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First Edition: June 22, 2011

Today's headlines include an exclusive AP report detailing a "twist" in the health law that would allow millions of middle class Americans -- mainly early retirees -- access to Medicaid.

22 Jun 2011

BioCision releases three new cryopreservation systems

BioCision, the coolprep company, today announced the release of three new cryopreservation systems: CoolCell FTS30, the first large-capacity, high-density cell freezing system; CoolCell SV2 for freezing cells in larger diameter 2ml vials; and CoolCell 5ml for large cryovial freezing.

22 Jun 2011

Anthem Blue Cross agrees to limit rate hikes

Settling a class-action lawsuit, California health insurer Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to limit rate increases for 122,000 policyholders whose plans have been closed to new customers.

22 Jun 2011

Naurex commences GLYX-13 Phase II trial in treatment-resistant depression

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced that it has initiated a Phase II clinical trial of its lead compound GLYX-13.

22 Jun 2011

VENENUM opens new medicinal chemistry facility in Hamilton, NJ

VENENUM Biodesign, a drug discovery company that utilizes ultra-high throughput screening (UHTS) of its compound collection to identify potential therapeutic agents against its novel disease-based targets, or its partners' targets, announced today that it opened its new medicinal chemistry space at 8 Black Forest Road in Hamilton, NJ.

22 Jun 2011

Elsevier introduces new open-access journal on parasitology

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and solutions, in association with the Australian Society for Parasitology, is pleased to announce the launch of a new journal, International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance.

22 Jun 2011

Only 10% of patients with heart attack transferred to another hospital for PCI in recommended time

Only about 10 percent of patients with a certain type of heart attack who need to be transferred to another hospital for a PCI are transferred within the recommended time of 30 minutes, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Jun 2011

Scientists uncover novel mechanism linked to Spinocerebellar ataxia 7

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have uncovered a novel mechanism regulating gene expression and transcription linked to Spinocerebellar ataxia 7, an inherited neurological disorder.

22 Jun 2011

Multiple abstracts on QNEXA long-term clinical study to be presented at ADA 2011

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that multiple abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the upcoming American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting to be held June 24th to June 28th, 2011, at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA.

22 Jun 2011

Ghana's vice president discusses country's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS

John Dramani Mahama, vice president of the Republic of Ghana, recently spoke with NPR's "Tell Me More" about how Ghana has made significant gains against HIV/AIDS, bringing the prevalence rate down to 1.5 percent from nearly 4 percent.

22 Jun 2011

Innovative Nail after Lengthening method can extend short thighbone by 26 centimeters

The MedUni Vienna's University Department of Trauma Surgery at Vienna General Hospital is a leader in the field of treatment of traumatic bone defects caused by accidents. A severely shortened thighbone as the result of an accident has now been able to be extended by using the innovative NAL method, creating an increase of 26 centimetres in only eight months.

22 Jun 2011

Upgraded midwifery services could save up to 3.6M lives in developing countries

Up to 3.6 million lives could be saved every year if midwifery services were upgraded in 58 developing countries by 2015, according to a major new report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with the University of Southampton and 28 other organisations worldwide.

22 Jun 2011

'Steadfast focus' needed in fight against HIV/AIDS

Recapping the 30-year history of HIV/AIDS from an USAID perspective, Administrator Rajiv Shah writes in this "Impact blog" post, "Our work is far from done. We have a shared responsibility as a global partner to save lives by focusing on smart investments. The generosity of the American people has made sustained progress against this deadly disease possible. Closing the chapter on HIV/AIDS will require a steadfast focus on remaining gaps and challenges as we chart the way forward".

22 Jun 2011

Sanofi, Medco and UBC to use real-world evidence for quality patient care

Sanofi, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, United BioSource Corporation (UBC), announced they have entered into a global, multi-year agreement to support the real-world evidence assessments during Sanofi product development and pre-/post-approval processes that support improvements in the overall quality of patient care.

22 Jun 2011

Controversy surrounding McKinsey insurance survey continues

Though the consulting firm released its methodology, its findings continue to draw debate and criticism. Meanwhile, Avalere released a study of its own, which seems to contradict the McKinsey report.

22 Jun 2011

Pharmasset receives U.S. patent titled 'Nucleoside Phosphoramidate Prodrugs'

Pharmasset, Inc. announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. patent 7,964,580 titled "Nucleoside Phosphoramidate Prodrugs".

22 Jun 2011

Researchers identify natural mechanism linked with Huntington's disease

Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a natural mechanism that might one day be used to block the expression of the mutated gene known to cause Huntington's disease.

22 Jun 2011

Elavon wins Merchant Acquirer of the Year Award at Cards & Payments European Conference

At a glittering award ceremony at the Westin Grand in Frankfurt last night, Elavon, a leading global payments provider and wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, was announced as winner of the Merchant Acquirer of the Year Award at the Cards & Payments Europe 2011 Conference and Awards Dinner.

22 Jun 2011

WHO releases first-ever HIV guidelines for MSM and transgender people

The WHO on Tuesday released its first-ever HIV guidelines on men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, which "urges governments to ensure gay men get equal access to HIV prevention and treatment services," the Associated Press reports.

22 Jun 2011

UC Riverside research could lead to novel therapeutics for epileptic seizures

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have made a discovery in the lab that could help drug manufacturers develop new antiepileptic drugs and explore novel strategies for treating seizures associated with epilepsy - a disease affecting about two million Americans.

22 Jun 2011