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Two new NCCN guidelines for patients with colon and prostrate cancer

In order to provide people with cancer and their caregivers state-of-the-art treatment information in patient-friendly language, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has developed two new publications: a new release of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Colon Cancer and an update to the NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Prostate Cancer.

9 Feb 2012

SSRIs may minimize risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy

A groundbreaking study published in Elsevier's Epilepsy & Behavior provides evidence in mouse model that drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs; one category of antidepressants) may reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

9 Feb 2012

Ironwood prices public offering of 5,250,000 shares of common stock

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 5,250,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a price of $15.09 per share to the public. All of the shares are being offered by Ironwood.

9 Feb 2012

Mylan's generic Doryx ANDA receives final FDA approval

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Doxycycline Hyclate Delayed-release (DR) Tablets USP, 150 mg. This product is the generic version of Mayne Pharma's Doryx, which is a tetracycline-class antimicrobial.

9 Feb 2012

Insurers shift more costs to patients; Washington state insurance commissioner wants to consider surpluses in rate increases

More insurers are shifting a growing amount of the cost of providing care to patients, Kaiser Health News reports. In other insurer news, UnitedHealth will overhaul how it pays doctors, and Washington's state insurance commissioner is asking for permission to consider insurer surpluses when mulling proposed insurance rate increases.

9 Feb 2012

FDA panel votes against Amgen’s Xgeva in prostate cancer

An FDA panel of oncologists has voted against a new use for Amgen's Xgeva in prostate cancer on Wednesday, saying the drug's ability to slow the spread of the disease did not translate into meaningful benefits for patients. Xgeva is already approved to prevent fractures in cancerous bones, and for osteoporosis, in a different formulation called Prolia.

9 Feb 2012

Parkinson’s disease gene - parkin explored: Study

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered how mutations in the parkin gene cause Parkinson's disease, which afflicts at least 500,000 Americans and for which there is no cure. The results are published in the current issue of Nature Communications.

9 Feb 2012

Acid reducing drugs could raise risk of C. diff diarrhea

U.S. health regulators, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), have announced that ulcer drugs such as AstraZeneca Plc's blockbuster Nexium could increase the risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD).

9 Feb 2012

Now on stands - Inhaled caffeine

A Harvard professor has come up with a device that helps people inhale their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product, called “AeroShot,” is not without its risks. The product went on the market late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and is also available in France. A single unit costs $2.99 at convenience, mom-and-pop, liquor and online stores.

9 Feb 2012

Six times more teenage girls being given contraceptive implants

According to new figures the number of girls aged 15 or younger having contraceptive implants has risen six-fold in only five years. Some 4,900 teenagers below the age of consent were given the devices last year, up from 800 in 2005/6.

9 Feb 2012

Gene therapy succeeds in the second blind eye for three patients

Three people have now have reported a dramatic improvement in vision after having gene therapy in both eyes after having lost their eyesight as children.

9 Feb 2012

Cyanotech third quarter revenues increase to $6,706,000

Cyanotech Corporation, a world leader in microalgae-based, high-value nutrition and health products, today announced financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal year 2012, ended December 31, 2011.

9 Feb 2012

BGI and VIB's genomics meeting to take place on Feb. 15

Both organizations are already collaborating on several projects, including the mapping of the genomes of more than 1,000 species of gut bacteria, compiled from 577 billion base pairs of sequence data. The leading scientific journal Science selected this work as one of the scientific breakthroughs of 2011. Large-scale genome sequencing is becoming ever more important in life sciences, healthcare and agricultural research.

9 Feb 2012

Prestige Brands third quarter net revenues increase 17.3% to $106.3M

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. today announced results for the fiscal 2012 third quarter ended December 31, 2011, including net revenues of $106.3 million, an increase of 17.3% over the prior year's comparable quarter of $90.6 million.

9 Feb 2012

Congress struggles to tackle doc fix, payroll tax cut extension

It's Groundhog Day in Congress, where lawmakers appear to have glimpsed their shadows and are entering a newly intense period of negotiations over whether to extend the payroll tax cut that is shaping up to be remarkably similar to a bruising December fight over the same issue.

9 Feb 2012

ACC: New community-wide collaboration to reduce impact of chronic diseases

A new community-wide collaboration to reduce the impact of chronic disease and empower patients is generating impressive early results, leaders of the Accountable Care Community (ACC) initiative said today. The Akron-based Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) is leading the initiative with its founding institutional members and more than 60 public and private community partners.

9 Feb 2012

Important to include men in HIV prevention, treatment programs

While a focus on HIV prevention and treatment among women and children has reduced infection rates among these populations, "men have received considerably less attention in the epidemic and receive less targeted HIV prevention and treatment programs," Edward Mills of the University of Ottawa and colleagues write in a PLoS Medicine essay, adding "Targeting men in prevention and treatment ... may have a large impact on mortality, new infections, and the economic impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa."

9 Feb 2012

Low-glycemic-index foods can improve dietary habits of people with Type 2 diabetes

A specific goal to eat a set number of daily servings of low-glycemic-index foods can improve dietary habits of people with Type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

9 Feb 2012

India's ownership over polio eradication program contributed to success

"The key to India's success" in going a full year without recording a case of polio "was to take ownership of the problem and the solution, allowing for locals to learn from the expertise of the international community while not becoming dependent" on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international donors, William Thomson, a research assistant at the U.S. Naval War College, writes in The Diplomat's "India Decade."

9 Feb 2012

Patients with GERD benefit from radiofrequency ablation

Heartburn. Acid reflux, GERD. They're different terms for the same type of condition - stomach acid used for digestion travels back up the esophagus, the "food pipe" that connects your throat to your stomach.

9 Feb 2012