Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

PharmAthene reports progress in lyophilized rPA anthrax vaccine development program

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that it continues to make solid progress in its lyophilized recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine development program. The Company has recently demonstrated that its lyophilized rPA vaccine candidate is structurally stable and potent at various temperatures up to and including 70 degrees centigrade.

9 Jul 2010

Idera announces issuance of patents for synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to TLRs

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the issuance of patents covering compositions and methods of using its synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The Company's intellectual property portfolio currently contains over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide and includes claims for TLR-targeted compounds, second-generation antisense chemistry, and oral delivery of certain oligonucleotides.

8 Jul 2010

Increasing HAART treatment for HIV/AIDS patients will provide significant cost savings: Study

Increasing highly active antiretroviral therapy treatment for people with HIV/AIDS will provide significant cost savings over a relatively short period of time, according to a formal economic analysis led by researchers at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) at Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia.

8 Jul 2010

Study of latest in clinical data technology applied to Phase II clinical trial in South Africa

Last week, at the fourth annual Clinical Trials in Emerging Economies conference, Margaret Ann Snowden, Director of Biostatistics and Data Management at Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, and Daragh Ryan of Cmed Technology, presented a case study of the application of the latest in clinical data technology to a large Phase II clinical trial in South Africa. The presentation provided an update on how effective technology can be in promoting the development of affordable vaccine regimens for the prevention of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide.

8 Jul 2010

MicroRNA-212 plays key role in determining vulnerability to cocaine addiction: Study

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have found that a particular type of genetic material plays a key role in determining vulnerability to cocaine addiction and may offer an entirely new direction for the development of anti-addiction therapies. In animal studies, the scientists found that a molecule called microRNA-212 was increased in the brains of test animals that had extended access to cocaine.

8 Jul 2010

TB Alliance, DNDi announce inter-PDP agreement to develop potential anti-TB compounds

The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative announced today a unique first-ever royalty-free license agreement between two not-for-profit drug developers that speeds progress toward markedly improved therapy of multiple neglected diseases. The TB Alliance has granted rights to DNDi to develop a class of potential anti-TB compounds that also show significant promise for treating other neglected diseases that largely affect the world's poor.

8 Jul 2010

Investment report on Hemispherx BioPharma

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring Hemispherx BioPharma Inc.. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and recent company news that you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

7 Jul 2010

Northwest Biotherapeutics raises $2.65M during second-quarter

Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc., developer of the DCVax® personalized cancer vaccines, announced today that during the second quarter it raised funding of $2.65 million from investors. The funding included $1.75 million in purchases of restricted common stock of the Company by a number of private investors, together with purchases of restricted Common Stock totaling $900,000 by SDS Capital and by Ms. Linda F. Powers, Chair of the Company's Board.

7 Jul 2010

CREW calls for antitrust investigation into drug companies

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking for an antitrust investigation into drug companies that offer significant discounts to doctors for providing patients with only that company's vaccines. CREW sent its letter after learning that Sanofi Pasteur and Merck require physician healthcare groups purchasing their vaccines to enter into contracts prohibiting them from purchasing vaccines made by other companies.

7 Jul 2010

Trigger that induces B cells to produce early, effective antibody response discovered

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a trigger that induces B cells to produce effective and long-lived antibodies early in the immune response. They found that a molecule that binds toll-like receptors doubles the early antibody response to an antigen, and shifts it to a more effective, IgG form.

7 Jul 2010

TWINCORE researchers develop new model approaches for HCV research

The hepatitis C virus is highly specialised. We humans are its natural hosts. The only other living organisms that could be infected with the hepatitis C virus in the lab are chimpanzees. Nevertheless it is - from the viewpoint of the virus - highly successful: around 170 million people are chronically infected with the virus. And with the chronic infection the risk of developing liver cancer also increases.

7 Jul 2010

QIAGEN receives CE conformity marking for careHPV Test

QIAGEN has completed European certification of its careHPV™ Test to bring human papillomavirus (HPV) testing to public-health programs in low-resource, developing countries, the company announced today at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Montreal, Canada. The CE conformity marking ("Conformite Europeenne") certifies that the careHPV Test has met European Union consumer safety and health requirements, allowing the test to be distributed in developing countries that recognize the CE mark.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 7 Jul 2010

WHO H1N1 response probe's second meeting highlights divergent views

The independent team of health experts responsible for reviewing the WHO's response to H1N1 (swine flu) wrapped up a second round of public hearings on Friday, "during which members heard testimony from widely divergent groups, from health officials to some of its most public critics," CIDRAP News reports.

7 Jul 2010

International conference focuses on HPV's impact on women

Scientists, clinicians and public health leaders from around the world are gathered in Montreal this week for the 26th International Papillomavirus Conference where they hope to generate awareness about human papillomavirus, Canwest News Service/Gazette reports (Martin/McCallum, 7/4).

7 Jul 2010

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals receives FDA expanded labeling for INFERGEN

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, LLC, today received expanded labeling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include daily use of INFERGEN (Consensus Interferon) in combination with ribavirin (RBV) for retreatment of chronic hepatitis C patients. The expanded labeling targets hepatitis C patients who need retreatment.

6 Jul 2010

HTDS, Shenzhen Mellow Hope secure new business partner in Ethiopia

Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. and Shenzhen Mellow Hope are excited to announce that the company has secured a new business partner in Ethiopia through which Mellow Hope will distribute biomedical vaccines.

6 Jul 2010

Mass vaccination has reduced the incidence of genital warts by 60%: Report

Genital warts, commonly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) are on the decline after routine vaccination of Australian women with a vaccine against HPV. The sexual partners of these women are also beneficiaries of the vaccine.

5 Jul 2010

Recent releases in global health

Looking ahead to AIDS 2010 which will be held in Vienna, Austria, July 18-23, a Lancet editorial writes that 2010 marks "the deadline set by global leaders to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Sadly, the world will not meet these ambitious goals." However, the latest issue of the Lancet "offers some new insights to progress," the editorial notes.

3 Jul 2010

GeoVax releases two articles on Historic HIV Vaccine Trial

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines, is mentioned in two recent articles covering a historic HIV vaccine trial currently being conducted by the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta using a vaccine supplied by GeoVax.

3 Jul 2010

Virus related to hepatitis C discovered in Asian bats

Viral hepatitis affects more than 500 million people worldwide and is a cause of liver failure and liver cancer. While vaccines are available for hepatitis A and B, this is not the case for hepatitis C, which affects as much as two percent of the population in the U.S. Scientists today are reporting discovery of a virus related to hepatitis C in Asian bats, which may provide insights into the origins of the hepatitis C virus and into the mechanisms by which infectious diseases move from other species to humans.

2 Jul 2010