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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

PURE Bioscience reports revenues for fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2009

PURE Bioscience, creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, today reported revenues for the fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2009 of $221,900 compared with revenues of $110,600 in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year.

12 Dec 2009

FDA approves Mylan Pharmaceuticals' ANDA for Levetiracetam Tablets

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Levetiracetam Tablets, 1000 mg.

12 Dec 2009

By understanding how gene works, scientists may find ways to prevent, cure diabetes

A gene commonly studied by cancer researchers has been linked to the metabolic inflammation that leads to diabetes.

12 Dec 2009

SOCS1 molecule prevents cancer-causing activity of cytokines, discover researchers

Canadian researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that prevents cancer. In the December 11 edition of the prestigious journal Molecular Cell, scientists from the Universit- de Montr-al and the Universit- de Sherbrooke explain how they found that the SOCS1 molecule prevents the cancer-causing activity of cytokines, hormones that are culprits in cancer-prone chronic inflammation diseases such as Crohns, in smokers and people exposed to asbestos.

12 Dec 2009

Lapatinib plus trastuzumab extend lives of HER2-positive breast cancer patients

Lapatinib plus trastuzumab are significantly better than lapatinib alone in extending the lives of breast cancer patients whose tumors are HER2-positive, according to Kimberly Blackwell, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

12 Dec 2009

UPMC Health Plan signs agreement to offer brain fitness software from Posit Science

UPMC Health Plan announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer award-winning brain fitness software from Posit Science®, at no cost, to all UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members.

12 Dec 2009