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Celgene signs definitive merger agreement to acquire Abraxis BioScience

Celgene Corporation and Abraxis BioScience Inc. today jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement in which Celgene has agreed to acquire Abraxis BioScience. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each share of Abraxis BioScience common stock will be converted into the right to receive an upfront payment of $58.00 in cash and 0.2617 shares of Celgene common stock.

30 Jun 2010

ESHRE's EIM: Europe leads in Assisted Reproduction Technology

Europe leads the world in Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) with most cycles initiated in the region, the 26th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard today (Wednesday 30 June).

30 Jun 2010

Independence Blue Cross announces five new Personal Choice PPO plans

Beginning July 1, 2010, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) will offer five new Personal Choice® PPO plan options for individuals – expanding the range of individual plan choices for health care consumers in the region. These medically underwritten plans are available in three popular formats: copay, deductible and health savings account (HSA) plan designs that enable consumers to choose the type of plan and pricing that fits their specific needs.

30 Jun 2010

Federal agencies, state governments take action to educate, protect against serious risks of indoor tanning

As the scientific evidence mounts, more federal agencies and state governments are taking action to educate and protect Americans against the serious risks of indoor tanning. Recent and pending legislation in numerous states restricting access to indoor tanning, along with the federal 10 percent indoor tanning tax that goes into effect on July 1, are important steps in keeping Americans safe from overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the potential for future skin cancers.

30 Jun 2010

Centris selects CA Service Desk Manager to provide quality customer support

The leading Swiss IT service provider for health and accident insurers, Centris AG, based in Solothurnsupports around 4,500 users in 28 companies to manage in excess of 1.5 million insured persons. An important element of the service portfolio of Centris, is the "Swiss Health Platform" (SHP), which is used by approximately 1,000 users. The quality of the customer support provided by Centris is the make or break factor for the competitiveness of this complex platform.

30 Jun 2010

Grifols to acquire Pharmalink's Xepol programme for post-polio syndrome

Pharmalink AB, today announced that it has closed its agreement with Grifols SA for the acquisition of Pharmalink's Xepol(R) programme for the treatment of post-polio syndrome (PPS). The parties had previously announced reaching an agreement whereby Grifols would acquire all know-how and global intellectual property rights related to the use of human immunoglobulin for the treatment of (PPS) - the concept at the heart of the Xepol programme.

30 Jun 2010

Molecular Biometrics' ViaMetrics-E procedure accurately predicts implantation rates in SET IVF cycles

Researchers from Molecular Biometrics, Inc. presented new data this week demonstrating that the company's ViaMetrics-E procedure more accurately predicts implantation rates in single embryo transfer (SET) cycles for patients undergoing infertility treatment. ViaMetrics-E is a rapid, non-invasive procedure used to enhance in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes by identifying viable embryos having the greatest reproductive potential.

30 Jun 2010

Call for incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies

Three leading scientific and health policy organizations today launched a global drive for signatories to the Vienna Declaration, a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. Among those supporting the declaration and urging others to sign is 2008 Nobel Laureate and International AIDS Society (IAS) Governing Council member Prof. Fran-oise Barr--Sinoussi, co-discoverer of HIV.

30 Jun 2010

Excellence in Paediatrics to be held in London, from 2 - 4 December 2010

Experts from all over the world will be converging on the Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster, London, from 2 - 4 December 2010 for Excellence in Paediatrics, which promises cutting edge topics by outstanding speakers.

30 Jun 2010

Tufts Medical Center physicians conduct online, live medical consultations for Haiti relief efforts

Tufts Medical Center physicians are conducting live medical consultations from their facilities in Massachusetts to earthquake-ravaged areas in Haiti. Tufts clinicians, together with Tufts University School of Medicine students in Haiti, consult on demand and in real time with Boston-based Tufts Medical Center specialists to augment treatment of the challenging conditions facing Haitian patients.

30 Jun 2010

Sensor integrated insulin pump for better blood sugar control

Adding a continuous blood sugar level sensor to an insulin pump helps patients with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control compared to the common standard of care, multiple daily insulin injections, concludes a study published on-line today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Jun 2010

Vitrified eggs as likely to produce on-going pregnancy as fresh eggs

Embryos derived from oocytes (eggs) cryopreserved by the vitrification method are just as likely to produce an on-going pregnancy as those involving fresh oocytes, the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard today. Dr. Ana Cobo, Cryobiology Unit director at Institut Universitari - IVI Valencia, Valencia, Spain, told delegates that the results of her team's research would make egg donation both easier and safer in the future.

30 Jun 2010

New chemical method for drug design, agrichemicals

University of Delaware scientist Donald Watson is part of a research team that has discovered an easier method for incorporating fluorine into organic molecules, giving chemists an important new tool in developing materials ranging from new medicines to agricultural chemicals.

30 Jun 2010

Canadian Cancer Society urges for mining, export permission denial

In a letter sent to Quebec Premier Jean Charest, the Canadian Cancer Society is urging the premier not to approve a $58 million loan guarantee to Jeffrey Asbestos Mines, based in Quebec, for the renewal of asbestos mining and export.

30 Jun 2010

Medtronic's sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy provides superior glucose control, confirms STAR 3 study

In the longest and largest randomized, controlled study of sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy in type 1 diabetes, adult and pediatric patients using the Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm® REAL-Time System achieved better glucose control without an increase in hypoglycemia compared to multiple daily insulin injections (MDI), the most common approach to care today.

30 Jun 2010

Initiatives to reduce closed car heat-related deaths among children

The heat of summer brings trips to the lake, afternoons at the beach and vacations in the mountains. It also arrives with the threat of dangerous conditions in closed cars, where children left alone for even a few minutes can lead to tragedy. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Georgia has developed an easy-to-use table of vehicle temperature changes that may help public officials and media remind the public about the deadly consequences of vehicle-related hyperthermia in children.

30 Jun 2010

Genetic variation makes women sub-fertile, less likely to respond to ovarian stimulating hormones

Researchers have discovered that some women carry a genetic variation that makes them sub-fertile and less likely to respond to ovarian stimulating hormones during fertility treatment. The discovery opens the way to identifying these women and devising personalised fertility treatments that could bypass the problem caused by the genetic abnormality.

30 Jun 2010

Yayi International net sales decrease 25.0% to $7.0M for five months ended March 31, 2010

Yayi International Inc.,, the first mover and a leading producer and distributor of premium goat milk formula products for infants, toddlers, young children, and adults in the People's Republic of China, today announced its financial results for the transition period from November 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

30 Jun 2010

ICON Central Laboratories partners with FMD to open new laboratory facility in China

ICON Central Laboratories - a division of ICON plc,, a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries - today announced the opening of a new laboratory facility in Tianjin, China, in partnership with Fountain Medical Development Ltd (FMD). It is the third ICON laboratory in the Asia-Pacific region.

30 Jun 2010

Genomatica achieves two key commercialization milestones

Genomatica announced today that it has achieved two key commercialization milestones ahead of schedule. First, the company achieved pilot-scale validation, at 3,000 liters, of the manufacturability and commercial viability of a 'green' version of 1,4-butanediol (BDO), its first commercial product. And second, the company confirmed the accelerated development time and reduced development and production costs made possible through use of its technology platform, from concept to commercialization.

30 Jun 2010