Medical News

RSS

AVEO commences underwritten public offering of shares of common stock

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of shares of its common stock. All of the shares in the offering are to be sold by AVEO.

17 Jan 2013

Astellas announces FDA acceptance of Tarceva sNDA for EGFR activating mutation-positive NSCLC

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Tarceva (erlotinib) for first-line use in people with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activating mutations.

17 Jan 2013

Top-line results from Amgen’s Aranesp Phase 3 trial on heart failure and anemia

Amgen today announced top-line results of the Phase 3 Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa) RED-HF (Reduction of Events With Darbepoetin Alfa in Heart Failure) Trial.

17 Jan 2013

New method based on mass sequencing can detect hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome

Researchers of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have developed and validated a new method to diagnose hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome based on mass sequencing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The model is based on a genetic and bioinformatic analysis which has been proved very effective.

17 Jan 2013

Protein Sciences receives FDA approval for Flublok vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has approved Flublok, the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus (baculovirus) expression system and recombinant DNA technology. Flublok is approved for the prevention of seasonal influenza in people 18 through 49 years of age.

16 Jan 2013

ARHGEF28 gene mutations present in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Research

Researchers at Western University in London, Canada, have identified a new genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), opening the door to future targeted therapies. Dr. Michael Strong, a scientist with Western's Robarts Research Institute and Distinguished University Professor in Clinical Neurological Sciences at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and colleagues found that mutations within the ARHGEF28 gene are present in ALS.

16 Jan 2013

Women with emotional exhaustion exhibit sound hypersensitivity when exposed to stress

Women suffering from stress-related exhaustion exhibit hypersensitivity to sounds when exposed to stress. In some cases, a sound level corresponding to a normal conversation can be perceived as painful. This according to a study from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University's Stress Research Institute in Sweden, which tested sensitivity to sounds immediately after a few minutes' artificially induced stress.

16 Jan 2013

Patients with COPD more likely to develop serious bacterial infections

It is well known that COPD patients run a higher risk of contracting respiratory infections. However, a new thesis from Lund University in Sweden shows that they are also at higher risk of other bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis (TB) and pneumococcal and staphylococcal infections that can cause serious illness.

16 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: N.Y. gun law could pose problems for health professionals; 'Jarring discrepancy' between medical costs and premium increases; State officials wage battle against health law

The broad gun control bill approved Tuesday by the New York Legislature substantially strengthens the state's gun control laws. ... Some sections of the law, however, were not fully vetted in the rush. One provision asks health care professionals - physicians, psychologists, registered nurses or licensed clinical social workers - to report to local health care officials when they have reason to believe that patients could harm themselves or others. ... The provision would seem to raise significant legal questions.

16 Jan 2013

Political cartoon: 'Paved Paradise?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Paved Paradise?" by Chip Bok.

16 Jan 2013

Some children with autism lose symptoms and diagnosis as they grow older

Some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow older, a study supported by the National Institutes of Health has confirmed. The research team made the finding by carefully documenting a prior diagnosis of autism in a small group of school-age children and young adults with no current symptoms of the disorder.

16 Jan 2013

First Edition: January 16, 2013

Today's headlines include reports examining how mental health issues play a role in efforts to curb gun violence and expand gun control efforts.

16 Jan 2013

Study identifies individual role of electrical heterogeneity and fibre structure in AF

A virtual heart, developed at The University of Manchester, is revealing new information about one of the world's most common heart conditions.

From The University of Manchester 16 Jan 2013

Mental health advocates await final rule

Mental health advocates say a landmark 2008 law meant to expand access to millions of Americans has gotten back-burner treatment by the Obama administration because of its relentless focus on the Affordable Care Act.

16 Jan 2013

Study: Patients with EGFR exon 20 insertions need targeted therapies

Exon 20 insertions are the third most common family of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations found in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Little is known about cancers harboring these mutations aside from their lack of response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, impairing the development of effective targeted therapies. A recent study published in the February 2013 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, concludes that patients with EGFR exon 20 insertions have similar clinical characteristics to those with common EGFR mutations, but a poorer prognosis.

16 Jan 2013

CDC releases update on polio eradication efforts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released an update on its polio eradication efforts.

16 Jan 2013

Racial and ethnic minorities less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer in the U.S.

A new study conducted in the Center for Health Policy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health has determined that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer in the United States.

16 Jan 2013

State roundup: Texas, Ga. companies forming ACOs

College student Emily Howell depended on her local Planned Parenthood clinic. Now, she and nearly 50,000 other Texas women will have to find a new place to get free breast cancer screenings, pap smears and birth control.

16 Jan 2013

New initiative aims to accelerate biomarker search in Parkinson's

A new initiative aims to accelerate the search for biomarkers - changes in the body that can be used to predict, diagnose or monitor a disease - in Parkinson's disease, in part by improving collaboration among researchers and helping patients get involved in clinical studies.

16 Jan 2013

NARAL names Ilyse Hogue to be new president

This former staffer for Media Matters for America and MoveOn.org most recently co-founded Friends of Democracy, a super PAC that raised more than $2.4 million last cycle to support candidates who back campaign finance reform.

16 Jan 2013