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Novel mutation in gene encoding ankyrin-B increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Alterations in our response to the taste or smell of food may be another culprit responsible for Type 2 diabetes, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center who have identified the specific mechanism in human specimens and in mice.

12 Mar 2010

TGen, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center and Side-Out Foundation team up for breast cancer study

Many women live with breast cancer that does not respond to standard medical treatment, a condition that researchers at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare want to change by aggressively targeting specific genes.

12 Mar 2010

Traumatic brain injuries may lead to life-threatening complications

One of the most common questions I am asked after someone hits their head is, "How serious is this bump on my head and should I make an appointment?" Head injuries are the result of trauma to the scalp, skull or brain. Concussion, the most common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is an injury that occurs after a blow to the head and results in a temporary loss of consciousness.

12 Mar 2010

Does Medicare 'doughnut hole' spur increase in foreign drug imports?

Medill Reports: "Unless federal legislation closes the Medicare coverage gap colloquially known as the 'doughnut hole,' seniors may opt for online drug imports to alleviate steep prescription costs. ... 'As seniors start falling into the doughnut hole, they are going online to find deals on prescription drugs, whether they're based in the U.S. or in other countries,' said Gabriel Levitt, vice president of PharmacyChecker.com LLC, a leader in the evaluation of online and mail-order pharmacies in both the U.S. and abroad.

12 Mar 2010

Baxter International, DVC present Phase III clinical efficacy data for PREFLUCEL

Baxter International Inc., in conjunction with DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, a CSC Company, today presented Phase III study data measuring the clinical efficacy for PREFLUCEL, a trivalent seasonal influenza candidate vaccine. PREFLUCEL is made using Baxter’s Vero cell culture platform and does not contain an adjuvant or preservatives. The data were presented at the International Congress on Infectious Disease (ICID) in Miami, Florida.

From Baxter International Inc. 12 Mar 2010

WHO welcomes Gates Foundation support in advancing global vaccine efforts

WHO welcomes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledge of US$ 10 billion over the next ten years to accelerate global vaccine efforts.

12 Mar 2010

Sebelius attacks health insurers, they fight back

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "pleaded with insurance companies on Wednesday to scrap their campaign against President Obama's health care bill and to work with the White House to pass it," The New York Times reports.

12 Mar 2010

HTDS receives Registration Certificate for MEVAC-Vari vaccine in Guatemala

Hard to Treat Diseases and its subsidiary Mellow Hope announce that the company received Registration Certificate for its MEVAC-Vari vaccine in Guatemala.

12 Mar 2010

Powerful Catholic quietly shaping abortion, health bill debate

Kaiser Health News reports on Richard Doerflinger, who doesn't look the part of a high-powered political strategist. Bearded and bespectacled, he works in a small, cluttered office out of one of Washington's less fashionable neighborhoods, far from the lobbying bastions of K Street.

12 Mar 2010

In addition to anal and cervical cancer, HPV can also cause head and neck cancer

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, but is also associated with several other types of cancer.

12 Mar 2010

Azur Pharma to acquire PRIALT analgesic therapy from Elan Pharmaceuticals

Azur Pharma Limited today announced it has signed a definitive agreement with Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a subsidiary of Elan Corporation, plc) to acquire the analgesic therapy, PRIALT(R) (ziconotide intrathecal infusion).

12 Mar 2010

Hospitals cope with losing money

Kentucky's Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's HealthCare is eliminating 500 jobs this month. The layoffs represent the first large-scale cuts in a Louisville-area hospital system since the recession began.

12 Mar 2010

OXiGENE signs definitive agreement to sell Common Stock

OXiGENE, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with certain institutional investors to sell 6,578,945 shares of its Common Stock and separate series of warrants to purchase Common Stock in a private placement.

12 Mar 2010

Study questions frequency of heart angiograms

A recent study raises questions about the frequency of doctors' use of elective heart angiograms, which showed no disease in almost 40 percent of patients. BusinessWeek reports: "Doctors may be sending patients too quickly for elective angiograms to detect heart disease, exposing them to radiation and driving up U.S. health-care costs, a study suggests.

12 Mar 2010

Covidien to use FDA, Health Canada approved Mo 99 from Maria for manufacturing Tc 99m generators

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada have approved the use of the Maria Research Reactor (Maria) in Poland as a site to irradiate highly-enriched uranium targets for Molybdenum 99 (Mo 99) production. Covidien will use the Mo 99 obtained from Maria in the manufacture of its Technetium 99m (Tc 99m) generators. Patients should begin to benefit from Maria-produced Mo 99 in the United States and Canada later this month.

12 Mar 2010

PSA test is still the best option for diagnosing prostate cancer

When it comes to the documented 40 percent effectiveness of PSA testing in preventing death from prostate cancer, neither the American Cancer Society nor the discoverer of the PSA protein, Richard Ablin, are telling the public the complete story.

12 Mar 2010

Congress, Obama continue health reform push

"Health care reform takes center stage Thursday as President Obama and top congressional Democrats work behind closed doors to nail down a final agreement," CNN reports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hosted a "meeting of the entire House Democratic caucus in the morning," while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to hold a news conference that will "build public momentum by framing the issue in more personal terms."

12 Mar 2010

Obama makes impassioned argument for health reform, tough measures to combat health fraud

A shirt-sleeved President Barack Obama took his closing arguments for health care reform to the St. Louis area Wednesday.

12 Mar 2010

Microchip Biotechnologies renamed as IntegenX

Microchip Biotechnologies, a maker of automated microscale biotech laboratory systems, today announced that it has changed its business name to IntegenX. The new name articulates the company's focus on integrating sample preparation and analysis technologies into complete products that address generic problems shared by life science and biotechnology research laboratories worldwide.

12 Mar 2010

Abbott's sNDA for new six-month 45-mg formulation of Lupron Depot: FDA accepts for review

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) of a new six-month 45-mg formulation of Lupron® Depot (leuprolide acetate for depot suspension) for use in the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Palliative treatment helps to relieve symptoms associated with advanced prostate cancer.

12 Mar 2010