Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

U.S. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to participate in a vaccination exercise on the anniversary of 9/11

On the anniversary of 9/11, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh will honor the members of the Medical Reserve Corps and participate in a vaccination exercise in Alexandria, Va., on Friday, September 11, 2009.

11 Sep 2009

Quidel Corporation expects highest quarterly revenue due to brisk sales of flu tests

Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL), a leading provider of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, announced today that it currently anticipates its highest quarterly revenue and operating income in its history, driven by global shipments of its QuickVue® Influenza A+B tests in the third quarter of 2009.

11 Sep 2009

HHS Secretary to issue new report on the employer-sponsored insurance market

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today will address the University of Chicago’s dialogue on health care reform and education and issue a new report on the employer-sponsored insurance market.

11 Sep 2009

Merck update on the status of telcagepant clinical development programs

Merck & Co., Inc. today updated the status of the clinical development programs for telcagepant (MK-0974) and MK-3207, the Company's investigational oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists for the intermittent treatment of acute migraine.

11 Sep 2009

Phase 3 trial of ataluren commences

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC) today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 trial of ataluren (formerly PTC124(R)), an investigational protein restoration therapy in patients with nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis (nmCF).

11 Sep 2009

Second-hand tobacco smoke exposure results in NAFLD

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside has found that even second-hand tobacco smoke exposure can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common disease and rising cause of chronic liver injury in which fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.

11 Sep 2009

Doctor examines the link between Guillain-Barr- syndrome and H1N1 vaccination

A doctor who developed Guillain-Barr- syndrome will consider having the swine flu jab when she returns to work this autumn, despite claims that the vaccine is linked to an increased risk of the disease. Laura Claire Price, a specialist in respiratory and intensive care medicine, examines the reasons why the vaccine might cause the syndrome, reviews the current evidence, and concludes that she will consider having the jab when it becomes available.

11 Sep 2009

Adamis Pharmaceuticals' Epinephrine injection categorized as a generic

Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced on July 23 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Adamis Labs launched and shipped the first orders of the company’s Epinephrine Injection, USP, 1:1000 (0.3mg prefilled single dose syringe) (“PFS”). Today, Adamis Labs reports that at least two major data base reference companies (Medi-Span® and First DataBank) placed the Company’s PFS in their generic category.

11 Sep 2009

U.S. businesses are unprepared to deal with flu pandemic

Conflicting guidance on the depth and breadth of the H1N1 virus - the upcoming revisit of swine flu - has combined with other factors to result in dangerously low preparedness plans within the private sector.

11 Sep 2009

FFF stress the importance of seasonal flu vaccination in children

Families Fighting Flu (FFF) reminds parents today to get their children vaccinated against the seasonal flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children six months through 18 years of age get a seasonal flu vaccination each year.

11 Sep 2009

New World Health Organization data emphasizes on two leading causes of pneumonia

New World Health Organization data to be published in this week's edition of The Lancet will shed new light on two leading causes of pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of children under age 5, both globally and within specific countries.

11 Sep 2009

Nuvilex and Legacy Biotechnologies to develop natural remedies for flu- type symptoms

Nuvilex, Inc., announces today that it has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Legacy Biotechnologies, Inc., a private company based in Tampa, Florida, to develop and market all natural remedies for symptoms of broad spectrum flu viruses.

11 Sep 2009

Under-five mortality rate continues to decline

UNICEF today released new figures that show the rate of deaths of children under five years of age continued to decline in 2008.

11 Sep 2009

Better use of quality-of-care ratings can lead to greater consumer control

A hospital pneumonia survival rate of 93 percent may sound good, but knowing that it's actually merely "fair" can help people pick a better hospital, according to new research. A "good" survival rate would be from 95 percent to 98 percent, medical experts say.

11 Sep 2009

Social identity has a positive impact on health and well-being

The quality of a person's social life could have an even greater impact than diet and exercise on their health and well-being. There is growing evidence that being a member of a social group can significantly reduce the risk of conditions like stroke, dementia and even the common cold.

11 Sep 2009

Students do not comply with basic preventative measures to combat H1N1

As public health experts warn of potential widespread outbreaks of H1N1 flu this school year, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that students do not comply with basic preventative measures as much as they think do. In other words, the kids aren't washing their hands.

11 Sep 2009

UNICEF data shows global child mortality now below 9m, progress not enough to achieve MDG in most regions

The annual number of deaths among children younger than five worldwide "has fallen below nine million" compared with 12.5 million in 1990, according to new data from UNICEF, the New York Times reports. "That's 10,000 less children dying per day," Ann Veneman, UNICEF's executive director, said.

10 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: PEPFAR in Swaziland; GSK HIV patent pool; Pediatric ARVs in Uganda; PNG declares health emergency; Israeli, ECOWAS agreement; Somali children

PEPFAR on Wednesday donated eight computers to Swaziland's Ministry of Health to aid in the country's ability to track the progress of the nation's HIV/AIDS programs, the Swazi Observer reports. According to the newspaper, the computers will be distributed to regional clinics across the country (Masilela, 9/10).

10 Sep 2009

NIH provides Inviragen second major grant to develop a dengue vaccine

Inviragen has received a $600,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to partially support its continued efforts to develop a safe and effective dengue vaccine. The two-year grant will fund a collaborative effort led by Inviragen and involving scientists at the University of Wisconsin and Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The supported work will include additional optimization of Inviragen’s vaccine to generate more potent immune responses.

10 Sep 2009

U.S. public health officials recommend early flu vaccination

With increased influenza activity anticipated this fall, U.S. public health officials and other leading medical experts today urged Americans to be vigilant and get immunized early for protection against seasonal influenza - a threat to Americans' health each and every year.

10 Sep 2009