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Octapharma receives FDA approval for octagam to treat disorders of immune system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday cleared the way for the U.S. market return of octagam, the Octapharma USA product used to treat disorders of the immune system.

5 Nov 2011

Global Pharm acquires Qingdao Likang

Global Pharm Holdings Group, Inc., a China-based, growing vertically integrated pharmaceutical company engaged in pharmaceutical-related products distribution, Traditional Chinese Medicine herbs cultivation and processing business through its subsidiaries in Anhui, Jilin, Guangdong and Shandong provinces, today announced that, on October 31, 2011, it completed the acquisition of the 100% equity interest of Qingdao Likang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, a city-level pharmaceutical distributor located in Qingdao, Shandong Province.

5 Nov 2011

Janssen receives FDA approval for Xarelto to prevent stroke in people with AF

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of stroke in people who have abnormal heart rhythm.

5 Nov 2011

KFH/HP reports total operating revenue of $11.9B for third quarter 2011

Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and their respective subsidiaries (KFH/HP) reported today a combined total operating revenue of $11.9 billion for the quarter ending September 30, 2011, compared to $11.1 billion in the same period in 2010.

5 Nov 2011

Women's groups in Somali town push for law banning female genital mutilation/cutting

"Women's groups in the Somali town of Galkayo are lobbying the authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland to enact a law banning female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), saying the practice was becoming widespread," IRIN reports.

5 Nov 2011

Active ingredient in saffron shows promise against MS

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered that an active ingredient in the Persian spice saffron may be a potential treatment for diseases involving neuroinflammation, such as multiple sclerosis.

5 Nov 2011

CPPIB, Apax and PSP Investments acquire Kinetic Concepts

A consortium comprised of funds advised by Apax Partners, together with controlled affiliates of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Kinetic Concepts, Inc. for $68.50 per common share in cash.

5 Nov 2011

X-ray crystallography identifies structure of apoA-I molecule

Using a sophisticated technique of x-ray crystallography, researchers Xiaohu Mei, PhD, and David Atkinson, PhD, from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have for the first time obtained an "image" of the structure and the precise arrangement of the atoms in a truncated form of the apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) molecule.

5 Nov 2011

Obesity affecting wealthy, middle classes more than poor in developing countries, study says

"'First world' health problems such as obesity and heart disease may be gaining ground in developing nations, but they are mostly afflicting the rich and middle class while poor people remain undernourished and underweight," according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Reuters reports.

5 Nov 2011

Common gut pathogen increases activity of SMO gene and causes colon tumors

Working with lab cultures and mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a strain of the common gut pathogen Bacteroides fragilis causes colon inflammation and increases activity of a gene called spermine oxidase (SMO) in the intestine.

5 Nov 2011

Opexa reports net loss of $1.30 million for third quarter 2011

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing Tovaxin, a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011 and provided an overview of recent corporate developments.

5 Nov 2011

Arginase-2 enzyme plays a major role in diabetic nephropathy

The enzyme arginase-2 plays a major role in kidney failure, and blocking the action of this enzyme might lead to protection against renal disease in diabetes, according to researchers.

5 Nov 2011

Heidelberg scientists identify single protein responsible for varicose veins

Dr. Thomas Korff and his group at the Division of Cardiovascular Physiology of Heidelberg University's Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology have now shown that the pathological remodeling processes causing varicose veins are mediated by a single protein.

5 Nov 2011