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Positive Phase 2 study results of CDX-011 reported by Celldex Therapeutics

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the results of a positive Phase 2 study of CDX-011 (formerly CR011-vcMMAE), in patients with heavily pre-treated, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancers.

13 Dec 2009

Senators at odds about drug importation amendment

The New York Times: "Debating an overhaul of the health care system, the Senate found itself tied in knots on Thursday over a bipartisan proposal to allow people to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and certain other countries."

13 Dec 2009

CAMH offers tips for holiday-related stress

The holiday season is filled with festivities and family gatherings, but for some people this season can also be very stressful. Sometimes we need help to cope or stay safe and healthy.

13 Dec 2009

Luna Innovations completes litigation settlement with Hansen Medical

Luna Innovations Incorporated announced today that it has executed a Settlement Agreement with Hansen Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: HNSN) resolving the outstanding litigation between the companies.

13 Dec 2009

Senate faces another working weekend as holiday target appears increasingly hard to reach

CongressDaily: "Senators continued to quibble over procedure Thursday, complicating Majority Leader [Harry] Reid's plans to file cloture on three pieces of his healthcare bill at once, a procedural step he hopes will allow passage before Christmas, though that appears increasingly unlikely."

13 Dec 2009

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals and Hospira enter into exclusive agreement

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited and Hospira, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an exclusive agreement to license, develop and commercialize ChemGenex’s product candidate omacetaxine mepesuccinate, a novel targeted cytotoxic pharmaceutical product, in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa (the Territory).

13 Dec 2009

Positive interim results of ARRY-380 in Phase 1 trial announced

Array BioPharma Inc. today announced positive interim results of its novel, small molecule HER2 (ErbB2) inhibitor, ARRY-380, in a Phase 1 trial in advanced cancer patients.

13 Dec 2009

Maxygen extends 'Dutch Auction' tender offer for share repurchase program

Maxygen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of improved versions of protein drugs, today announced that it has extended the expiration date for its modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer to repurchase 6,557,377 shares of its common stock, which was commenced on November 13, 2009.

13 Dec 2009

Loophole in Senate bill would let insurers cap payments for costly diseases

The Associated Press: "A loophole in the Senate health care bill would let insurers place annual dollar limits on medical care for people struggling with costly illnesses such as cancer, prompting a rebuke from patient advocates." An earlier version of the bill in a Senate committee forbid the practice, but a tweak would allow limits so long as they aren't "unreasonable" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/11).

13 Dec 2009

Number of new medicines in development to fight diabetes, reports Nabe News in Brooklyn

Nabe News in Brooklyn, New York recently reported that 183 new medicines are in development to fight diabetes. The report details a record number of drugs for this chronic disease currently in human clinical trials and awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

13 Dec 2009

Forbes examines ongoing discussions over HIV/AIDS drugs patent pools

Forbes examines the ongoing discussions between aid groups and drug manufacturers over the formation of an HIV/AIDS drugs patent pool to help drive down costs for developing countries.

13 Dec 2009

Skilled Healthcare Group acquires nursing facility in Iowa

Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. today announced that its wholly owned company, St. Mary Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, LLC (“St. Mary HRC”), has completed the acquisition of a 118-bed, skilled nursing facility located in Davenport, Iowa. St. Mary HRC plans to begin building upgrades and improvements that are expected to increase skilled mix and to increase occupancy rates from current levels of approximately 50 percent.

13 Dec 2009

Pelosi calls House, Senate bills "75 percent compatible"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., indicated Thursday that she may be amenable to a Senate compromise that would expand Medicare and allow the federal government to oversee nonprofit national health plans in lieu of the public option, CNN reports.

13 Dec 2009

Democrats struggling to find delicate balance on Senate health bill

The Hill: "Two key senators criticized the most recent healthcare compromise Sunday, saying the policies replacing the public option are still unacceptable. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) both said a Medicare 'buy-in' option for those aged 55-64 was a deal breaker.

13 Dec 2009

Modified blood adult stem-cell transplant regimen reverses sickle cell disease

A modified blood adult stem-cell transplant regimen has effectively reversed sickle cell disease in 9 of 10 adults who had been severely affected by the disease, according to results of a National Institutes of Health study in the Dec. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

13 Dec 2009

Innovative approaches to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity

The National Institutes of Health is launching a $37 million program that will use findings from basic research on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity.

13 Dec 2009

Clinical trial of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine

HIV-infected adults currently are being recruited to participate in a clinical trial of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. The study, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health, will enroll approximately 240 men and women between the ages of 18 and 64.

13 Dec 2009

Advice of pediatrician key motivator in baby's sleep position

The advice of a pediatrician to place infants on their backs to sleep appears to be the single most important motivator in getting parents to follow these recommendations and a key reason that the rate of sudden death syndrome (SIDS) has plummeted since the "Back to Sleep" campaign was launched in 1994, says a UT Southwestern researcher.

13 Dec 2009

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta receives $5 million multi-year gift to care for low-income children

Kaiser Permanente of Georgia today announced a $5 million multi-year gift to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta with the goal of improving access to care for low-income children.

12 Dec 2009

State Medicaid programs face cuts, backlog of applications

The Associated Press reports Minnesota Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that they hope to save health coverage for 35,000 low-income adults after state funding runs out in March. "Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration already plans to switch patients into another subsidized program, MinnesotaCare.

12 Dec 2009