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Research shows licorice root might be effective in fighting antibiotic-resistant infections

A team of scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospitals for Children show how a compound from licorice root (glycyrrhizin from Glycyrrhiza glabra) might be an effective tool in battling life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections resulting from severe burns.

5 Jan 2010

VELCADE sNDA receives FDA approval

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for VELCADE, which expands the label to include long-term (median follow-up 36.7 months) overall survival (OS) data from the landmark VISTA trial and provides specific dosing recommendations for patients with hepatic impairment. The VISTA trial examined the use of VELCADE based therapy in patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma (MM).

5 Jan 2010

Study examines relationship between parental vaccine refusal and risk of varicella infection in children

Children of parents who refuse vaccines are nine times more likely to get chickenpox compared to fully immunized children, according to a new study led by a vaccine research team at Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Institute for Health Research.

5 Jan 2010

NPR examines future of U.S. global AIDS strategy

NPR's "All Things Considered" examines the Obama administration's global HIV/AIDS policy. "Instead of relying on one program, such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR, [U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric] Goosby says the U.S. has a new five-year strategy that would help low and middle income countries build their own health care systems that incorporate international health programs," according to NPR.

5 Jan 2010

WCH to pay $846,461 over allegations of false Medicare claims

Wheaton Community Hospital, the City of Wheaton, Minn. and Dr. Stanley Gallagher (collectively WCH) have agreed to pay $846,461 to settle allegations that their hospital admission practices violated the False Claims Act, the Justice Department announced today.

5 Jan 2010

Book reveals new evidence of obesity-causing chemicals in American diet

The New American Diet, a groundbreaking new book by Men’s Health Editor-at-Large Stephen Perrine and Heather Hurlock, reveals the powerful new scientific evidence about obesity-causing chemicals lurking in the American diet – chemicals that disrupt our hormonal systems ultimately triggering substantial weight gain.

5 Jan 2010

PharMerica announces acquisition of Integrity Pharmacy Services for cash

PharMerica Corporation, a national provider of institutional pharmacy and hospital pharmacy management services, announced today that effective December 31, 2009, it has acquired Integrity Pharmacy Services for cash.

5 Jan 2010

Biological Industries named exclusive distributor of ATCC products in Israel

ATCC today announced a distribution and development partnership with Biological Industries Ltd. to become the exclusive distributor of ATCC products in Israel. The Israel-based organization is now the newest member of the global network of distributors for ATCC.

5 Jan 2010

New York Times examines U.S. H1N1 reponse

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the U.S. continues to wane, the New York Times reflects on how federal officials handled the pandemic and other contributing factors.

5 Jan 2010

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

Every Walgreens pharmacy, every day. The once-scarce H1N1 vaccine is now available daily at all of the more than 7,100 Walgreens pharmacies and 350 Take Care Clinics throughout the country.

5 Jan 2010

AP series examines worldwide impact of drug resistance

The Associated Press reports on how the misuse of drugs worldwide has contributed to drug-resistant diseases in a series of articles following a six-month investigation by the news service.

5 Jan 2010

Talampanel slows progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A drug already used to treat symptoms of epilepsy has potential to slow the muscle weakening that comes with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), scientists report after completing a Phase II clinical trial-an early, small-scale test to show if the drug works and continues to be safe.

5 Jan 2010

New study reveals choline plays a critical role in fetal brain development

If you're pregnant and looking for an excuse to eat bacon and eggs, now you've got one: a new research study published in the January 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) by a team of University of North Carolina researchers shows that choline plays a critical role in helping fetal brains develop regions associated with memory. Choline is found in meats, including pork, as well as chicken eggs.

5 Jan 2010

Irvine Scientific receives CE mark for its ART products

Irvine Scientific, a leader in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) announced today that it has received CE mark for a full range of its media designed for ART: Complete P-1® Medium with DSS™, Blastocyst Freeze Media, Blastocyst Thaw Media, Embryo Freeze Media, Embryo Thaw Media, Complete Early Cleavage Medium® (ECM®) with DSS™ and Complete MultiBlast Medium® with DSS™, Sperm Washing Medium, Sperm Maintenance Medium w/ HSA, 7% PVP w/ HSA, 10% PVP w/ HSA.

5 Jan 2010

Peginterferon alpha-2a yields better results in treating patients with chronic hepatitis C

In patients with chronic hepatitis C, treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a (PegIFNα2a) plus ribavirin (RBV) better suppresses the virus to undetectable levels in the blood than treatment with peginterferon alpha-2b (PegIFNα2b) plus RBV, according to two new head-to-head studies in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

5 Jan 2010

GIVI scientists discover anti-HIV molecule that enhances infection, reduces transmission

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have discovered a new agent that might inhibit the infectivity of HIV. The agent, surfen, impairs the action of a factor in semen that greatly enhances the viral infection.

5 Jan 2010

Majority of Americans do not receive adequate depression care

Many U.S. adults with major depression do not receive treatment for depression or therapy based on treatment guidelines, and some racial and ethnic groups have even lower rates of adequate depression care, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Jan 2010

FDA approves generic donepezil hydrochloride orally disintegrating tablets

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic versions of Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride) orally disintegrating tablets on Dec. 11. Donepezil hydrochloride is indicated for the treatment of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease.

5 Jan 2010

Montana high court allows physician-assisted suicide

The Associated Press/NPR reports: "The Montana Supreme Court said Thursday that nothing in state law prevents patients from seeking physician-assisted suicide, making Montana the third state that will allow the procedure. Patients and doctors had been waiting for the state's high court to step in after a lower court decided a year ago that constitutional rights to privacy and dignity protect the right to die. The Montana Supreme Court opinion will now give doctors in the state the freedom to prescribe the necessary drugs to mentally competent, terminally ill patients without fear of being prosecuted, advocates said" (1/2).

5 Jan 2010

University of Western Ontario receives grant to conduct randomized trial for Crohn's disease

Robarts Clinical Trials at The University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, has been awarded a 4.7 million dollar grant to conduct a randomized controlled trial evaluating treatment options for Crohn's disease.

5 Jan 2010