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U.S. joins whistleblower suit against Pfizer for drug marketing

The Wall Street Journal: "The Justice Department is trying to take the lead in a lawsuit accusing Pfizer Inc.'s Wyeth unit of improperly promoting an organ-transplant drug for unauthorized uses and paying illegal kickbacks to doctors. The lawsuit was filed by two former Wyeth sales representatives who were responsible for promoting Rapamune, an immunosuppressant used to prevent the body's rejection of transplanted kidneys.

23 Sep 2010

AstraZeneca to use THEW database for cardiac safety evaluation

AstraZeneca purchased a one-year membership to gain access to an international repository of data designed to aid industry and academic researchers developing new technologies to improve cardiac safety.

23 Sep 2010

Weight-based taribavirin reduces anemia, increases sustained virologic response

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and 50 other centers found that weight-based dosing of taribavirin reduces rates of anemia while increasing sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). Full details of this study are available in the October issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

23 Sep 2010

Intarcia Therapeutics presents ITCA 650 phase 2 study results for type 2 diabetes

Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc. presented today final results of a 24-week phase 2 clinical study of ITCA 650 (DUROS continuous subcutaneous delivery of exenatide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Stockholm, Sweden.

23 Sep 2010

Mother’s miracle surgery for cancer - body cut in half

Janis Ollson, 31 became the first patient to survive a rare bone cancer which required her body to be cut in half. When she was pregnant with her second child doctors assumed her intense back pain was just a typical symptom of pregnancy. But soon she was diagnosed with a bone cancer called sarcoma that was untreatable by chemotherapy or radiation.

23 Sep 2010

Anthera Pharmaceuticals closes financing transaction

Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with certain accredited investors in connection with a private placement, or PIPE, financing transaction pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Regulation D promulgated thereunder.

23 Sep 2010

Tobacco taxes help kick the habit

The hike in Australia’s tobacco tax has had an expected effect with almost 300,000 people quitting the habit. The tax increase arrived this April with a 25% rise in tobacco taxes. Polls now confirm that the cost of cigarettes are a powerful lever for improving public health, with only 16 per cent of smokers stating they would “continue to smoke at any price”.

23 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Coloradans' insurance concerns, contraception and New York's Medicaid burden

For years, Coloradans have lived with uncertainty about their health insurance: lifetime caps, recisions, coverage for life-saving screenings. New provisions that begin Thursday, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, address some of the biggest concerns consumers had about the failing health system (Dede de Percin, 9/22).

23 Sep 2010

Boston announces TAXUS ATLAS clinical trial data for complex lesions

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced comprehensive data from the TAXUS ATLAS clinical program, a series of global, prospective, single-arm trials evaluating the TAXUS Liberte Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent System in a variety of lesions and patient groups.

23 Sep 2010

Political Cartoon: 'The Republican plan to replace Obamacare'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh perspective on health policy developments with "The Republican Plan To Replace Obamacare" by Monte Wolverton.

23 Sep 2010

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