Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Vertex announces abstracts from hepatitis C program to be presented at The Liver Meeting

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that abstracts from its hepatitis C program, including two late-breaking posters from studies of INCIVEK (telaprevir) tablets and VX-222, were accepted for presentation at The Liver Meeting, the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in San Francisco, November 4-8, 2011.

1 Oct 2011

Takeda acquires Nycomed

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda", TSE: 4502) announced it has completed its acquisition of Nycomed A/S for 9.6 billion Euro on a cash-free, debt-free basis and made Nycomed a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda effective the same day. Dr. Frank Morich has been named CEO of Nycomed in addition to his current role as Executive Vice President (EVP), International Operations, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda America Holdings, Inc.

30 Sep 2011

Special symposium focuses on ethical, legal, and social issues in translational research

An important focus of medical research today is on translating new scientific discoveries into advances in clinical care that will lead to meaningful improvements in health outcomes. Ongoing ethical, legal, and social issues in this era of "translational" research are the subject of a special symposium in the October issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

30 Sep 2011

PTK6 protein may play a different role in colon and breast cancer

A protein that regulates cell differentiation in normal tissue may play a different role in colon and breast cancer, activating proliferation of damaged cells, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

30 Sep 2011

Oral steroid users twice as likely to have severe vitamin D deficiency

People taking oral steroids are twice as likely as the general population to have severe vitamin D deficiency, according to a study of more than 31,000 children and adults by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

30 Sep 2011

New study recommends colorectal cancer screening from age of 45 for men

Each year, around 5,000 people die from colorectal cancer in Austria, with the mortality rate being just under 50 per cent. A screening colonoscopy (bowel imaging) is recommended in Austria for people who turn 50, regardless of their gender.

29 Sep 2011

Almirall seeks European approval for linaclotide to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation

Almirall, S.A. announced today that it has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for linaclotide, an investigational guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) receptor agonist for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). Once approved, linaclotide will be marketed in Europe under the trademark Constella®.

29 Sep 2011

Almirall submits linaclotide MAA to EMA for treatment of IBS-C

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its European partner Almirall, S.A. submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for linaclotide, a guanylate cyclase type-C (GC-C) agonist, for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.

29 Sep 2011

Men need colon cancer screening earlier than women: Study

A new study finds that men are at a higher risk of colon cancer than women and should get their first colonoscopy to screen for the disease at age 45, five years earlier than the current recommendation.

28 Sep 2011

Takeda, AACE partner to launch Diabetes Navigator website

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc. (Takeda) have partnered to launch the Diabetes Navigator, a compendium capturing a selection of useful and reliable type 2 diabetes information available online for patients and caregivers.

28 Sep 2011

Low vitamin B12 raises risk of dementia in the elderly: Study

According to a latest study the elderly with low levels of vitamin B12 in their blood may be more likely to develop problems with their thinking skills and have more brain shrinkage. The study points to a link between low B12 and early cognitive decline, a condition that often leads to dementia. Previous research has found that those people with high levels of vitamin B12 in their blood have lower levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, which some studies have linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, memory loss, and stroke.

27 Sep 2011

Double balloon enteroscopy safe and effective for detection of small intestine diseases

A large-scale data review by researchers in China of double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) over the last decade showed the endoscopic procedure to be safe and effective for detection of diseases of the small intestine.

27 Sep 2011

Rotavirus vaccine saved 65,000 hospitalizations and $278 million in healthcare costs: Study

The latest research shows that since the 2006 introduction of routine inoculation against rotavirus -- a leading cause of diarrhea in infants and young children -- almost 65,000 fewer American children have been hospitalized and about $278 million in healthcare costs have been saved.

26 Sep 2011

Janssen Biotech receives FDA approval for Remicade to treat UC in children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Remicade (infliximab) to treat moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in children older than 6 years who have had inadequate response to conventional therapy.

26 Sep 2011

HealthWell Foundation introduces new lupus fund

The HealthWell Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing financial assistance to insured patients facing a variety of chronic and life-altering illnesses, announces the launch of a new fund supporting treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus.

22 Sep 2011

Vaccinating infants against rotavirus decreases health care use and treatment costs

Vaccinating infants against rotavirus has resulted in dramatic decreases in health care use and treatment costs for diarrhea-related illness in U.S. infants and young children, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study is published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Sep 2011

Two IGB faculty members recognized as University Scholars

Paul Kenis and James Slauch have been named as University Scholars, a program created to recognize the university's most talented teachers, scholars and researchers.

21 Sep 2011

Niiki Pharma announces positive data from ongoing trial of novel anti-cancer agent NKP-1339

Niiki Pharma Inc. announced interim results from the ongoing Phase I clinical trial of its lead product, NKP-1339. NKP-1339 is a first-in-class transferrin targeted small molecule that down-regulates GRP78, a key regulator of mis-folded protein processing and a tumor survival factor.

20 Sep 2011

Neuroticism affects brain processing during anticipation and experience of pain

Neuroticism - the tendency to experience negative emotions -significantly affects brain processing during pain, as well as during the anticipation of pain, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Neuroticism tends to be higher in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and is a risk factor for chronic, unexplained pain in IBS.

20 Sep 2011

Common symptoms of pediatric feeding disorder

Catering to a child who is a picky eater is like being a short-order cook: chaotic. Dinnertime becomes a war zone, leading to hopeless battles fought over vegetables and macaroni and cheese.

20 Sep 2011