Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

First Edition: October 8, 2009

Today's headlines reflect yesterday's big health reform news: The CBO's revised cost analysis is good news for the Baucus bill.

8 Oct 2009

LeVOCC air purification system destroys H1N1 virus

LeVOCC, Inc. today announced that independent laboratory testing has conclusively demonstrated that the LeVOCC(TM) air purification system successfully destroys a strain of the H1N1 virus.

8 Oct 2009

RWJF presents 2009 Community Health Leaders Award to New York City ER doctor

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced its selection of Lynne Holden, M.D., co-founder and president of Mentoring in Medicine in New York City, to receive a Community Health Leaders Award.

8 Oct 2009

HHS unveils several new resources on federal government’s website for flu information

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today unveiled several new resources on the federal government’s one-stop resource for flu information -- www.flu.gov. The Web site now features a new H1N1 Flu Self-Evaluation guide for adults 18 and older along with a new Flu Myths and Facts section, which provides the public with the latest and most accurate information about the flu.

8 Oct 2009

CEL-SCI Corporation reports on its dendritic H1N1 treatment

BioMedReports.Com, the news portal which covers Wall Street's biomedical sector and delivers financial and investment intelligence to a community of highly informed investors, has issued a special editorial report about CEL-SCI Corporation's presentation of data about the company's dendritic H1N1 treatment, being developed as a treatment for H1N1 hospitalized patients.

8 Oct 2009

Health experts recommend schools to use new web-based tools in view of upcoming flu season

The CDC and Department of Health and Human Services have recommended that schools use school to home communication tools to aide parents and students in the event of school closures or student absences due to the upcoming H1N1 (Swine) flu season.

8 Oct 2009

Precautionary measures being taken at Texas hospitals for combating flu

Precautionary measures are being taken at hospital ERs across Texas in order to deal with record numbers of flu cases this season. According to a recent article on NBCDFW.com, hospital emergency rooms, including the one at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, are screening visitors for flu symptoms and not allowing children under 12 to be in the patient areas unless they are being treated.

8 Oct 2009

Rite Aid pharmacists provide regular seasonal flu shots to help prevent flu

Patients have more options than ever this year at their local Rite Aid pharmacy to help prevent the flu. More than 2,000 Rite Aid certified immunizing pharmacists in more than 1,500 Rite Aid stores have been giving regular seasonal flu shots and will continue to do so throughout the flu season.

8 Oct 2009

Experts to develop effective surveillance system to monitor emerging infections at global level

Avian influenza (H5N1), rabies, plague, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and more recently swine flu (H1N1) are all examples of diseases that have made the leap from animals to humans.

8 Oct 2009

Swine flu may levy higher toll on minorities

Swine flu may have an 'outsized' impact on minorities, the New York Daily News reports. "The Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] alluded to the problem in a small Sept. 4 report, but only in a passing mention." The report showed that 12 of the first 36 deaths of U.S. children related to H1N1 were among Hispanics. Hispanics and blacks made up half of all children's deaths due to the new flu strain between April and August.

8 Oct 2009

The Prescription Center Pharmacy launches 'Be Prepared, Not Scared' campaign

The Prescription Center Pharmacy, headquartered in Beverly Hills, California announced its “Be Prepared, Not Scared” campaign today. The purpose of the campaign is to help both businesses and consumers stay healthy, without dramatically changing their daily routines. Dr. Afshin Nassir, the pharmacy’s Founder and CEO, states that “We want to help businesses and consumers create a realistic plan to deal with the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Virus, which is now, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), at a Pandemic stage.”

8 Oct 2009

Antioxidants can contribute to early onset of Type 2 diabetes

An international team of scientists, led by Monash University researchers, has found that anti-oxidants commonly touted for their health-promoting benefits, could contribute to the early onset of Type 2 diabetes.

8 Oct 2009

WHO emphasizes H1N1 vaccine safety

The WHO on Tuesday continued to express confidence in the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine as few mild adverse effects have been reported by patients participating in China's vaccine campaign, the Associated Press reports. Out of the 39,000 people in China who received the H1N1 vaccine, four reported experiencing side effects such as muscle cramps and headache, according to WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl (Higgins, 10/6).

8 Oct 2009

Swine Flu prevention tips from California dentists

In keeping with the global effort to limit the spread of the Swine Flu, the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA) issued a list today of simple ways patients and oral health professionals can prevent catching and spreading the disease.

8 Oct 2009

Amarillo Biosciences, Intas Pharmaceuticals enter strategic partnership to combat influenza in India

Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. today announced that it has agreed to a strategic partnership with Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited (Intas), one of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in India, whereby Intas will sponsor clinical trials of ABI's orally administered interferon-alpha lozenges in order to combat influenza. Intas will pay ABI a royalty on net sales after marketing approval is obtained in India.

8 Oct 2009

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals establishes a new Anti-Viral Research Group

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has established a new Anti-Viral Research Group in its R&D organization.

7 Oct 2009

New apoptosis detection kit for monitoring chromatin condensation

Enzo Biochem, Inc.’s Enzo Life Sciences division today announced the addition of a new apoptosis detection kit for monitoring chromatin condensation to its rapidly expanding CELLestial™ product line for live cell analysis.

7 Oct 2009

Microsoft launches a new online H1N1 Flu Response Center

With the current H1N1 flu (swine flu) pandemic under way, many public health officials are concerned that critical healthcare resources could be stretched thin as people flood hospital emergency departments and physicians' offices to determine whether they have the illness.

7 Oct 2009

The Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010 announced at Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit

Cleveland Clinic's Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010 list features a wide range of new techniques and therapies that are being developed to treat everything from deafness and Parkinson's disease to pneumonia and sleep disorders.

7 Oct 2009

Baxter receives marketing authorization for CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine

Baxter International Inc. today confirmed that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic vaccine using Baxter’s Vero cell technology. CELVAPAN H1N1 is the first cell culture-based and non-adjuvanted pandemic influenza vaccine to receive marketing authorization in the European Union.

From Baxter International Inc. 7 Oct 2009