Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

CEL-SCI produces and fills first lot of Multikine

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today that it has successfully produced and filled its first lot of Multikine® in preparation for the upcoming pivotal Phase III trial targeting advanced primary head and neck cancer.

5 Aug 2010

Merck's two pivotal boceprevir Phase III registration studies for chronic HCV meet primary endpoint

Merck reported that two pivotal Phase III registration studies for boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, have been completed and met the primary endpoints: in both studies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, the addition of boceprevir to treatment with PEGINTRON® and REBETOL® significantly increased the number of patients who achieved sustained virologic response, compared to control groups that received Peg/riba plus placebo.

5 Aug 2010

TapImmune inks smallpox vaccine Research and Technology License Option Agreement with Mayo Clinic

TapImmune Inc. announced that it has signed a Research and Technology License Option Agreement with Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, for the development of a smallpox vaccine technology. Research will be conducted by Gregory Poland M.D., at Mayo Clinic, to evaluate novel peptide antigens together with TapImmune's proprietary TAP technology. TapImmune also has an exclusive Option to the smallpox vaccine technology after research studies have been completed under the terms of the agreement.

5 Aug 2010

Alnylam second-quarter revenues increase to $26.6 million

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today reported its consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010, and company highlights.

5 Aug 2010

Foldit players to focus on designing novel proteins

Computer scientists and biochemists at the University of Washington two years ago launched an ambitious project harnessing the brainpower of computer gamers to solve medical problems. The game, Foldit, turns one of the hardest problems in molecular biology into a game a bit reminiscent of Tetris. Thousands of people have now played a game that asks them to fold a protein rather than stack colored blocks or rescue a princess.

5 Aug 2010

Advaxis receives India’s DCGI approval for ADXS11-001 Phase II clinical trial for cervical cancer

Advaxis, Inc.,, the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) immunotherapy company, has received formal permission from the Drugs Controller General India (DCGI) to conduct a Phase II clinical trial of ADXS11-001, the Company's flagship drug construct, among 110 women with advanced, metastatic cervical cancer that has progressed subsequent to treatment with cytotoxic therapy. 55 women will receive ADXS11-001 alone, 55 will receive a combined regimen of both ADXS11-001 and cytotoxic therapy.

4 Aug 2010

ZymoGenetics second-quarter net loss declines to $3.8 million

ZymoGenetics, Inc. today reported substantially improved financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010. For the second quarter of 2010, the company's net loss declined to $3.8 million, or $0.04 per share, a $23.2 million improvement from the $27.0 million loss, or $0.39 per share, reported for the second quarter of 2009. The improvement resulted from higher revenues as well as reduced operating expenses.

4 Aug 2010

Opinions: AIDS 2010; Clean water, sanitation; Russia's HIV/AIDS epidemic; Financial tax; Medical abortion in developing countries

A VOA News editorial by the U.S. government reflects on last month's International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010, including key advancements such as the vaginal microbicide gel found to offer women some protection against HIV infection as well discussions about funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS and how the "criminalization of drug abuse and persecution of homosexuals" in the world is compromising efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

4 Aug 2010

EMSC second-quarter net revenue increases 11.2% to $708.8 million

Emergency Medical Services Corporation today announces results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

3 Aug 2010

Vical second-quarter revenues decrease to $2.1 million

Vical Incorporated today reported financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2010. Revenues decreased to $2.1 million for the second quarter of 2010 from $4.0 million for the second quarter of 2009, primarily as a result of a $1.5 million milestone payment in 2009 from Merck & Co., Inc., based on Merck's ongoing Phase 1 clinical-stage development of an investigational cancer vaccine.

3 Aug 2010

Methods to boost neutralizing antibody may prevent HIV-1 transmission

Monkeys repeatedly immunized with a particular form the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein generated antibodies capable of neutralizing diverse strains of HIV-1, according to a paper published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on August 2.

3 Aug 2010

Idera announces $15 million registered direct offering

Idera Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has received commitments from certain institutional investors to purchase approximately $15 million of securities in a registered direct offering. Idera expects to receive net proceeds of approximately $14.2 million after deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses.

3 Aug 2010

GG genotype may increase severity of multiple sclerosis symptoms: Study

A new study shows a gene variant may increase the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. The research will be published in the August 3, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.For the study, researchers screened the oligoadenylate synthetase gene in 401 people with MS, 394 people without MS and 178 people receiving the MS treatment beta interferon.

3 Aug 2010

Alphavirus vector induce immune responses in people with advanced cancer: Researchers

There are several challenges to be overcome if therapeutic anticancer vaccines, which are designed to boost the patient's anticancer immune response, are to be successfully developed. For example, the viruses used to deliver the tumor protein to the patient's immune system are themselves targeted by the patient's immune system, inducing neutralizing and suppressive responses. But now, a team of researchers, led by Michael Morse, at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, has developed a way to overcome these neutralizing and suppressive responses by using an alphavirus packaged in virus-like replicon particles.

3 Aug 2010

Alphavirus vaccine blocks tumor growth in advanced cancer: Research

An experimental vaccine based on a virus that causes encephalitis in the wild appears to block tumor growth in some cases of advanced cancer, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Scientists say the vaccine is able to stimulate an immune response, even in the face of profound immune system suppression, a condition most patients with advanced cancer experience.

3 Aug 2010

Octapharma USA receives confirmation of orphan drug exclusivity from FDA for wilate

Octapharma USA has received confirmation of orphan drug exclusivity from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for wilate (von Willebrand Factor/Factor VIII Concentrate, Human), the replacement therapy developed specifically for von Willebrand Disease. The approval comes from the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development, which helps to advance the development of products that demonstrate promise for the treatment of rare diseases.

2 Aug 2010

Phase I/II clinical study data of OncoVEXGM-CSF for head and neck cancer published in Clinical Cancer Research

BioVex Inc, a company developing new generation biologics for the treatment of cancer and prevention of infectious disease, announces that the data from its completed Phase I/II clinical study of OncoVEXGM-CSF for the first line treatment of head and neck cancer is being published today in Clinical Cancer Research, an ASCO publication.

2 Aug 2010

Henry Schein second-quarter 2010 net sales increase 15.1% to $1.8 billion

Henry Schein, Inc., the largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners, today reported record financial results for the quarter ended June 26, 2010.

2 Aug 2010

Merck reports strong bottom-line performance in second quarter

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the second quarter of $0.86, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, merger-related expenses, restructuring costs and the gain on AstraZeneca's asset option exercise. Second-quarter GAAP EPS was $0.24.

2 Aug 2010