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Top-line results from Merck's vorapaxar clinical study on thrombosis

Merck, known outside the United States and Canada as MSD, today announced the top-line results of the TRA-2P (Thrombin Receptor Antagonist in Secondary Prevention of atherothrombotic ischemic events) study of vorapaxar.

7 Feb 2012

Alexion acquires Enobia Pharma

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Company has completed its previously announced acquisition of 100% of the capital stock of Enobia Pharma Corp., a private biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies to treat patients with ultra-rare and life-threatening genetic metabolic disorders.

7 Feb 2012

State roundup: Mental health problems complicate immigrant detention hearings; Penn. hospital replacing nursing assistants with all RNs

Immigrant advocates say there are hundreds of mentally ill immigration defendants such as [Ever Martinez Rivas], left to fend for themselves without any meaningful protections in court. As with Martinez, their cases are delayed repeatedly while immigration judges struggle to deal with them fairly. A recently certified federal class action suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Los Angeles-based pro bono law firm Public Counsel and other advocacy groups, seeks to address the issue by compelling the government to provide competency hearings, lawyers and bond hearings for defendants such as Martinez.

7 Feb 2012

Smoking leads to early cognitive decline: Study

There is growing evidence that using cigarettes can also affect the brain: the latest study shows that smoking is associated with cognitive decline as early as age 45, and that male smokers may be more vulnerable to these mental effects than women.

7 Feb 2012

Roche’s new breast cancer drug Pertuzumab up for FDA review

U.S. health regulators, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has granted a priority review for an experimental Roche breast cancer drug that in clinical trials added six months to the time before the disease worsened. Pertuzumab approval decision is due by June 8th this year. It could be used with Herceptin in HER2-positive patients. This was announced by Roche Holding AG's Genentech unit on Tuesday.

7 Feb 2012

Vending machine to dispense “morning after pills” at college sparks debate

Now students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania can get the “morning after” pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine, an idea that has drawn the attention of federal regulators and raised questions about how accessible emergency contraception should be.

7 Feb 2012

Spanking kids does not work and may lead to developmental difficulties

The authors say the medical finding have been largely overlooked and overshadowed by concerns that parents should have the right to determine how their children are disciplined.

7 Feb 2012

New guidelines for travellers to avoid DVT on long flights

New guidelines for travellers have been issued. Experts warn that those with a higher risk of serious blood clots who opt for the window seat on flights longer than four hours are potentially putting themselves in danger. People who should be most concerned are those who have recently had surgery, cancer patients, those with limited mobility, the severely obese, and travellers over 70. However, healthy women on the pill and those who are pregnant should also be careful, according to the guidelines by the American College of Chest Physicians.

7 Feb 2012

National Black HIV/AIDS Day brings new statistics

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Blacks represent approximately 14 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for an estimated 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009. Over the same period, the rate of new HIV infections among black women was 15 times that of White women, and over 3 times the rate of Hispanic/Latina women.

7 Feb 2012

Bread to blame for too much salt in American diet: CDC report

According to the latest figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this Tuesday, nine out of 10 American adults consume too much salt.

7 Feb 2012

High soft drink consumption associated with asthma and COPD

A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that a high level of soft drink consumption is associated with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

7 Feb 2012

WHO publishes new standards for human participant research

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published “Standards and Operational Guidance for Ethics Review of Health-Related Research with Human Participants,” a compilation of 10 standards for ethics review of health related research with human participants.

7 Feb 2012

NHS spends a whopping on £60,000 a day on translation services: Report

A new report shows that Britain’s NHS pays out £60,000 a day on translation and interpretation services, with Leeds among the highest spenders. Research by think-tank 2020Health showed NHS trusts spent £23.3 million on written translation and interpreters last year, an increase of 17% since 2007.

7 Feb 2012

Facebook and Twitter addiction: Study

The researchers from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business recently conducted an experiment involving 205 people in Wurtzburg, Germany to analyze the addictive properties of social media and other vices.

7 Feb 2012

Merck applies for approval of its new insomnia drug suvorexant

Merck & Co. announced this Monday that they would file for U.S. marketing approval of their experimental insomnia drug suvorexant in 2012.

7 Feb 2012

Asthmatic mothers encouraged to breastfeed without fear as it boosts baby’s lung power: Study

In their study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine they looked at nearly 1,500 children from birth to ages eight to 14. Parents provided information on breastfeeding history when their children were 12 months old, and the children had a series of tests to assess lung function between the ages of 8 and 14.

7 Feb 2012

FDA reviews Amgen’s prostate cancer drug Xgeva

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) researchers say that an Amgen drug slowed the spread of cancer to the bone in men with hard-to-treat prostate cancer, though the drug did not extend life and carried significant side effects.

7 Feb 2012

World’s first 3D printed jaw transplant

In a medical breakthrough, doctors and bio-engineers have collaborated

7 Feb 2012

Proposed Australian e-health records system criticised

Both the Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) and the Australian Privacy Foundation have criticized the private corporation established by the federal and state governments to roll out the federal government's proposed electronic health records. They have told a Senate inquiry hearing in Canberra that personally-controlled e-health records should not go live on July 1 as planned.

7 Feb 2012

Spectros 2011 sales revenue increases 69%

Spectros announced today that year-over-year sales revenue rose 69% in 2011. This is the fourth year in a row for double-digit revenue growth for Spectros since the current T-Stat Oximeter was launched in 2008.

7 Feb 2012