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Abbott's Humira gains first-line biologic use for psoriasis treatment: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that while Amgen/Stiefel/Pfizer's Enbrel is the most popular biologic across all lines of therapy for psoriasis treatment in newly diagnosed patients, Abbott's Humira is gaining increasing use as a first-line biologic at Enbrel's expense.

23 Sep 2010

BioMed to acquire two adjacent life science campuses in South San Francisco

BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire two adjacent life science campuses in South San Francisco: the Science Center at Oyster Point and the Gateway Business Park.

23 Sep 2010

pSivida reports $8.8 million consolidated net income for 2010 fiscal year

pSivida Corp., a leader in developing sustained release, drug delivery products for treatment of back of the eye diseases, including the product candidate Iluvien for the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema, today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2010.

23 Sep 2010

Kim Hames says case was not euthanasia

Western Australia has been debating euthanasia for a while and in a new development, Health Minister and Deputy Premier Kim Hames has admitted that as a GP he administered the painkiller morphine to hasten a cancer patient's death. He said in his statement that what he had done was legal and not euthanasia – which he opposed. His reasoning was that the pain relieving medication was intended to ease a patient's suffering rather than end their life.

23 Sep 2010

FDA approves Gilenya capsules for reducing MS relapses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Gilenya capsules (fingolimod) to reduce relapses and delay disability progression in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

22 Sep 2010

Stewart Enterprises to resume stock repurchase program

Stewart Enterprises, Inc. announced today that the Company plans to resume purchases of its Class A common stock pursuant to its previously established stock repurchase program. The stock repurchase program was originally authorized in September 2007, subsequently expanded in December 2007 and June 2008, and permits the Company to spend up to $75.0 million to repurchase shares of its Class A common stock.

22 Sep 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim to present linagliptin Phase III data at 46th EASD

New Phase III data found that investigational linagliptin therapy resulted in significant reductions in blood sugar as measured by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) when compared to placebo, both when added to sulfonylurea (SU) in inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, and when administered as monotherapy in T2D patients for whom metformin is inappropriate.

22 Sep 2010

CDC report shows significant progress toward improving public health emergency preparedness

State and local health departments have made significant progress toward improving public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities, says a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

22 Sep 2010

Study shows physical and mental health benefits of sports participation in adolescents

Taking part in sports is good all round for young teens: physically, socially, and mentally, according to a new study by Dr. Keith Zullig and Rebecca White from West Virginia University in the US. Their research shows that middle-school teenagers who are physically active and play on sports teams are more satisfied with their life and feel healthier. Zullig and White's paper is published online in Springer's journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.

22 Sep 2010

APF launches new educational initiative for people with pain, health care professionals

The American Pain Foundation today announced the launch of PainSAFE (Pain Safety & Access For Everyone), a new educational initiative designed for people with pain and health care professionals. The mission of PainSAFE is to provide education surrounding the appropriate and safe use of pain management therapies for people affected by pain and health care professionals, thereby, helping to reduce risk and improve access to quality pain care.

22 Sep 2010

Biomatrica launches DNAgard Blood and DNAstable Blood sample stabilization products

Biomatrica Inc., the leader in room temperature biological sample stabilization, today announced the release of DNAgard® Blood and DNAstable® Blood.

22 Sep 2010

Seredor acquires United Sleep Diagnostics to expand sleep diagnostic activities

Continucare Corporation announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Seredor Corporation has further expanded its sleep diagnostic activities through the acquisition of United Sleep Diagnostics, Inc., an operator of sleep diagnostic centers. The acquired business currently operates three independent testing facilities and manages sleep centers at six hospitals located in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Florida.

22 Sep 2010

GATC Biotech to purchase PacBio real-time sequencing technology

GATC Biotech announced today that it has agreed to purchase the PacBio RS platform, a single molecule, real-time (SMRT™) sequencing technology. The new PacBio RS will be the fifth sequencing technology for GATC Biotech. The system is planned for installation in early 2011.

22 Sep 2010

MDI and Integrated Sciences enter exclusive distribution agreement for Detect-Ready MRSA assay in Australia

Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI), a company developing Detect-Ready™ assays designed to increase the speed and accuracy of infectious disease diagnosis, and Integrated Sciences Pty. Ltd. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement for MDI's Detect-Ready MRSA assay in Australia.

22 Sep 2010

Nationwide Health Information Network tool to convey public health information

One hundred and sixty-six years after Samuel Morse used dots and dashes to telegraph "What hath God wrought?" opening up a whole new world of communication, Indiana has become the first state in the nation to use a potentially equally revolutionary tool, the Nationwide Health Information Network, to convey public health information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

22 Sep 2010

Scientists develop new therapy for treatment of skin, lung cancer

Scientists at the University of Granada have developed a new therapy for the treatment of skin and lung cancer. This therapy involves the use of a suicide coliphage-gene (gene E) that can induce death to cells transfected with it.. Their studies have demostrated that this technique is not only effective in vitro (using tumour cell cultures), but also in vivo through the use of experimental animals in which tumours were induced.

22 Sep 2010

NIDA awards GeneGo SBIR grant to develop integrated systems biology platform for nicotine addiction research

GeneGo, Inc., the leading systems biology company, today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop an integrated systems biology platform for research into the causes and treatment of tobacco dependence, nicotine addiction, smoking cessation and tobacco/nicotine withdrawal.

22 Sep 2010

G-CSF compound may activate virus, increases risk of infection: Research

Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute may spur debate about the risks associated with administering a specific compound in some forms of bone-marrow transplantation. The research is published in the current edition of Cell Host and Microbe.

22 Sep 2010

Valeant prices offering of senior unsecured notes

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International announced today that it has priced its previously announced offering of senior unsecured notes, which consists of $500 million of 6.75% Senior Notes due 2017 and $700 million of 7.00% Senior Notes due 2020 (collectively, the "Notes"). The $1.2 billion combined aggregate principal amount of the Notes was increased from the previously announced offering size of $1.0 billion. The offering is expected to close on or about September 28, 2010.

22 Sep 2010

CPPR expresses concern over recently passed health care bill's flaws

Coalition to Protect Patients Rights spokesman Donald J. Palmisano, MD, expressed concern this week over the recently passed health care bill's flaws after new survey results indicated that overall health care costs actually will increase following the bill's passage.

22 Sep 2010