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Under ACA 90% of Californians below age of 65 will be enrolled in health insurance programs

Nine out of 10 Californians under the age of 65 will be enrolled in health insurance programs as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a joint study by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

15 Jun 2012

Dietitians now have access to simple genetic test kit from Nutrigenomix

The one-size-fits-all approach to nutritional counselling includes basic advice to eat more whole grains and cut back on sodium. While this guidance is certainly appropriate, it doesn't take into account that these universal nutrition recommendations are not equally useful for every person.

15 Jun 2012

FDA approves Menhibrix for vaccination against meningococcal and Hib diseases

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Menhibrix, a combination vaccine for infants and children ages 6 weeks through 18 months, for prevention of invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups C and Yand Haemophilus influenzae type b.

15 Jun 2012

Dexcom G4 system receives CE Mark approval

Dexcom, Inc. today announced that it has received CE Mark approval for its fourth generation continuous glucose monitoring system, the Dexcom G4 system, enabling commercialization of the Dexcom G4 system in the European Union and the countries in Asia and Latin America that recognize the CE Mark.

15 Jun 2012

Johnson & Johnson acquires Synthes

Johnson & Johnson today announced the completion of the acquisition of Synthes, Inc. for a total purchase price of $19.7 billion in cash and stock. Synthes will now be integrated with the DePuy franchise to establish the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

15 Jun 2012

Quest receives FDA clearance to initiate oregovomab Phase II trial in ovarian cancer

Quest PharmaTech Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of cancer, announces that it has received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration to initiate U.S. sites for an ongoing international Phase II clinical trial for oregovomab in advanced ovarian cancer patients.

15 Jun 2012

African Sahel faces food insecurity despite record increase in cereal production; New partnership to address food supply in Middle East, North Africa

"According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) quarterly forecast of agricultural production and food," the world is expected to see a record increase in cereal production in 2012, "[b]ut despite the positive global trends, countries in Africa's Sahel region continue to face serious challenges to food security due to locally high food prices and civil strife, FAO said in a news release," the U.N. News Centre reports.

15 Jun 2012

Hay fever vaccine shows efficacy in phase IIa trial

A novel vaccine for grass pollen allergy has shown significant improvements for patients in a Phase IIa trial. The vaccine BM32 is based on an innovative recombinant peptide carrier technology that allows for fewer injections and shows fewer side effects compared with other immunotherapy treatments for allergy sufferers. BM32 has been developed by Biomay AG, an Austrian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the discovery and development of innovative allergy therapeutics. The company has already initiated a Phase IIb trial for BM32 with 180 allergic patients.

14 Jun 2012

European launch of technology for quantitative assessment of Parkinson’s disease symptoms from Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today that they are launching the latest version of their medical device technology for assessing Parkinson’s disease next week at the Movement Disorders Society Congress in Dublin, Ireland.

14 Jun 2012

Study examines constitutionality of pharmaceutical gift laws

We've all seen them in the waiting room of the doctor's office-pens, notepads, magnets, and clipboards adorned with the logos of brand-name drugs. These freebies may seem inconsequential, but a large and compelling body of evidence shows that even these small gifts may influence which drug a doctor prescribes.

14 Jun 2012

Gladstone investigators play key part in Human Microbiome Project

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes today are announcing their role in an unprecedented collaboration organized by the National Institutes of Health, which used groundbreaking methods to vastly improve our understanding of bacteria that reside in and on the human body.

14 Jun 2012

Antibody that blocks programmed cell death benefits cancer patients

A national research collaboration of senior researchers, including a researcher from Moffitt Cancer Center, has found that 20 to 25 percent of "heavily pre-treated" patients with a variety of cancers who enrolled in a clinical trial had "objective and durable" responses to a treatment with BMS-936558, an antibody that specifically blocks programmed cell death 1 (PD-1).

14 Jun 2012

Single protein determines persistence of viral infection

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown a single protein can make the difference between an infection clearing out of the body or persisting for life. The results also show where the defects occur in the immune system without the protein and offer the possibility that targeting this signaling pathway could be beneficial for treatment of persistent viral infections in humans.

14 Jun 2012

Minimally invasive procedure to treat high blood pressure

A radically different approach to treating high blood pressure – using a minimally invasive procedure – is being evaluated as part of a Pivotal Phase III 90-site national trial that includes The Carl H. and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital.

14 Jun 2012