Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Pneumonia-causing diseases kill 1.2m children under 5 annually, Studies say

"Each year 1.2 million children under age 5 die from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae B or Hib," which cause pneumococcal disease and are preventable with vaccines, according to studies published Thursday in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports.

11 Sep 2009

Flu Clinic Locator makes it easy for people to locate the most convenient clinic to get their seasonal flu vaccine

The American Lung Association is making it easier for people to get their seasonal flu vaccine this year with the availability of its 2009-2010 Flu Clinic Locator. The largest online directory of public seasonal influenza vaccination clinics is now available at www.flucliniclocator.org.

11 Sep 2009

Bioneutral's broad spectrum antimicrobial eradicates the H1N1 swine flu virus

BioNeutral Group, Inc. (“BioNeutral”) (OTCBB:BONU), a specialty chemical technology based Life Science Company, announced today that independent lab test results conducted at Microbiotest Inc. of Sterling, Virginia, demonstrated that Ygiene® antimicrobial diluted 1 to 10 with water can totally eradicated the H1N1 Swine Flu virus in 59 seconds on an unclean, soiled surface.

11 Sep 2009

Results from a preclinical study of Variation's influenza vaccine to be presented at ICAAC meeting

Variation Biotechnologies, Inc. (VBI), an emerging leader in the discovery and development of novel vaccines to fight infectious diseases, today announced that it plans to present positive results from a preclinical study of the company’s proprietary influenza vaccine at the 49th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), being held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.

11 Sep 2009

Elderberry extract prevents H1N1 infection in vitro

A recent research study has given new scientific evidence to the long-held empirical belief that elderberries possess antiviral activities. The research involved a specific, reproducible elderberry extract developed by HerbalScience Group LLC, and succeeded in identifying key chemical components of the extract that inhibited in vitro infection and were shown to bind directly to Human Influenza A (H1N1) virus particles. The binding blocked the ability of the viruses to enter host cells, and thereby effectively preventing H1N1 infection in vitro.

11 Sep 2009

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