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Volcano Corporation announces pricing of convertible senior notes due 2015

Volcano Corporation today announced the pricing of its offering of $100 million aggregate principal amount of 2.875 percent convertible senior notes due September 1, 2015 registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Prior to June 1, 2015, the notes will be convertible only upon certain circumstances.

15 Sep 2010

Early alcohol, tobacco exposure may delay puberty in girls: Study

The list of possible health effects from an early introduction to alcohol and tobacco use has just gotten longer. A new study suggests that early drinking and smoking might delay onset of puberty in girls.

15 Sep 2010

Opinions: Global nursing; U.S. funding of Global Fund; Global demands for water; Food security

"Almost every nation, regardless of its wealth and resources, faces a continuing shortage of nurses and an acute lack of nursing faculty available to educate more nurses. This dearth of practicing nurses and nurse educators is particularly critical in countries like Haiti and other developing high-risk, low-resourced nations," Martha Hill, dean of Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece encouraging the expansion of global nursing.

15 Sep 2010

Kings Cross drug injection center to become permanent fixture

After running for quite some time amidst intense debates, the New South Wales Government has announced plans to make the medically-supervised drug injecting centre at Kings Cross a permanent fixture. This unit has been functioning since 2001 and was still looking for permanency. A latest review of this trial center showed that it has successfully managed more than 3,000 overdoses and helped 12,000 drug users.

15 Sep 2010

$Savient's KRYSTEXXA receives FDA approval for chronic gout in adult patients refractory to conventional therapy$

Savient's KRYSTEXXA receives FDA approval for chronic gout in adult patients refractory to conventional therapy

Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved KRYSTEXXA™ (pegloticase), a PEGylated uric acid specific enzyme indicated for the treatment of chronic gout in adult patients refractory to conventional therapy. Chronic gout that is refractory to conventional therapy occurs in patients who have failed to normalize serum uric acid and whose signs and symptoms are inadequately controlled with xanthine oxidase inhibitors at the maximum medically appropriate dose or for whom these drugs are contraindicated.

15 Sep 2010

FDA approves Krystexxa drug to treat gout

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Krystexxa (pegloticase) to treat the painful condition known as gout in adults who do not respond to or who cannot tolerate conventional therapy.

15 Sep 2010

Researchers develop new blood test to predict prostate cancer risk

A blood test at the age of 60 can accurately predict the risk that a man will die from prostate cancer within the next 25 years, according to researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York, and Lund University, in Sweden. The findings, published today online in the British Medical Journal, could have important implications for determining which men should be screened after the age of 60 and which may not benefit substantially from continued prostate cancer screening.

15 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Medicare fixes, health care lawsuits, reporting repeals

And in this political climate, the $210 billion price tag [to fix the physician payment system] will probably prevent a permanent solution this year. However, a longer term, interim fix and a primary care payment differential would be steps in the right direction (Dennis Mayeaux and Lori Parham, 9/13).

15 Sep 2010

Atox Bio doses first subject in AB103 Phase 1 study for severe bacterial infections and sepsis

Atox Bio Inc. today announced that it successfully completed the dosing of the first subject in its phase 1 clinical study of AB103, a novel therapy for the treatment of severe bacterial infections and sepsis.

15 Sep 2010

AMS receives favorable ruling in Davenport infringement lawsuit

American Medical Systems Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of world-class devices and therapies for male and female pelvic health, announced today that the company is pleased with yesterday's U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's ruling that reversed a summary judgment and finding for Biolitec, Inc.

15 Sep 2010

Health on the Hill – September 13, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with Politico's Jennifer Haberkorn and KFF's Jackie Judd about recent events in Washington, including Senate consideration of amendments to a package of small business tax breaks that would repeal a provision of the health care law that requires businesses to submit a 1099 form to the Internal Revenue Service for yearly purchases of $600 or more from a vendor.

15 Sep 2010

Researchers unveil watercress compound can block pathway for cancer development

The research, unveiled at a press conference today (14 September 2010), shows that the watercress compound is able to interfere with the function of a protein which plays a critical role in cancer development.

15 Sep 2010

Arizona State University receives grant to protect warfighters from infectious diseases

Scientists at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have received a 2-year, $5.3 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to protect warfighters in the event of exposure to infectious diseases during deployment.

15 Sep 2010

Scientists discover study of calcium deposits helps effective breast cancer diagnosis

SCIENTISTS have discovered for the first time that studying calcium deposits in the breast, often detected through screening, could help doctors diagnose breast cancer more effectively.The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday), examined the relationship between the composition of these deposits found in breast tissue and the malignancy of a tumour.

15 Sep 2010

Apricus Biosciences announces reformulation of Rituxan enables rectal delivery of biologics

Apricus Biosciences, backed by a revenue generating CRO business and seeking to leverage its multi-route NexACT drug delivery technology and internal pipeline through out-licensing arrangements and partnerships, today announced results from a pre-clinical pharmacokinetic study showing the ability of NexACT to enable rectal delivery of biologics, such as human antibodies.

15 Sep 2010

CytoGenix reports positive results of CYDBA507 avian influenza vaccine candidate

CytoGenix reports positive results of an animal study where mice were immunized with CYDBA507, CytoGenix avian influenza vaccine candidate, protected against lethal challenge with avian influenza virus.

15 Sep 2010

Micrus stockholders approve merger agreement with Johnson & Johnson

Micrus Endovascular Corporation announced today that its stockholders approved a proposal to adopt the merger agreement which provides that Micrus is to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, among other business, at its 2010 annual meeting of stockholders.

15 Sep 2010

ThermoGenesis 2010 fourth quarter revenue increases to $7.2 million

ThermoGenesis Corp., a leading supplier of innovative products and services that process and store adult stem cells, said today that revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 were $7.2 million versus revenues of $4.0 million for the same quarter a year ago. Revenues in the third quarter of fiscal 2010 were $4.8 million.

15 Sep 2010

Aged care faltering in Australia: Report

According to National Seniors Australia, the countries’ aged-care system is riddled with problems and will become unsustainable unless urgent reform is undertaken. In its report “The Future of Aged Care in Australia”, the current system of aged care is evaluated. The report says that there are staffing and bed shortages that are crumbling under financial pressures and are unable to meet the future demands of an ageing population. The report compiled for the lobby group by Access Economics says policymakers must implement viable funding alternatives to sustain the system.

14 Sep 2010

Stroke risk with common pain killers dismissed by manufacturer

An eight-year Danish study, which involved more than 2.5 million healthy Danes found there was a higher risk of stroke for those taking high doses of ibuprofen, which is in the painkiller Nurofen. The manufacturers of Nurofen, Reckitt Benckiser, have dismissed these reports. The spokesperson for the company said, “it is important to note that the conclusions drawn by the study authors are based on high doses of ibuprofen…The results of this study should not be confused with non-prescription low doses of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, which are available over-the-counter and used by millions of people around the world, for short periods of time, every day.”

14 Sep 2010