Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Some HIV patients experience improved quality of life post diagnosis, says new study

A new study from researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center reaffirms that some patients with HIV experience an improved quality of life following their diagnosis.

26 Nov 2009

Cells protect themselves against viruses and bacteria with novel non-genetic mechanism

When cells are confronted with an invading virus or bacteria or exposed to an irritating chemical, they protect themselves by going off their DNA recipe and inserting the wrong amino acid into new proteins to defend them against damage, scientists have discovered.

26 Nov 2009

Potentially dangerous needlestick injuries often go unreported

Medical students are commonly stuck by needles - putting them at risk of contracting potentially dangerous blood-borne diseases - and many of them fail to report the injuries to hospital authorities, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the December issue of the journal Academic Medicine.

26 Nov 2009

Tibotec Therapeutics' INTELENCE granted FDA traditional approval

The FDA granted traditional approval for INTELENCE® (etravirine) tablets, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). INTELENCE is the only NNRTI specifically indicated for use in treatment-experienced adults who are experiencing virologic failure with HIV-1 strains resistant to an NNRTI and other antiretroviral (ARV) agents.

25 Nov 2009

Lethality of H1N1 virus has dropped from its peak of 3.7, shows new data

Biotech firm Replikins Ltd., which has analyzed the H1N1 virus' genomic data from the 1918 pandemic through the prediction, outbreak, and progress of the current H1N1 pandemic, today issued its latest biochemical analysis of the virus.

25 Nov 2009

WHO investigates cases of H1N1 drug resistance in U.S., Britain

The WHO is looking into reports that patients with "severely suppressed immune systems" in Britain and the U.S. developed resistance Tamiflu, which is used to treat the symptoms of H1N1 (swine flu), a spokesman for the organization said Tuesday, Reuters reports.

25 Nov 2009

Novartis to terminate its research collaboration agreement with Idera Pharmaceuticals

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that Novartis will terminate its research collaboration agreement with the Company, effective as of February 21, 2010.

25 Nov 2009

Human Genome Sciences submits BLA for ZALBIN

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced that it has submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ZALBIN™ (albinterferon alfa-2b) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. The BLA submission includes the results of two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials showing that 900-mcg albinterferon alfa-2b dosed every two weeks met its primary endpoint of non-inferiority to peginterferon alfa-2a (Pegasys) dosed once each week.

25 Nov 2009

FDA provides marketing clearance for Prodesse's ProParaflu+ assay

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing Prodesse's ProParaflu+(TM) assay, a molecular test that detects and differentiates parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 viruses, which cause lower respiratory tract infections.

25 Nov 2009

Pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies test medicines and vaccines to treat HIV/AIDS

America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are testing 97 medicines and vaccines to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions, according to a new report released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

25 Nov 2009

‘Testing Millions’ campaign in conjunction with World AIDS Day launched by AHF

As part of a groundbreaking global effort to test several million people for HIV in conjunction with this year’s observation of World AIDS Day on Tuesday, December 1st, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, is spearheading and coordinating the ‘Testing Millions’ campaign. The campaign, which has been organized by AHF in coalition with hundreds of global partners from 52 countries around the world, is mobilizing non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local and national governments, international relief agencies, faith-based organizations and civil society to participate.

25 Nov 2009

Africa region leaders meet to discuss H1N1 procurement, distribution

Representatives of African countries are meeting in Abuja this week to discuss the procurement and distribution of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine, the Daily Trust/allAfrica.com reports (Rabiu, 11/23).

24 Nov 2009

Over 33m people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS/WHO report finds

An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, according to a report released Tuesday in Shanghai by the WHO and UNAIDS that shows "more people are living longer due to the availability of drugs," Reuters/Washington Post reports (Rujun/Chan, 11/24).

24 Nov 2009

Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

New peer-reviewed data finding that fewer than one-fifth of the nearly 4 million Americans infected with chronic hepatitis C virus have received anti-viral therapy in recent years should be a wake-up call that Congress needs to move urgently on bipartisan legislation to support new state-based detection, research, and surveillance efforts, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) said today.

24 Nov 2009

Iowa State University's researcher develops and ships H1N1 vaccine for swine producers

The only swine vaccine available for the H1N1 virus has been sent to vaccinate a swine herd infected with the virus. The vaccination marks the first time vaccine has been sent to a swine herd diagnosed with the pandemic flu.

24 Nov 2009

Treatment rates for hepatitis C virus declining, say researchers

Researchers from the University of Michigan determined that only 663,000 of the approximately 3.9 million Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection received antiviral therapy between 2002 and 2007.

24 Nov 2009

Jubilant Organosys, UAB and Southern Research Institute announce joint venture to accelerate global drug development

Jubilant Organosys, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Southern Research Institute today announced a joint venture that will focus on leveraging their collective innovation and enabling technologies in the areas of Oncology, Metabolic Disease and Infectious Diseases. It is a unique U.S.-India arbitraged and leveraged partnership that will accelerate the development of affordable therapies for patients worldwide.

24 Nov 2009

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C appears to be declining in the U.S.; lack of diagnosis is primary barrier to treatment

23 Nov 2009

H1N1 spreading eastward, WHO says

The H1N1 (swine flu) virus appears to be spreading eastward across Europe and Asia, after appearing to have leveled off in the U.S. and some western European countries, the WHO said Friday, Reuters reports.

23 Nov 2009

Guardian examines challenge of testing, treating patients with HIV/AIDS in Kenya

The Guardian examines the challenge of testing and treating some of the estimated 1.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. "Deep-rooted stigma and patchy health education has led many to cower from the disease, which has seen the country's life expectancy rates shortened by 20 years in the last two decades," the newspaper writes. Even though "[t]he country's government has supplied antiretroviral therapy (ART) to suppress the virus to patients for free since 2006, … of the 390,000 adults estimated as being eligible for ART at the time of the survey, around 140,000, or 35%, were taking the medication," according to a 2007 country survey.

23 Nov 2009

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Some HIV patients experience improved quality of life post diagnosis, says new study

Cells protect themselves against viruses and bacteria with novel non-genetic mechanism

Potentially dangerous needlestick injuries often go unreported

Tibotec Therapeutics' INTELENCE granted FDA traditional approval

Lethality of H1N1 virus has dropped from its peak of 3.7, shows new data

WHO investigates cases of H1N1 drug resistance in U.S., Britain

Novartis to terminate its research collaboration agreement with Idera Pharmaceuticals

Human Genome Sciences submits BLA for ZALBIN

FDA provides marketing clearance for Prodesse's ProParaflu+ assay

Pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies test medicines and vaccines to treat HIV/AIDS

‘Testing Millions’ campaign in conjunction with World AIDS Day launched by AHF

Africa region leaders meet to discuss H1N1 procurement, distribution

Over 33m people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS/WHO report finds

Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

Iowa State University's researcher develops and ships H1N1 vaccine for swine producers

Treatment rates for hepatitis C virus declining, say researchers

Jubilant Organosys, UAB and Southern Research Institute announce joint venture to accelerate global drug development

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C appears to be declining in the U.S.; lack of diagnosis is primary barrier to treatment

H1N1 spreading eastward, WHO says

Guardian examines challenge of testing, treating patients with HIV/AIDS in Kenya

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation