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Sanofi-aventis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals discontinue Phase 3 trial of aflibercept

Sanofi-aventis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the discontinuation of the Phase 3 trial that evaluated aflibercept (VEGF Trap) plus gemcitabine versus placebo plus gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (VANILLA), based on the recommendations by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC).

14 Sep 2009

First FOSAMAX case declared as mistrial by the U.S.District Court Judge

Merck & Co., Inc. said today that a mistrial was declared by U.S. District Court Judge John F. Keenan in Boles v. Merck, the first FOSAMAX case to go to trial. This case was the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee's first choice to take to trial. The Boles case was tried in New York federal court and involved a Florida woman who blamed her dental and jaw problems on FOSAMAX.

14 Sep 2009

Sectra reports increased sales and operating profit

IT and medical-technology company Sectra’s (STO:SECTB) net sales for the first quarter increased 13.7% to SEK 197.8 million (174.0) compared with the year-earlier period. Operating profit increased to SEK 10.1 million (0.9), corresponding to an operating margin of 5.1% (0.5) for the quarter. Profit after financial items amounted to SEK 3.5 million (6.2), corresponding to a profit margin of 1.8% (3.6). The Group’s order bookings amounted to SEK 152.1 million (175.2).

14 Sep 2009

New findings could yield effective therapies for multiple sclerosis

A Mayo Clinic study has found that two genes in mice were associated with good central nervous system repair in multiple sclerosis (MS). These findings give researchers new hope for developing more effective therapies for patients with MS and for predicting MS patients' outcomes.

14 Sep 2009

Results further support the benefits of TYSABRI for multiple sclerosis patients

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) today announced six-month results of an ongoing, one-year longitudinal, observational, patient-reported outcomes study showing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking TYSABRI- (natalizumab) experienced an improvement in both their physical function and psychological well-being.

14 Sep 2009

Recent releases: HIV and nutrition; new global health journal; male circumcision; Chagas disease; malaria research methods

"Despite calls from national and international organizations to integrate HIV and nutritional programs, data are lacking on how such programs can be effectively implemented in resource-poor settings, on the optimum content and duration of nutritional support, and on ideal target recipients," write the authors of a Clinical Infectious Diseases review that examines the relationship between HIV, nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity.

14 Sep 2009

Newly discovered molecular circuit helps maintain proper body metabolism

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered a molecular circuit involving heme that helps maintain proper metabolism in the body, providing new insights into metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.

14 Sep 2009

Prevention and treatment of pneumonia are critical to reducing child mortality

New World Health Organization data to be published in this week's edition of the Lancet will shed new light on two leading causes of pneumonia, the world's leading killer of children under age 5, both globally and within specific countries.

14 Sep 2009

Study estimates economic benefits of lowering sodium consumption

Reducing Americans' average intake of sodium to the amount recommended by health officials could save the nation as much as $18 billion annually in avoided health care costs and improve the quality of life for millions of people, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

14 Sep 2009

PTH therapy could prevent osteoarthritis

An existing osteoporosis drug is the first ever found to prevent cartilage loss from osteoarthritis following injury to a joint, and may also regenerate some cartilage that has been lost to osteoarthritis, according to an early study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Denver.

14 Sep 2009

Body mass in younger and older adulthood linked to prostate cancer risks

A team of scientists led by researcher Brenda Hernandez, Ph.D., M.P.H.-an assistant professor at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i-has reported that body mass in younger and older adulthood, and weight gain between these life periods, may influence a man's risk for prostate cancer. This risk varies among different ethnic groups, according to findings reported in a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

14 Sep 2009

Reme-Flu secured as trade name for Nuvilex's homeopathic flu remedy

Nuvilex, Inc., announced today that Legacy Biotechnologies, Inc., its joint venture partner, has informed the company that Reme-Flu has been secured as the trade name for its homeopathic remedy for helping to prevent and treat flu-like symptoms resulting from influenza, including swine flu.

14 Sep 2009

WFP appeals for $5.2m to feed at least 500,000 Malawaians through Dec. 2010

The U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) made an international appeal Thursday for $5.2 million to help feed more than half a million people in Malawi through the end of next year, Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Sep 2009

Bangkok Hospital Group and IBM to provide quality healthcare in Thailand

Bangkok Hospital Group is working with IBM (NYSE: IBM) to enhance its patient care services to provide smarter healthcare in Thailand. Delivering on its commitment to provide the highest quality, internationally-accepted standards of medical services, Bangkok Hospital Group continues to invest in best-in-class information technology.

14 Sep 2009

Dresner Partners advises CCHHS in its partnership with HHG

Dresner Partners, a FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank, and IMAP member firm, announced today that it advised Care Collaborative Home Health Services, Inc. (CCHHS) in its recent strategic partnership with Home Health Group, LLC (HHG), a holding company focused on investments in the home health industry.

14 Sep 2009

Practical tips for parents on H1N1 and seasonal flu infections

With the early onset of flu season coinciding with the start of school this year, concern about the flu, and in particular the H1N1 strain of the flu, is growing among parents. Experts from The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., can offer a pediatric perspective on all types of flu, including H1N1, also known as swine flu.

14 Sep 2009

Improved-resolution views of a zinc transporter protein deciphered

New, improved-resolution views of a zinc transporter protein deciphered at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provide not just a structure but also a suggested mechanism for how cells sense and regulate zinc, an element that is essential for life, but which must be kept at a steady state to avoid problems like seizures, diabetes, and possibly Alzheimer's disease.

14 Sep 2009

Mellow Hope completes MEVAC-A tender for Bangladesh

HTDS company is pleased to announce that its China based operating subsidiary Mellow Hope has successfully completed and delivered on its tender for Mevac-A for the country of Bangladesh.

14 Sep 2009

Ratification of U.N. agency for women could be delayed

Cuba, Egypt, Iran and Sudan "have mounted a last-minute campaign to delay ratification" by the U.N. general assembly of a new agency, "which would have a budget of around $1 billion and consolidate four existing bodies that deal with women's issues," the Guardian reports.

14 Sep 2009

Communicable and Chronic Disease and AIDS course on biological agents causing diseases

Indiana State University's exposure this week to the H1N1 virus has one of the school's environmental health sciences professors using the campus as her classroom.

14 Sep 2009