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Ligon Discovery, Lycera announce collaboration to identify drug candidates for immune disorders

Ligon Discovery announced today that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Lycera Corporation to apply its Small Molecule Microarray (SMM) screening technology to identify first-in-class drug candidates for immune disorders. Ligon will apply its SMM technology to screen protein targets identified by Lycera as critical to the development of certain immune disorders. Financial terms were not disclosed.

10 Feb 2010

New Multi-Cycle program reduces risk of infertility treatment for older mothers

Fertility experts at the Reproductive Science Center of the Bay Area (RSC) announced they have launched a new program from IntegraMed geared toward easing the risk of infertility treatment for qualified women of ages 49 and younger who want to use their own eggs in order to achieve pregnancy.

10 Feb 2010

Palatin Technologies completes first cohort dosing in bremelanotide trial for sexual dysfunction

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today announced the completion of first cohort dosing in a placebo-controlled, multiple dose study of bremelanotide, its experimental treatment for sexual dysfunction. The primary endpoint in this double-blind safety study is evaluation of blood pressure effects of subcutaneous bremelanotide in men between 45 and 65 years old. The study will also evaluate consistency of plasma exposure of bremelanotide given as repeated subcutaneous injections.

10 Feb 2010

IgM/IgG ratio is useful in diagnosing primary biliary cirrhosis

Previous studies have shown that assessment of immunoglobulin subclasses in plasma cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) may be useful in the histopathologic evaluation of autoimmune liver diseases. However, further studies are necessary in order to validate the diagnostic utility of IgM and IgG immunohistochemistry in this specific scenario.

10 Feb 2010

Health officials encourage caution, despite H1N1 case decline

As the number of new H1N1 (swine flu) infections worldwide drops, U.S. health officials on Friday cautioned the virus continues to circulate and can still be deadly, Reuters reports. According to the WHO, H1N1 remains the dominant strain worldwide, but there are reports of the recent emergence of the seasonal flu in Africa and China, according to the news agency.

10 Feb 2010

ASA Effect test: A tool to identify patients who do not respond to ASA therapy

A convenient test is now available in Canada that determines if the ASA a patient is taking to prevent heart attack and stroke is working. ASA Effect(TM) is offered through LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services and its network of collection and testing centres.

10 Feb 2010

Six months old infants know when we're "playing" them

A study by York University researchers reveals that infants as young as six months old know when we're "playing" them - and they don't like it.

10 Feb 2010

Early life stress could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood

"We think early life stress increases sensitivity to a hormone known to increase your blood pressure and increases your cardiovascular risk in adult life," said Dr. Jennifer Pollock, biochemist in the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia and corresponding author on the study published online in Hypertension.

10 Feb 2010

Advaxi to receive fund from CRUK for clinical trial of ADXS11-001

Advaxis, Inc., the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) immunotherapy company, is pleased to announce that Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the UK philanthropy dedicated to cancer research, has agreed to fund the cost of a clinical trial to investigate the use of ADXS11-001, Advaxis’ lead human papilloma virus (HPV)-directed vaccine candidate, for the treatment of head and neck cancer.

10 Feb 2010

FDA expands indication for Crestor

On Feb. 8 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the cholesterol-lowering medication Crestor (rosuvastatin) for some patients who are at increased risk of heart disease but have not been diagnosed with it.

10 Feb 2010

Insurer to take new role in assessing cancer treatments

UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation's biggest insurance companies, has decided to take a more active role in the care of its policy holders who are being treated for several types of cancer, The Wall Street Journal reports.

9 Feb 2010

GOP wary of talks while both sides express low expectations for health care summit

News outlets are focusing on political reaction to President Obama's Feb. 25 bipartisan summit on health care reform.

9 Feb 2010

FDA grants marketing clearance for Volcano's Eagle Eye Platinum digital IVUS catheter

Volcano Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Eagle Eye® Platinum digital IVUS catheter in the United States.

9 Feb 2010

CQ examines concerns over Obama's FY2011 global health budget

Congressional Quarterly examines concerns among health advocates and international development experts about what President Obama's FY 2011 budget request might mean to U.S. commitments to particular diseases abroad, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

9 Feb 2010

Nursing home provides non-medical care for individuals faced with health or mobility challenges

Alan Revell of Milford worked for one day as a supervisor in a nursing home before he quit. What he witnessed was the inspiration for the newly formed Caring Rose Home Care of Annandale.

9 Feb 2010

Faced with stalled overhaul, Dems still wonder who to blame

Congressional Democrats continue to divvy up blame for the stalled health overhaul, with fingers now pointed toward centrist Democrats and Republicans, President Barack Obama or even White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, depending on the blamer's perspective.

9 Feb 2010

AMA supports initiative to combat childhood obesity

"The American Medical Association is pleased to support First Lady Michelle Obama in the Let's Move Campaign. As the nation's largest physician organization, we have long worked to address obesity and are committed to reenergizing our programs and communications this year to focus on children's needs related to obesity prevention and management.

9 Feb 2010

SIRO Clinpharm announces alliance with DreamCIS CRO

SIRO Clinpharm, a Contract Research Organization (CRO) with a presence in India, Western and Central Eastern Europe, and the United States today announced its alliance with DreamCIS Inc., a leading CRO based in Seoul, South Korea.

9 Feb 2010

A.M. Best assigns issuer credit ratings to VBHS and its core facilities

A.M. Best Co. has assigned an issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb-” to Valley Baptist Health System (VBHS) and its two cornerstone facilities, Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen (VBMC) and Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville (VBMC-B) (Brownsville, TX). The outlook for these ratings is stable.

9 Feb 2010

Surgical 'checklist' saves money, lives

The Newshour has a transcript of a feature report on Dr. Atul Gawande's new book, "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right," which "grew out of work he did for the World Health Organization, which asked him to help them find a way to reduce deaths in surgery."

9 Feb 2010