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Priligy - new drug for premature ejaculation

For men suffering from premature ejaculation there may be a new savior in town. The new drug called Priligy is reported to triple the time a man can last in bed. It is currently not licensed in the UK, but is available and licensed for use in a number of other European countries.

28 Apr 2010

States uneasy about impact of Medicaid expansion

The expansion of insurance coverage under the health reform law is due largely to an expansion of the government-funded Medicaid program, which is causing some doctors to worry about the specifics of implementation, according to the New York Times. "Absorbing that many people into the system will not be easy. The program is administered and partly financed by the states, which are now racing to figure out how to carry out the necessary changes and simplify enrollment even as they struggle to cope with severe budget cuts and staff shortages."

28 Apr 2010

Actavis launches Tamsulosin capsules in the U.S.

Actavis Inc., today began shipping Tamsulosin capsules to its customers in the United States. The generic equivalent to Flomax®, Tamsulosin is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Actavis is partnering with Synthon Pharmaceuticals to launch and market Tamsulosin capsules in the United States.

28 Apr 2010

Queensland Government seeks help with private hospital at Kawana

The Queensland Government is looking for financial assistance and more practical help to operate a private hospital at Kawana, which is to be collocated with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The private hospital is expected to be functional by 2013, which is three years before the $1.6 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital precinct is due to be finished.

27 Apr 2010

Whole grains in diet translate to multiple health benefits: says research

Whole grains in diet can protect an individual from heart diseases say the CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship scientists. According to Dr David Topping, the chef research scientist at CSIRO consumption of whole grains in cereal and breads can reduce the risk of several diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancers. Legumes and grains could also prevent asthma, gum disease etc.

27 Apr 2010

Reluctant Australian sperm donors forces fertility clinics to import from U.S.

With the shortage of sperm donors the Queensland Fertility Group, the largest fertility facility in Townsville has resorted to importing sperm from United States. This facility, some 1,300 Kilometers from Brisbane is reportedly paying $700-800 an ampule for the imported sperm. This is a new situation. Earlier the facility had a large number of donors of which a huge number were the university students but there has been a steady decline in donors with many north Queensland men, or even Australian men who are not prepared to donate.

27 Apr 2010

Australian Medical Association says doctor followed all procedures in flu shot death

The death of a two year old girl a day after she relieved a flu shot has become an issue for the Brisbane doctor who gave the girl and her twin sister the flu shot. The Australian Medical Association branch in Queenland has warned against making Dr Amir Eskandari the scapegoat in the case.

27 Apr 2010

Better vision ahead for many diabetic retinopathy patients

A nationwide, government-sponsored study finds that people with a common form of diabetic retinopathy can benefit from a medication first developed to combat another potentially blinding disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Treating diabetic macular edema (DME) with ranibizumab (Lucentis) eye injections, plus laser treatment if needed, appears to result in better vision than laser treatment alone, according to the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research (DRCR) Network study published today in Ophthalmology online, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy). DME is the main cause of vision loss in people with diabetes mellitus.

27 Apr 2010

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to collaborate with New York Stem Cell Foundation

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) are establishing a collaborative program to advance the development and use of stem cells in therapies for a wide range of diseases, the organizations announced today. The program will train researchers to use stem cells and foster joint research projects.

27 Apr 2010

Cellular IPOD plays role in prion biology

Cells take advantage of a biologically ancient compartment to sequester prions, an action that can initially prevent the prions’ phenotypic expression, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. While in this compartment, less heritable prion plaques mature to a more transmissible state.

27 Apr 2010

Expensive generic drugs cost Australia billions

Consumers and the Australian Government are paying up to 10 times more for generic cholesterol-lowering drugs compared to the United Kingdom, according to research carried out by health economists at the University of Sydney.

27 Apr 2010

Debiopharm commences treatment in Phase I clinical trial for Debio 0932 small molecule Hsp90 inhibitor

Curis, Inc. announced today that its licensee Debiopharm S.A. has treated the first patient in a Phase I clinical trial for small molecule heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor Debio 0932, formerly called CUDC-305.

27 Apr 2010

Antares Pharma, Uman Pharma announce strategic alliance for VIBEX MTX

Antares Pharma, Inc., a leader in self-injection drug delivery technology and Uman Pharma, a manufacturer of top-quality injectable pharmaceutical products based in Quebec, Canada, today announced the formation of a strategic alliance covering Antares' VIBEX™ MTX.

27 Apr 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals publishes encouraging results from Phase II GEMINI study in PNAS

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has published results from its Phase II GEMINI study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). These data, previously presented at the International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections in Singapore in 2008, showed human proof of concept with an RNAi therapeutic in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study.

27 Apr 2010

Salix Pharmaceuticals announces novel patient and health care provider support program for HE

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced plans for the Hepatic Encephalopathy Living Program (H.E.L.P.). H.E.L.P. is a first-of-its-kind patient and health care provider support program for the management of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and will launch on May 24, 2010. The program will provide patients with HE educational materials, co-pay assistance, treatment adherence support and a 24-hour toll-free hotline.

27 Apr 2010

Biostar receives Shaanxi SFDA approval to market Xin Aoxing Oleanolic Acid Capsules

Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Xianyang-based manufacturer of a leading over-the-counter Hepatitis B medicine, Xin Aoxing Oleanolic Acid Capsule, and other pharmaceutical products, announced today it has received new advertising approval from Shaanxi State Food and Drug Administration for marketing Xin Aoxing Oleanolic Acid Capsules.

27 Apr 2010

3M first-quarter worldwide sales up 25% to $6.3 billion

3M today reported first-quarter earnings of $1.29 per share on sales of $6.3 billion. Operating income margins were 22.8 percent, up 7 percentage points year-on-year. Sales and per-share earnings increased 24.7 percent and 74.3 percent, respectively, versus the first quarter of 2009.

27 Apr 2010

Natus Medical announces $50M revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank

Natus Medical Incorporated today announced that it has entered into a $50 million revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. The credit facility, which matures on April 30, 2012, amends and restates the Company's existing $25 million credit facility that was scheduled to mature on April 30, 2010.

27 Apr 2010

Interim results from Phase I clinical trial of PLX-PAD for treatment of CLI

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. today announced interim top-line results from its Phase I clinical trials utilizing its placenta-derived cell therapy product, PLX-PAD, for the treatment of critical limb ischemia, the end-stage of peripheral artery disease. The interim data demonstrated that PLX-PAD is safe, well tolerated and effective.

27 Apr 2010

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals to demonstrate three presentations at Antibacterial Drug Development Conference

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage antibiotics company with a broad product pipeline based on its innovative discovery platform, today announced that it will be presenting three separate presentations at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute's 4th Annual Antibacterial Drug Development Conference, Resistance is Futile: The Challenge of Antibacterial Drug Development, April 27 - 28, in San Diego, CA.

27 Apr 2010