Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New study questions effectiveness of national Silver Alert program

A group of Miami University researchers studying the national Silver Alert program for locating missing adults with dementia or other cognitive impairments question the program's effectiveness and safety, given the speed in which it's being implemented throughout the country.

26 Mar 2010

Interim results from ZALBIN Phase 2B trial in chronic hepatitis C patients announced

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced interim results through Week 12 following the end of treatment in a Phase 2b clinical trial conducted by Novartis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ZALBIN™ (albinterferon alfa-2b), an investigational agent, administered monthly in combination with ribavirin in 391 treatment-naive patients with genotypes 2 and 3 chronic hepatitis C virus. The primary efficacy endpoint is sustained virologic response (SVR) at Week 48 (24 weeks following the end of treatment).

26 Mar 2010

Positive results from Stage A pivotal study of 2009 A/H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine

Novavax, Inc. announced today positive results from the entire 1,000 subject Stage A of its two-stage pivotal study evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of Novavax's unadjuvanted 2009 A/H1N1 virus-like particle pandemic influenza vaccine.

26 Mar 2010

New research may help advance treatment strategies for common liver disease

A research article published in the journal PloS Pathogens could lead to improvements in the production of vaccines for hepatitis A, the most widespread viral disease in the world.

26 Mar 2010

IMDx 2009 Influenza A H1N1 Real-Time RT-PCR Assay granted EUA from FDA

IMDx announced today that its IMDx 2009 Influenza A H1N1 Real-Time RT-PCR Assay has been granted Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

26 Mar 2010

Medicare Roundup: Changes from health reform, payments for HIV patients

USA Today: "Perhaps the biggest factor in whether your Medicare costs will rise or fall depends on your Medicare plan. There are two: a traditional Medicare plan run by the federal government and Medicare Advantage, which is run by private insurance companies. Medicare Advantage costs more than the traditional plan, but provides more generous benefits.

26 Mar 2010

EMA accepts MAA filing of ViroPharma's Cinryze for HAE

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted the filing of its Marketing Authorization Application for Cinryze for acute treatment and prophylaxis against hereditary angioedema, which was submitted through the centralized procedure in March 2010. ViroPharma is seeking European approval for both prevention and treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema.

25 Mar 2010

Clinic sites seek gay men to participate in HIV vaccine study

Clinic sites in 13 cities across the U.S. are looking for a total of 1,350 HIV-negative gay men to participate in the latest HIV vaccine study from the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). And they're using social media to help reach these individuals where they are, which, these days, is increasingly online.

25 Mar 2010

Queensland rains and floods – boon or bane?

Warnings of floods and rains across Queensland have sparked fears related to Ross River fever among health authorities. Ross River fever is caused by a virus carried by a number of mosquito species. It is usually associated with joint pain and swelling that can last for weeks.

25 Mar 2010

Swine flu closely related to 1918 Spanish flu pandemic

In research on the swine flu virus it has been seen that the virus may seem new, but it has old relatives. An influenza virus which was pandemic in 1918 is seen to be very closely related, structurally speaking, to the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. This virus has the dubious distinction of having claimed between 40 million to 100 million lives in the flu wave of 1918.

25 Mar 2010

New study investigates effects of influenza among pregnant women

This spring, pregnant women in Bergen and Oslo will be invited to take part in the Norwegian Influenza Study (NorFlu). The aim is to find out how influenza in pregnancy affects maternal health and childhood development. NorFlu will also study any implications of vaccination during pregnancy.

25 Mar 2010

Shingles drug receives clearance for final stage of testing

A new Welsh-developed drug to help alleviate the suffering of shingles could move a step closer for patients if the final stage of testing is given the go-ahead.

24 Mar 2010

Life Technologies' real-time PCR instrument available for IVD use in Europe

Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced that its Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Dx Real-Time PCR Instrument is available as a platform suitable for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) use in Europe. Clinical laboratories from 22 countries and European institutions that develop in vitro molecular diagnostic assays in oncology, genetic disease and infectious disease will now be able to leverage the instrument’s regulatory clearance to develop tests for clinical applications.

24 Mar 2010

FDA recommends clinicians temporarily suspend use of Rotarix vaccine

The agency recently became aware that an independent U.S. academic research team, using a novel technique, has found DNA from porcine circovirus 1 (PCV1) in Rotarix, which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. PCV1 is not known to cause illness in humans or other animals. In addition, Rotarix has been studied extensively, before and after approval, and found to have an excellent safety record.

24 Mar 2010

Washington State mercury-limit suspension for swine flu vaccine ends

When it comes to some diseases prevention still is better than cure and swine flu is one such disease. The sheer global panic that gripped nations last year is hard to forget. The PanvaxH1N1 vaccine is specifically manufactured to target the influenza (A) H1N1 strain known more popularly as swine flu. Getting the flu shots may be crucial in prevention of spread of the highly contagious disease. Health officials say that the H1N1 strain of flu is still circulating but at low levels.

24 Mar 2010

WHO advises continued use of GSK's rotavirus vaccine in developing countries

The WHO on Monday advised developing countries to continue administering GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix vaccine - which offers protection to children against the diarrhea-causing rotavirus - after the FDA advised doctors in the U.S. to temporarily stop using the vaccine following the discovery that it was "contaminated with an apparently harmless pig virus," Reuters reports

24 Mar 2010

HPV test could help predict risk of cervical cancer, but more research needed

Testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) - the major cause of cervical cancer - may not help to identify women who are at risk of the disease, a new UK study suggests.

24 Mar 2010

Celladon Corporation receives USPTO notice of allowance covering MYDICAR for advanced heart failure

Celladon Corp. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a notice of allowance for a broad patent covering the company's lead drug candidate MYDICAR®, a genetically targeted enzyme replacement therapy for advanced heart failure. The patent will be issued to The Regents of the University of California and licensed exclusively to Celladon.

23 Mar 2010

EMA validates InterMune's pirfenidone MAA for IPF

InterMune, Inc. today announced that the company's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA), submitted on March 2 seeking approval of pirfenidone for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in adults, was validated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Validation of the MAA by the EMA indicates that the application is complete and that the review process will begin on March 24. The proposed trade name for pirfenidone in both the United States and Europe is Esbriet®.

23 Mar 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals earns $20M technology transfer payment from Takeda Pharmaceutical

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced that it has earned a $20 million technology transfer payment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited as part of the strategic alliance the companies formed in May 2008.

23 Mar 2010