses in their first six months of life, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the February 2011 print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Oct 2010

Merck's boceprevir Phase III studies for HCV to be presented at 61st AASLD

Merck today announced that final results from two pivotal Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented in oral plenary sessions at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which is taking place from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Boston. Results for boceprevir in response-guided therapy strategies, which evaluated treatment durations shorter than current standard therapy, will be presented during the meeting.

4 Oct 2010

IRSF awards $1.5M in research grants for Rett syndrome treatment

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announced today that it will award an additional $1.5M in research grants, bringing the 2010 total to $2.15 million for innovative basic and translational research that moves treatments for Rett syndrome a step closer to the clinic.

4 Oct 2010

New SymPath kit measures DBH activity of Sympathetic Nervous System

Biotech Corporation in acquiring licenses to commercialize 12 Neuro-biomarkers has first focused on SymPath(R) and is now ready to give you the opportunity to shed some light about this Neuro-biomarker of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS). Here is a peak into the research behind the Neuro-blood testing that will be available to all patients through their health system.

4 Oct 2010

NIH to award $64M under Transformative Research Projects program

The National Institutes of Health will award up to $64 million over five years to encourage exploration of exceptionally innovative and original research ideas that have the potential for extraordinary impact.

4 Oct 2010

OHSU CROET issues public alert on Brazilian Blowout hair straightening product

Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) is responding to concerns raised by Portland-area hair salons about a product used for hair straightening. CROET has issued two public alerts describing its findings on the possible negative health impacts of this product.

4 Oct 2010

New American Therapeutics acquires U.S. rights to market Denavir drug

New American Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that it acquired all U.S. rights to manufacture, market and sell the antiviral topical drug Denavir owned by Novartis.

4 Oct 2010

Sanofi-aventis publishes Phase III TROPIC study data in The Lancet article

Sanofi-aventis announced today that data from the Phase III TROPIC study, which was the basis for the June 2010 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Jevtana (cabazitaxel) Injection, was published in the October 2, 2010 print edition of The Lancet in an article titled "Prednisone plus cabazitaxel or mitoxantrone for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer progressing after docetaxel treatment: a randomised open-label trial.

4 Oct 2010

Walnuts and walnut oil reduce blood pressure during stress: Study

A diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may prepare the body to deal better with stress, according to a team of Penn State researchers who looked at how these foods, which contain polyunsaturated fats, influence blood pressure at rest and under stress.

4 Oct 2010

HHS consumer website adds new features; health law provisions affecting open season

HealthCare.Gov, the consumer health care insurance website run by the federal government, unveiled a slew of new features this morning. Consumers can find pricing information for 4,400 individual and family health plans offered by more than 225 insurance carriers, Plan information will be updated monthly, said Todd Park, HHS chief technology officer.

4 Oct 2010

Efforts against drug-resistant malaria along Thai-Cambodian border show progress, but more 'aggressive' approach needed, health officials say

Efforts to prevent the spread of drug-resistant malaria along the border between Cambodia and Thailand are showing signs of progress, but additional work is needed to contain the new strain, health officials said on Friday, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

4 Oct 2010

Medicago announces official groundbreaking ceremony for U.S. plant-based commercial grade vaccine facility

Medicago U.S.A. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced that company executives, along with U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) and U.S. Congressman David Price (D-NC), are holding an official groundbreaking ceremony this morning for its U.S. plant-based commercial grade vaccine facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

1 Oct 2010