Medical News

RSS

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

Positive results from Pearl Therapeutics' PT005 Phase 2a trial for COPD

Pearl Therapeutics Inc., a company developing high-quality combination therapies for the treatment of highly prevalent chronic respiratory diseases, today announced positive results from its first clinical trial in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

5 Jan 2010

Hospitals in different regions react to Medicaid cuts

For Indiana hospitals, Medicaid rates have long lagged behind other types of payers - with no increase since 1993 - but after a year of deep recessions and state budget cuts, those hospitals are now looking at a five percent cut, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reports.

5 Jan 2010

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

HMS today announced that it has acquired the assets of Verify Solutions, a metropolitan Atlanta-based company specializing in dependent eligibility audit services for employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

5 Jan 2010

Independent examines diseases that jump from animals to humans

The Independent examines the expansion of human diseases that originated in animals. "At least 45 diseases that have passed from animals to humans have been reported to U.N. agencies in the last two decades, with the number expected to escalate in the coming years," the Independent writes.

5 Jan 2010

Elusys Therapeutics signs contract to complete the final development of Anthim

Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. (Elusys), a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has signed a contract potentially totaling up to $143 million to complete the final development, commercial manufacturing and licensure of Anthim, the company's late stage anthrax therapeutic.

5 Jan 2010

Jamming bacterial communication may improve chronic wound care

Listening in on bacterial conversations could be the solution for improving chronic wound care, says a team of researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

5 Jan 2010

San Diego's PACE program lowering cost for seniors who want to retain independence

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that an elderly care program is allowing senior citizens to retain their independence by providing medical care and home assistance through a nonprofit program.

5 Jan 2010