May, 2008 |
| (05/03) AIDS Drugs Assistance Program |
Updated demographic and budget data from the National Alliance of State of Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the Kaiser Family Foundation on AIDS Drugs Assistance Programs (ADAPs) are now available for June 2007. Data on the distribution of ADAP clients by gender, race/ethnicity, age, income, and insurance status have been added and are available for all states and the nation. Updated data on the distribution of the ADAP budget by funding source, total ADAP drug expenditures, and total ADAP prescriptions filled by drug class are also available for all states and the nation ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/03) Blood-Borne Pathogens: A Primer |
In late February, many were shocked to learn that perhaps 40,000 people had potentially been exposed to blood-borne pathogens – including hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and HIV – through improper procedures at a Las Vegas endoscopy clinic. The situation cast a spotlight on the persistent problem of so-called “nosocomial” disease transmission in healthcare settings ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/03) What's in a Name? |
Have you noticed that a drug can have many different names? It can become very confusing when you are trying to understand which drug is used to treat which condition, especially when you consider that the same drug may have different names. On the surface it might appear that the naming of drugs is a random act, but the reality is that there are some pretty strict guidelines when it comes to assigning a drug a certain name. This article will focus on how a name is given to a particular drug and I will use ribavirin and telaprevir as examples of the chemical, generic and brand names ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/03) Insulin Resistance |
Insulin resistance (IR) is a condition that is considered ‘pre- diabetes.’ There has been speculation that insulin resistance may be linked to HCV infection, but until now there has not been a great deal of research to validate this theory. Now a study published in Gastroenterology titled “Insulin Resistance in Chronic Hepatitis C: Association with Genotypes 1 and 4, Serum HCV RNA Level, and Liver,” by Moucaria, R and colleagues, is providing some very compelling clinical data that the hepatitis C virus may indeed cause insulin resistance in people with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 and 4 ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/02) InterMune Reports First Quarter 2008 Financial Results and Business Highlights |
BRISBANE, Calif. - InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today announced results from operations for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. InterMune reported a net loss for the first quarter of 2008 of $26.3 million, or $0.68 per share, compared with a net loss of $20.8 million, or $0.61 per share, in the first quarter of 2007 ...(continued)
~Intermune - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/01) Studies Test New Approaches to Islet Transplantation |
Researchers from 11 medical centers in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Norway have begun testing new approaches to transplanting clusters of insulin-producing islets in adults with difficult-to-control type 1 diabetes. The clinical studies, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will determine whether changes to current methods of islet transplantation lead to improved, long-lasting control of blood glucose with fewer side effects ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/01) Gilead Initiates Letairis(R) (ambrisentan) Phase IV Program |
FOSTER CITY, Calif.- Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced the initiation of ATHENA-1, a Phase IV, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating Letairis(R) (ambrisentan 5 mg and 10 mg tablets) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) demonstrating a sub-optimal response to sildenafil monotherapy. ATHENA-1 is the first of several Phase IV Letairis studies Gilead plans to initiate in 2008 and 2009. Letairis is currently approved as a once-daily treatment for PAH (WHO Group 1) in patients with WHO functional class II or III symptoms to improve exercise capacity and delay clinical worsening ...(continued)
~Gilead Sciences Inc. - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/01) Specific Adverse Events of Antiretroviral Therapy Vary Depending on Race, Gender, Study Says |
Significant differences exist among ethnicities and between genders in specific adverse events related to antiretroviral treatment, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters Health reports. For the study, Ellen Tedaldi of Temple University's School of Medicine and colleagues compared the frequency and types of adverse events among 1,301 patients who were initiating antiretroviral therapy. The study included 701 black participants, 225 Latinos and 273 women. The study did not find significant differences among races or gender in regard to death from any cause or treatment withdrawal rates because of drug toxicity (Reuters Health, 4/30) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 05/01/008 |
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| (05/01) HER1 and HER3 VeraTag™ Assays are Now Available for Use in Development and Clinical Evaluation of Cancer Therapeutics |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGRM) today announced that the company's HER1 and HER3 Quantitative Protein Assays are now available for clinical development use. Built on Monogram's VeraTag™ platform, the HER1 and HER3 assays provide unique, quantitative measurements of protein expression and activity in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor samples. These assays supplement HERmark™, Monogram's HER2 and HER2:HER2 Homodimer Breast Cancer Assay, and expands the potential clinical reach of Monogram's VeraTag assays to lung, colorectal and other cancers.
"We are excited to make the HER1 and HER3 assays available for clinical development use," said William Young, president and CEO of Monogram Biosciences. "Our first VeraTag product, HERmark, is already available for use in clinical development programs through our CLIA-approved laboratory and provides quantitative and accurate measurements of the expression of HER2 and HER2:HER2 homodimers. The addition of the HER1 and HER3 assays expands the reach of our VeraTag technology and we look forward to forging collaborations with biopharmaceutical companies to advance the use of our diagnostics and enable the development of new treatment options for those living with cancer" ...(continued)
~Monogram Biosciences - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/01) Monogram Announces 2008 First Quarter Financial Results |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2008. The Company had revenue of $14.8 million for the first quarter of 2008, 57% higher than $9.4 million in the first quarter of 2007. This growth in revenue was driven primarily by revenue from Trofile(TM), Monogram's proprietary tropism assay. Trofile is the only clinically validated assay for selecting the appropriate HIV patients to be treated with Selzentry(TM), Pfizer's CCR5 antagonist. For U.S. patients, Monogram has performed over 6,000 Trofile tests to date, of which approximately 2,700 tests were performed in the quarter ended March 31, 2008. Reflecting the portion of these tests for which reimbursement has been established, revenue from Trofile in the quarter ended March 31, 2008 was $3.8 million ...(continued)
~Monogram Biosciences - 05/01/2008 |
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| (05/01) Haemonetics Reports Strong Results for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year End 2008 And Issues Guidance for Continued Strong Growth in Fiscal 2009 |
Braintree, MA – Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) today reported fourth quarter fiscal 2008 GAAP net revenues of $139 million, up 19%; operating income of $20 million, down 21%; and net earnings per share of $0.52, down 29%. The Company also reported fiscal year end 2008 GAAP net revenues of $516 million, up 15%; operating income of $70 million, up 12%, and net earnings per share of $1.94, up 9% ...(continued)
~Haemonetics Corporation - 05/01/2008 |
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April, 2008 |
| (04/30) Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Prevails in Opposition Hearing for NicVAX Patent |
ROCKVILLE, Md. - Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:NABI) announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) upheld the Company's European Patent No. EP 1,135,166 (Hapten Carrier Conjugates for Treating and Preventing Nicotine Addiction) that covers its NicVAX(r) vaccine. The EPO issued this patent to Nabi in late 2004 with an expiration date of January 12, 2019 ...(continued)
~Nabi Biopharmaceuticals - 04/30/2008 |
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| (04/30) Nabi Biopharmaceuticals to Announce First Quarter Financial Results On May 8, 2008 |
ROCKVILLE, Md.- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals today announced that it will report its first quarter 2008 financial results on Thursday, May 8, 2008, after market close. The company will host a live webcast and conference call at 4:30 p.m. EDT that day to discuss these results ...(continued)
~Nabi Biopharmaceuticals - 04/30/2008 |
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| (04/29) Bristol-Myers Squibb Issues $1.6 Billion of Senior Notes |
NEW YORK - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced today that it has agreed to sell $1.6 billion of senior unsecured notes: $600 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.450% notes due May 1, 2018 and $1 billion in aggregate principal amount of 6.125% notes due May 1, 2038 in an underwritten public offering ...(continued)
~Bristol-Myers Squibb - 04/29/2008 |
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| (04/29) RESEARCH FINDINGS OPEN NEW FRONT IN FIGHT AGAINST AIDS VIRUS - Human Protein May Offer Novel Target for Blocking HIV Infection |
A research group supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has uncovered a new route for attacking the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that may offer a way to circumvent problems with drug resistance. In findings published today in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers report that they have blocked HIV infection in the test tube by inactivating a human protein expressed in key immune cells.
Most of the drugs now used to fight HIV, which is the retrovirus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), target the virus's own proteins. However, because HIV has a high rate of genetic mutation, those viral targets change quickly and lead to the emergence of drug-resistant viral strains. Doctors have tried to outmaneuver the rapidly mutating virus by prescribing multi-drug regimens or switching drugs. But such strategies can increase the risk of toxic side effects, be difficult for patients to follow and are not always successful. Recently, interest has grown in attacking HIV on a new front by developing drugs that target proteins of human cells, which are far less prone to mutations than are viral proteins.
In the new study, Pamela Schwartzberg, M.D., Ph.D., a senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH; Andrew J. Henderson, Ph.D., of Boston University; and their colleagues found that when they interfered with a human protein called interleukin-2-inducible T cell kinase (ITK) they inhibited HIV infection of key human immune cells, called T cells. ITK is a signaling protein that activates T cells as part of the body's healthy immune response.
"This new insight represents an important contribution to HIV research," said NHGRI Scientific Director Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D. "Finding a cellular target that can be inhibited so as to block HIV validates a novel concept and is an exciting model for deriving potential new HIV therapies."
When HIV enters the body, it infects T cells and takes over the activities of these white blood cells so that the virus can replicate. Eventually, HIV infection compromises the entire immune system and causes AIDS. The new work shows that without active ITK protein, HIV cannot effectively take advantage of many signaling pathways within T cells, which in turn slows or blocks the spread of the virus.
"We were pleased and excited to realize the outcome of our approach," Dr. Schwartzberg said. "Suppression of the ITK protein caused many of the pathways that HIV uses to be less active, thereby inhibiting or slowing HIV replication."
In their laboratory experiments, the researchers used a chemical inhibitor and a type of genetic inhibitor, called RNA interference, to inactivate ITK in human T cells. Then, the T cells were exposed to HIV, and the researchers studied the effects of ITK inactivation upon various stages of HIV's infection and replication cycle. Suppression of ITK reduced HIV's ability to enter T cells and have its genetic material transcribed into new virus particles. However, ITK suppression did not interfere significantly with T cells' normal ability to survive, and mice deficient in ITK were able to ward off other types of viral infection, although antiviral responses were delayed.
"ITK turns out to be a great target to examine," said Dr. Schwartzberg, noting that researchers had been concerned that blocking other human proteins involved in HIV replication might kill or otherwise impair the normal functions of T cells.
According to Dr. Schwartzberg, ITK already is being investigated as a therapeutic target for asthma and other diseases that affect immune response. In people with asthma, ITK is required to activate T cells, triggering lung inflammation and production of excess mucus.
"There are several companies who have published research about ITK inhibitors as part of their target program," Schwartzberg said. "We hope that others will extend our findings and that ITK inhibitors will be pursued as HIV therapies."
NHGRI researchers received support for this work from the NIH Intramural AIDS Targeted Antiviral Program. Chemical compounds used in the research were synthesized at the NIH Chemical Genomics Center, which was established through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and is administered by NHGRI. The Boston University group originally participated in the research while at Pennsylvania State University, where they received support from Penn State Tobacco Formula Funds, and where Dr. Henderson received support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
For more information about HIV/AIDS, go to: .
NHGRI is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The NHGRI Division of Intramural Research develops and implements technology to understand, diagnose and treat genomic and genetic diseases. Additional information about NHGRI can be found at its Web site, .
NIAID is a component of the NIH. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on basic immunology, transplantation and immune-related disorders, including autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergies. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit .
~National Institutes of Health - 04/29/2008 |
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| (04/29) Nutritional Guide Explains Subsistence Diet for Alaska Native Cancer Survivors |
The Anchorage Daily News on Monday examined a new subsistence diet guide targeting Alaska Natives that includes nutritional and cultural food options for cancer survivors that modern medicine providers have a "hard time endorsing." The 142-page guide, "Traditional Food Guide for Alaska Native Cancer Survivors," is a part of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium's Cancer Project and was funded in large part by the Lance Armstrong Foundation ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/29/2008 |
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| (04/28) Wall Street Journal Examines Presidential Candidate Proposals to Address Health Care Costs |
Presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) each have announced proposals that seek to reduce health care costs, but "it is unclear how many of the candidates' ideas could actually make a dent in the rising cost of care," the Wall Street Journal reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2008 |
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| (04/28) Association of American Medical Colleges Proposes Ban on Pharmaceutical Company Gifts to Physicians, Staff, Medical Students |
All 129 U.S. medical schools should not allow pharmaceutical and medical device companies to provide food, gifts and travel to physicians, faculty members and students, according to a report released on Sunday by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the New York Times reports. According to the report, drafted by a task force formed by AAMC in 2006, such "forms of industry involvement tend to establish reciprocal relationships that can inject bias, distort decision-making and create the perception among colleagues, students, trainees and the public that practitioners are being 'bought' or 'bribed' by industry." Roy Vagelos, a former Merck CEO, chaired the task force, which also included the CEOs of Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Amgen and Medtronic ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2008 |
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| (04/28) Hospitals Increasingly Requiring Upfront Payment for Services To Reduce Bad Debt |
The Wall Street Journal on Monday examined how some hospitals are "adopting a policy to improve their finances: making medical care contingent on upfront payments." According to the American Hospital Association, uncompensated care nationwide increased by 44% to $31.2 billion in 2006 from $21.6 billion in 2000. The "bad debt is driven by a large number of Americans who are uninsured or who don't have enough insurance to cover medical costs if catastrophe strikes," the Journal reports. Federal law mandates that hospitals provide emergency care, but the law does not cover conditions that are not immediately life-threatening, such as cancer. Even among people with adequate coverage, "deductibles and copayments are growing so big that insured patients also have trouble paying hospitals," according to the Journal ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2008 |
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| (04/28) Survival Rates Among HIV-Positive People Who Receive Lab Tests Similar To People Who Do Not Receive Tests, Study Finds |
Survival rates among HIV-positive people who undergo routine viral load and CD4+ T cell counts were nearly the same as those who do not receive the tests, according to a study published on Friday in the journal Lancet, the CP/Google.com reports (CP/Google.com, 4/24). In some wealthy countries, HIV-positive people undergo routine laboratory screening -- which can cost about $20 to $60 -- about every six months. In many developing countries, HIV-positive people usually are monitored by a physician or nurse for clinical signs of disease progression (Cheng, Associated Press, 4/24) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2008 |
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| (04/27) Continued Therapy after Rapid Response |
Studies have shown that rapid virological response (RVR) to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin, or undetectable HCV RNA after four weeks, is a good predictor of sustained virological response (SVR) six months after completion of treatment ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/26) BARACLUDE® (Entecavir) Treatment Resulted In Greater Viral Load Suppression Compared to Adefovir at 96 Weeks In Antiviral-Naive Adult Chronic Hepatitis B E-Antigen Positive Patients |
MILAN, Italy - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced new data from the E.A.R.L.Y. study (ETV-079), in which treatment of antiviral-naive adult chronic hepatitis B patients with BARACLUDE® (entecavir) resulted in greater long-term viral load reduction than adefovir at 96 weeks -- consistent with earlier 12-week results (primary endpoint). Suppression of viral load to undetectable levels is a measure of antiviral treatment response and is an important goal of chronic hepatitis B treatment. These data were presented today in Milan, Italy, at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) ...(continued)
~Bristol-Myers Squibb - 04/26/2008 |
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| (04/26) Meloxicam Reduces Neutropenia |
Many patients treated with interferon-based therapy for hepatitis C experience difficult side effects including neutropenia, a reduced level of immune system white blood cells (neutrophils) that fight bacterial infections. In a study reported in the March 2008 issue of Hepatology Research, T. Kagawa and colleagues assessed whether the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam could help prevent interferon dose reduction ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/25) Medarex and Bristol-Myers Squibb Joint Statement on Submission Status of Ipilimumab |
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY - Medarex, Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) today announced that, after meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the companies will delay the Biologics License Application (BLA) submission for ipilimumab, an investigational immunotherapy for patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. The FDA has requested additional overall survival (OS) data to further demonstrate the benefit of ipilimumab. Revised timelines are under development, but a BLA for ipilimumab will not be submitted to the FDA in 2008 ...(continued)
~Bristol-Myers Squibb - 04/25/2008 |
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| (04/25) European Commission Approves Viread(R) for Chronic Hepatitis B |
FOSTER CITY, Calif. - Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for Viread(R) (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in all 27 member states of the European Union. A once-daily tablet, Viread works by blocking hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA polymerase, the enzyme that is necessary for the virus to replicate in liver cells. Viread has been approved in the European Union for use in adult chronic HBV patients with compensated liver disease, with evidence of active viral replication, persistently elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and histological evidence of active inflammation and/or fibrosis. The product was recently approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in Turkey and New Zealand, and marketing applications are currently pending regulatory review in the United States, Canada and Australia ...(continued)
~Gilead Sciences, Inc. - 04/25/2008 |
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| (04/25) Program nets Vassar Brothers Medical Center state honor |
State Department of Health Commissioner Richard Daines presented Vassar Brothers Medical Center with an award Friday, recognizing the hospital for its Perinatal Hepatitis B Immunization Program. The program provides screening and immunization for newborns of mothers who have tested positive for Hepatitis B ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/24) InterMune to Release First Quarter 2008 Financial Results on May 1 |
BRISBANE, Calif. - InterMune, Inc. announced today that it will release first quarter 2008 financial results on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. A live conference call and webcast will be hosted by InterMune at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time that same day ...(continued)
~Intermune - 04/24/2008 |
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| (04/24) NIAID Research Agenda - Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis |
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) remains firmly committed to leading and supporting a robust program of tuberculosis (TB) research, and is prepared to expand this effort with the availability of additional resources. Although concern about the development and spread of multidrug and extensively drug-resistant TB (MDR/XDR TB) is warranted, drug-sensitive TB continues to be the primary cause of TB-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Basic biomedical research to more fully understand TB, to characterize Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacillus that causes TB, and to develop improved diagnostics, new drugs, and better vaccines must continue to provide a solid foundation in the urgent fight against TB. In addition, to the degree that resources allow, a vigorous well-directed research program also must address growing public health concerns and clinical management needs related to MDR/XDR TB ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/24/2008 |
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| (04/24) Liver Fibrosis in HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients |
Studies have shown than HIV/HCV coinfected patients tend to experience more rapid liver fibrosis than HIV negative individuals with chronic hepatitis C. As reported in the March 1, 2008 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, F. Bani-Sadr and colleagues assessed the prevalence of and risk factors for fibrosis progression in the French RIBAVIC trial, which compared 1.5 mcg/kg/week PegIntron versus conventional interferon, both with 800 mg/day ribavirin ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/23) HUMAN BRAIN APPEARS "HARD-WIRED" FOR HIERARCHY |
Human imaging studies have for the first time identified brain circuitry associated with social status, according to researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health. They found that different brain areas are activated when a person moves up or down in a pecking order -- or simply views perceived social superiors or inferiors. Circuitry activated by important events responded to a potential change in hierarchical status as much as it did to winning money ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/23) Hepatitis C: Identification Of A Protein That Inhibits The Virus |
Scientists in the Laboratoire Hépatite C of the Institut de Biologie de Lille in collaboration with INSERM Unit 602 and a laboratory at Stanford University have provided evidence of a protein, called EWI-2wint, that inhibits the hepatitis C virus at an early stage of its infective cycle. This research suggests possible new perspectives for the development of therapies to block the virus before it enters a cell ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/23) New Treatments Help Fight Liver, Colon Cancer |
A new drug duo might help prevent colorectal cancer, and the powerful new cancer drug Sutent may slow the progression of liver cancer. So conclude two studies presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in San Diego ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/23) Adiponectin Predicts Steatosis and Response to IFN in Chronic HCV |
NEW YORK - Lower adiponectin levels are associated with a higher risk of liver steatosis and a lower rate of response to interferon (IFN)-alpha treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C, according to a report in the March issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Recent studies have shown an association between nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and reduced serum adiponectin, the authors explain, but the relationship between IFN-alpha treatment and serum adiponectin has not been examined in detail ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/23/2008 |
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| (04/22) NIAID DESCRIBES RESEARCH PRIORITIES TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS |
Tuberculosis (TB) has long been one of the world's great killers. Now, forms of drug-resistant TB-multidrug (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-are occurring at an ominous and accelerating rate. To help in the fight against drug-resistant TB, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has formulated an MDR and XDR TB research agenda ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/22/2008 |
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| (04/21) InterMune Announces Progress on Pirfenidone in IPF |
BRISBANE, Calif.- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today announced that it will initiate an open-label roll-over study to evaluate the long-term safety of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The roll-over study will be open to patients who complete one of the two concurrent Phase 3 CAPACITY studies of pirfenidone in IPF. InterMune expects that the first patient will enter the roll-over study in August 2008. Additional information regarding the design and objectives of the pirfenidone roll-over study will be available at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov within approximately one week. The anticipated 2008 costs of conducting the study are included in InterMune's expense guidance of February 7, 2008 ...(continued)
~Intermune - 04/21/2008 |
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| (04/19) Four in 10 Adolescents Now Live in States Not Participating in Federal Abstinence-Only Education Program |
In January, Arizona joined a growing list of states that are no longer participating in a key federal abstinence-only-until-marriage education program. To date, 16 states have declined to apply for the annual abstinence education grants set aside for them under Title V of the Social Security Act (see chart). The number of adolescents living in the states that have passed up Title V funding is now substantial, more than 12 million, or 41% of young people aged 12–18 nationwide. The foregone funds are also substantial, comprising some $19 million of the $50 million available annually under the program. Notably, those funds are not reallocated among the states remaining in the program; instead, they revert to the U.S. Treasury. Click for list of states.
~Guttmacher Institute - Winter 2008, Volume 11, Number 1 |
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| (04/18) MOUSE STUDIES SHOW TUMORS SUPPRESS CELLS RESPONSIBLE FOR REGULATING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM |
New research has shown that the function of a type of cell that helps modulate immune responses is impaired inside tumors in mice. Researchers also identified several factors that may contribute to an accumulation of these cells, called T regulatory cells (Tregs), within and around the tumor, which may be how they respond to their loss of functionality. The study, by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, appeared online April 18, 2008, in The Journal of Immunology ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/18/2008 |
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| (04/18) Personal Health Record Advocates Suggest More Privacy, Security Measures Needed |
Kenneth Mandl and Isaac Kohane -- who are both physicians and researchers at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital Boston -- write that that medical professionals and lawmakers have not yet considered the implications of companies like Google and Microsoft offering consumers Web-based personal health records. The companies have the potential to bring "a seismic change" in how patients' data are managed and used, the authors write. According to the Times, most patient records currently exist within the health system, and federal regulations mandate how such information can be shared among health organizations and insurers. The regulations also stipulate how much of that information can be used by researchers. The Times reports that individuals can request their own health records under the current system but that it is "often a cumbersome process" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/17/2008 |
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| (04/17) Facts on Induced Abortion Worldwide |
The number of induced abortions declined worldwide between 1995 and 2003, from nearly 46 million to approximately 42 million. About one in five pregnancies worldwide end in abortion ...(continued)
~Guttmacher Institute - October 2007 |
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| (04/17) Interim Within-Season Estimate of the Effectiveness of Trivalent |
Laboratory data on antigenic characterization of circulating influenza viruses compared with vaccine strains should be interpreted together with data on the clinical effectiveness of vaccination in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza illnesses. This report summarizes interim results of a 2008 study to estimate the effectiveness of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine for prevention of medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2007-08 influenza season, when most circulating influenza A (H3N2) and B viruses were suboptimally matched to the vaccine strains. Despite the suboptimal match between two of three vaccine strains and circulating influenza strains, overall Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) in the study population was 44 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI] 11 percent - 65 percent). The estimate of VE for prevention of medically attended influenza A infections was 58 percent. No VE was observed for prevention of medically attended influenza B infections. The findings indicate that in any season,
assessment of the clinical effectiveness of influenza vaccines cannot be determined solely on the basis of laboratory evaluation of the degree of antigenic match between vaccine and circulation strains.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 04/17/2008 |
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| (04/17) Laboratory-Acquired Vaccinia Infections and Vaccinia Exposure - United States, 2005-2007 |
Researchers who handle non-attenuated strains of vaccinia virus should follow ACIP recommendations for vaccination against vaccinia. Vaccinia virus (VACV) is used in research laboratories, and accidental inoculation in the laboratory can result in severe infection. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends vaccination with the vaccinia (smallpox) vaccine at least every 10 years for researchers who have contact with non-attenuated strains of VACV. In this MMWR, 5 recent instances of laboratory-related VACV exposure, including 4 infections, and 2 hospitalizations are described. In all instances, the researchers recovered, but had not met ACIP recommendations for vaccination. These observations underscore the need for laboratory researchers and occupational health clinics to review vaccination status of researchers who handle non-attenuated VACV
strains, as well as reinforce laboratory safety practices.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 04/17/2008 |
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| (04/17) Federal Government Has Not Done Enough To Establish, Enforce Infection-Control Standards at Hospitals, According to GAO Report |
The federal government has not established adequate guidelines to prevent hospital-acquired infections nor has it pushed hospitals to follow standards to reduce infections, according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Wednesday, the Baltimore Sun reports (Rockoff, Baltimore Sun, 4/17). The report, released during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, had two principle recommendations: HHS should set "priorities" among hundreds of suggestions that CDC has made to prevent infections and incorporate them into requirements for participating in Medicare and Medicaid; and divisions of the department should be more collaborative in collecting and sharing data on hospital-acquired infection rates (Wayne, CQ Today, 4/16) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/17/2008 |
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| (04/16) Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health |
Nearly half (46%) of all 15-19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once ...(continued)
~Guttmacher Institute - 09/2006 |
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| (04/16) HEPAGAM B IMMUNE GLOBULIN RECEIVES ORPHAN DRUG APPROVAL FROM FDA |
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to HepaGam B (hepatitis B immune globulin
intravenous [human]). The FDA approved HepaGam B in 2006 to treat patients following acute exposure to the hepatitis B virus. HepaGam B was approved as a treatment for the prevention of hepatitis B recurrence following liver transplantation in April 2007.
HepaGam B is a product of Cangene, a company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
~Hep Express - 04/16/2008 |
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| (04/16) Many Vioxx Studies Were Written by Merck Employees, Paid Consultants, According to JAMA Study |
Merck employees or paid consultants, rather than the physicians listed as lead authors, wrote several published studies of the COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx, and the company downplayed evidence that the medication tripled risk for death in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to two reports published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports. Merck in 2004 voluntarily withdrew Vioxx from the market because of a link between the medication and increased risk for cardiovascular events (Sternberg, USA Today, 4/16) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/16/2008 |
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| (04/16) IAVI, CHAVI Join To Collaborate on HIV Vaccine Research |
Researchers at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology at Duke University announced Tuesday that they are partnering to address the major biological questions that have undermined the development of a safe, effective and affordable HIV vaccine, Raleigh News & Observer reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/16/2008 |
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| (04/15) Oxidative Stress and the Liver |
Oxidative stress – the build-up of highly reactive forms of oxygen and other so-called “free radicals” in the body – has been linked to a wide range of detrimental effects, including liver damage. A growing body of research indicates that oxidative stress is a major mechanism underlying drug-induced liver toxicity and alcoholic liver disease. Oxidative damage also contributes to steatosis (fat buildup in the liver), fibrosis, and liver cancer. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) itself promotes oxidative stress, and this effect is magnified in people coinfected with HIV. Oxidative stress, in turn, facilitates HCV replication ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/02/2008 |
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| (04/15) Vertex Lifted on Hepatitis C Drug |
Schering-Plough (SGP - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) may not be the formidable competitor to Vertex Pharmaceuticals(VRTX - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) as previously thought, according to clinical data released Monday on their respective hepatitis C drugs.
The new clinical data, released in advance of next month's European liver disease meeting, pushed Vertex shares up almost 18% to $21.96 in recent trading ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/05/2008 |
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| (04/15) Wall Street Journal Examines How Health Care Sector Has Become 'Employer of Last Resort' |
Health care "has emerged as the employer of last resort," as the number of manufacturing jobs declines nationally, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, there were 48,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in March and 310,000 fewer over the past 12 months, while the number of health care jobs increased by 23,000 in March and by 363,000 over the past 12 months. The Journal reports that the trend could "help blunt the effects of the faltering economy" because the "[d]emand for health care tends to stay strong during recessions," as consumers "are more likely to cut back on new appliances or cars than emergency room visits" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/15/2008 |
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| (04/15) wo Medical Societies Developing Colonoscopy Tracking Database |
The American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy are developing a database that tracks details of gastroenterologists' techniques while performing colonoscopies and other common procedures, the Wall Street Journal reports. Physicians participating in the data-reporting program have submitted information on how large a portion of the colon they examine; how many polyps, which can be precancerous, they find; and how long it takes them to withdraw the colonoscope from the colon. Research has linked longer withdrawal times to higher polyp detection rates, according to the Journal ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/15/2008 |
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| (04/15) WellPoint, FDA To Launch Real-Time Drug-Tracking Surveillance System To Improve Safety Monitoring |
WellPoint on Tuesday in partnership with FDA plans to announce the launch of one of the first real-time medication surveillance systems, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under the system, WellPoint early next year will begin to scan the records of medical claims and medication use for more than half of the 35 million U.S. residents enrolled in company health plans to attempt to identify possible safety issues with certain treatments or combinations of treatments ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/15/2008 |
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| (04/15) Some Physicians Choosing To Stop Accepting Payments From Food, Drug, Medical Device Companies |
The New York Times on Tuesday profiled three research scientists who have decided to stop accepting payments from food, drug and medical device companies in response to "accusations of ethical conflicts inherent in these arrangements." The researchers -- Peter Libby, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Harvard Medical Center's Brigham and Women's Hospital; Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity; and Eric Winer, director of the Breast Cancer Treatment Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute -- no longer accept payment for speaking at meetings or for serving on advisory boards. However, all three still might work with the companies because they say it is important for qualified scientists to help companies design and interpret studies ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/15/2008 |
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| (04/14) NIH's National Library of Medicine Opens Exciting New Interactive Exhibition, "Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health" |
The National Library of Medicine, the world's largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will open a new interactive exhibition, "Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health" with a special program Wednesday, April 16, 10:00-11:00 a.m. in Lister Hill Auditorium, Building 38A, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. The exhibition opens to the public April 17 ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/14/2008 |
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| (04/14) BRAIN STUDY MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED EPILEPSY TREATMENTS |
Using a rodent model of epilepsy, researchers found one of the body’s own neurotransmitters released during seizures, glutamate, turns on a signaling pathway in the brain that increases production of a protein that could reduce medication entry into the brain. Researchers say this may explain why approximately 30 percent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to antiepileptic medications. The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and Medical School, in collaboration with Heidrun Potschka’s laboratory at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany, is available online and will appear in the May 2008, issue of Molecular Pharmacology ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/14/2008 |
| |
| (04/14) Launching a Global Alliance for Pharmacogenomics |
Leaders at the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Genomic Medicine in Japan have signed a letter of intent creating a Global Alliance for Pharmacogenomics. The effort aims to identify genetic factors that contribute to individual responses to medicines, including rare and dangerous side effects. The results of such work will eventually help doctors optimize the safety and effectiveness of drugs for each patient ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/14/2008 |
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| (04/14) Monogram Biosciences to Present at the JMP Securities Seventh Annual Research Conference |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGRM) announced today that William D. Young, CEO and Chairman, is scheduled to present a corporate overview at the Seventh Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time) at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, California. To access the live audio broadcast or the subsequent archived recording, log on to http://www.monogrambio.com and go to the investor relations section ("Investors/Media" tab) and click on the "Events & Webcasts" link provided on the sidebar menu on the page.
~Monogram Biosciences - 04/14/2008 |
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| (04/14) Insurers Increasingly Requiring People To Pay Percentage of Cost of Some High-Priced Prescription Drugs |
The New York Times on Monday examined how a number of health insurers have begun to charge members a percentage of the price of certain expensive medications, rather than set copayments, to help reduce costs. According to the Times, the implementation of such "Tier 4" systems "means that the burden of expensive health care can now affect insured people, too" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/14/2008 |
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| (04/11) Drug Companies, Medical Device Makers To Disclose Payments to Physicians, Medical Education Grants |
More than a dozen of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical and medical device companies have decided to disclose information about continuing medical education grants that they award to physicians, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recently sent letters to 15 companies to request information on CME grants amid concerns of potential abuse. Under federal law, pharmaceutical and medical device companies cannot use CME grants to promote their medications. In the letters, Grassley wrote, "If your company does not yet have any efforts or plans in place" to disclose the information, as Eli Lilly does currently, "please explain why not" ....(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/11/2008 |
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| (04/10) Preliminary FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food - 10 States, United States, 2007 |
Although there have been significant declines in the incidence of some pathogens since 1996, these declines all occurred before 2004, indicating that further measures are needed to prevent foodborne illness and achieve the national health objectives. Foodborne illnesses are a substantial health burden in the United States. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) quantifies and monitors the incidence of infections transmitted commonly through food by conducting active, population-based surveillance for laboratory-confirmed illnesses in 10 U.S. states. This report describes preliminary surveillance data
and compares them with data for previous years. In 2007, the estimated incidence of infections caused by Campylobacter, Listeria, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157), Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia did not change significantly, and Cryptosporidium increased compared with the previous 3 years. While there has been progress towards the 2010 national health objectives for the incidence of foodborne infections, this occurred before 2004 and none of the objectives were met in 2007.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 04/10/2008 |
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| (04/10) Estimating Incidence from Prevalence in Generalised HIV Epidemics: Methods and Validation |
HIV surveillance of generalised epidemics in Africa primarily relies on prevalence at antenatal clinics, but estimates of incidence in the general population would be more useful. Repeated cross-sectional measures of HIV prevalence are now becoming available for general populations in many countries, and we aim to develop and validate methods that use these data to estimate HIV incidence ...(continued)
~PLoS Medicine - 04/10/2008 |
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| (04/09) Gene Linked to Inherited Blood Biomarker Associated with Asthma Risk |
Risk for developing asthma is linked to variants in a gene called CHI3L1, which can be measured by checking levels of an inherited blood protein regulated by that gene, according to new research sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/09/2008 |
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| (04/09) Gilead Sciences to Release First Quarter 2008 Financial Results on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 |
FOSTER CITY, Calif. -Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today that its first quarter 2008 financial results will be released on Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time. At 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Gilead will webcast a conference call live on the company's internet site. The call will be led by Gilead management, who will discuss the results of the company's first quarter of 2008 and provide a general business update ...(continued)
~Gilead Sciences - 04/09/2008 |
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| (04/08) Approximately 80% of U.S. HIV/AIDS Patients Live in States Now Providing Medicaid Coverage for Trofile |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGRM) today announced that New York Medicaid has established coverage and reimbursement for Monogram's Trofile Assay, a diagnostic used to determine patient candidacy for Pfizer's new HIV anti-viral medication Selzentry(TM) (maraviroc) ....(continued)
~Monogram Biosciences - 04/08/2008 |
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| (04/08) MEGA Life Fined $1M in Maine for Flawed Premium Method |
MEGA Life and Health Insurance, a subsidiary of HealthMarkets, has agreed to pay a $1 million fine imposed by the Maine Bureau of Insurance and the Maine Attorney General to settle a lawsuit that alleged the insurer used a flawed method to determine premiums for individual health insurance policies, the Portland Press Herald reports. The fine, one of the largest ever agreed to in Maine, represents a civil penalty of $250,000 for each of the four years the company operated in Maine. The insurer from 2004 to 2007 issued approximately 9,830 policies in the state. MEGA Life also will be required to refund consumers $4.6 million in overpaid premiums, plus interest. According to Maine Attorney General Stephen Rowe (D), MEGA Life's rates were excessive under Maine law. Rowe said the company should have revised premium rates after its loss ratios did not meet the required statutory minimums ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/08/2008 |
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| (04/07) Online Video Program Trains Clinicians to Help Patients Who Drink Too Much |
A new, interactive video training program from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), demonstrates quick and effective strategies for screening patients for heavy drinking and helping them to cut down or quit ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/07/2008 |
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| (04/07) Aggressively Lowering Cholesterol and Blood Pressure May Reverse Atherosclerosis in Adults with Diabetes |
Aggressively lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels below current targets in adults with type 2 diabetes may help to prevent — and possibly reverse — hardening of the arteries, according to new research supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Hardening of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, is the number one cause of heart disease and can lead to heart attack, stroke, and death ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/07/2008 |
| |
| (04/07) Success in model of human liver failure environment prompts Company’s move toward in vivo animal studies. |
Boston, MA - Hepalife today announced that the Company’s proprietary bioartificial liver device has successfully demonstrated key liver functions in a model of the human liver failure environment, prompting researchers to move towards in vivo animal studies. “Our scientists have confirmed the capability of our bioartificial liver device to successfully perform with human plasma, a key variable when replicating human liver failure,” stated Mr. Frank Menzler, President and CEO of HepaLife Technologies, Inc. “Most importantly, our bioartificial liver has shown a very important capacity to remove toxic ammonia at a rate that supports our move towards in vivo animal trials, a necessary step to ultimately filing for product approval" ...(continued)
~Hepalife - 04/07/2008 |
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| (04/07) Screening of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B and C Improves Survival from Liver Cancer |
Researchers from Hong Kong have reported that screening in patients with chronic hepatitis improves survival from hepatocellular cancer. The details of this study appeared in the April 2008 issue of Annals of Surgery ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/05/2008 |
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| (04/07) Pegylated interferon alpha-2a advantageous in dialysis patients with hepatitis C |
NEW YORK - Once-weekly treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2a is both more effective and safer than standard interferon alpha-2a three times a week for interferon-naive dialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, according to a report by Taiwanese researchers published in the April issue of Gut ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/05/2008 |
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| (04/07) End-of-Life Hospital Spending for Medicare Beneficiaries With Chronic Health Conditions Varies Widely, Study Finds |
here is wide variation among the U.S.'s top academic medical centers in spending on care for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions during the last two years of their lives, according to the 2008 edition of The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/7). For the study, researchers from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice analyzed data on 192,242 beneficiaries who received care at any of 93 teaching hospitals and died between 2001 and 2005. All of the beneficiaries had at least one chronic health condition. The study compared the length of hospitalization, the number of physicians treating a beneficiary and the amount of time beneficiaries spent in intensive care units during the last two years of their lives (Appleby, USA Today, 4/7). The study focused on the top five teaching hospitals, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report (New York Times, 4/7). Care for beneficiaries with chronic illnesses during the last two years of their lives accounts for about one-third of all Medicare spending (Francis, Wall Street Journal, 4/7) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2008 |
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| (04/07) Universal Coverage Exacerbating 'Imbalance' Between Supply of Physicians, Number of Patients in Massachusetts |
Massachusetts' health insurance law has had the "unintended consequence" of exacerbating the "imbalance" between supply and demand for primary care physicians, the New York Times reports. Since the law took effect last year, about 340,000 of the state's estimated 600,000 uninsured residents have obtained coverage. However, the number of physicians in the state has not increased, leaving many newly insured residents "searching for doctors and scheduling appointments for long-deferred care," and forcing physicians to take on additional patients and reduce time spent with patients, according to the Times. The Times reports that the "situation may worsen as large numbers of general practitioners retire over the next decade" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2008 |
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| (04/07) At Least 33 States Have or Are Considering Prescription Drug 'Recycling' Programs To Reduce Costs for Uninsured, Low-Income Residents |
At least 33 U.S. states have implemented laws to allow or study programs that redistribute unused prescription medications to uninsured or low-income individuals, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports.
Some of the states allow individuals to donate sealed drugs, while others allow only prescription drugs donated from institutions, including physician offices and assisted living facilities. The drugs typically are examined by pharmacists for consumer safety and then are distributed by hospitals, pharmacies or charitable clinics ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2008
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| (04/07) | Bill Would Require VA To Adapt To Treat Women |
A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday introduced legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to adapt in an attempt to improve care for female veterans, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Since 2001, 90,000 women have served in the military. The number of female soldiers accessing VA care is expected to double in the next five years, according to the Daily News. The legislation would require each VA facility to have at least one women's health expert on staff; authorize several studies on the physical, mental and reproductive health of women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan; and examine the barriers women face in accessing care at male-dominated VA clinics. The bill also would require VA mental health professionals to be trained to treat women who have been sexually assaulted ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2008 |
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| (04/06) WellPoint To Stop Paying for Treatment of Preventable Hospital Errors, Injuries |
Officials from WellPoint and its subsidiary Anthem BlueCross BlueShield on Wednesday announced that, beginning Oct. 1, they will no longer reimburse hospitals for treatment of three preventable errors and eight avoidable injuries and infections that occur in the facilities, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The companies provide health coverage for about 35 million U.S. residents. The change comes after Medicare adopted a similar policy last year (Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4/3) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/04/2008 |
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| (04/05) Blood Tests Suggested in Hepatitis Scare |
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A Virginia hospital has asked more than 300 former patients to come in for blood tests because a nurse suspected of infecting patients with hepatitis in Texas worked there last year. Retired Army Capt. Jon Dale Jones, 45, was arrested this month in Miami on federal charges of assaulting three patients and possession of a controlled substance by fraud. Federal prosecutors said they believe Jones spread hepatitis in 2004 at an El Paso military hospital by diverting fentanyl — a powerful painkiller often used for anesthesia — from patients to himself ...(continued0
~HCV Advocate - 04/03/2008 |
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| (04/05) Insurance Carriers Drop Vegas Clinics Tied to Hepatitis Scare |
Three of Nevada's largest health insurance carriers have suspended contracts with 14 physicians and three surgery centers tied to a hepatitis C outbreak, leading some doctors to worry about a possible shortage of medical care. Representatives of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sierra Health Services and Cigna HealthCare said Thursday that the contracts were suspended or terminated after they received information from the Southern Nevada Health District about six hepatitis C cases linked to one of the surgery centers affiliated with the Gastroenterology Center of Southern Nevada ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/03/2008 |
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| (04/04) Sen. Baucus To Send Bill Delaying Medicare Physician Fee Reductions Straight to Senate Floor |
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Thursday said he intends to send a bill addressing a scheduled reduction in Medicare physician fees straight to the Senate floor rather than have the committee do a mark up, CongressDaily reports. While Baucus said he wanted the committee to mark up the bill, other committee members and Senate leaders thought that a single floor debate would be more efficient ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/04/2008 |
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| (04/04) Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Subsidy Program Lapses; Tennessee House Approves Malpractice Legislation |
Pennsylvania: A tax-subsidized program that helps Pennsylvania physicians pay medical malpractice insurance premiums lapsed on Monday, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The five-year, $1 billion MCare abatement program was established in 2003 and provides subsidies to more than 35,000 physicians and other medical professionals. The subsidy on average has saved primary care physicians $1,500 per year and specialists on average $15,000 annually, according to Amy Kelchner, a spokesperson for Gov. Ed Rendell (D). The program was paid for through a 25-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and money from an insurance fund generated by traffic ticket surcharges (Levy, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/1). Rendell supports a 10-year extension of the abatement program but has said that he will not approve an extension unless lawmakers show progress in making affordable health coverage available to the uninsured (Fahy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/1). The Democratic-controlled House on March 17 approved a bill (SB 1137) that would expand subsidized health coverage to an additional 220,000 uninsured adults at a cost of about $1 billion. Rendell has announced his support of the House bill (AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/1). However, Senate Republicans have expressed concerns about the cost of the measure and have noted that Democrats have not identified a funding source (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/1) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/04/2008
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| (04/03) New Web Portal to Advance Wide Range of Protein Studies |
The Protein Structure Initiative (PSI), an effort supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched an online resource that will enable scientists from across biomedical disciplines to easily access a wealth of information about proteins and to speed discovery about these molecules ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/03/08 |
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| (04/03) Kidney Disease Newest Offering on NIHSeniorHealth |
Information about the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease has just been added to NIHSeniorHealth, the National Institutes of Health Web site designed especially for seniors. Consumers can visit http://nihseniorhealth.gov/kidneydisease/toc.html to learn more about kidney disease, which affects a growing number of older adults and is most often caused by diabetes or high blood pressure. Kidney disease occurs when the kidneys can no longer remove wastes and extra water from the blood or perform other functions vital to maintaining health. If allowed to progress, it can lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/03/2008 |
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| (04/03) Transplantation-Transmitted Tuberculosis - Oklahoma, 2007 |
Although the lifesaving benefit from transplanted organs may outweigh the potential risk for transmission of infectious disease, it is still important to continuously improve organ transplantation safety. To prevent tuberculosis transmission by organ transplantation, specific policies can be established to improve recognition of disease in donors and communication can be streamlined to facilitate rapid information exchange among clinicians, transplant centers, organ procurement organizations and public health authorities. This report summarizes the results of the investigation to evaluate possible tuberculosis transmission through organ transplantation. Disseminated tuberculosis occurred in two of three transplant recipients from a common donor, and one recipient died. To reduce the low but serious risk of tuberculosis transmission by organ transplantation, organ recovery personnel should consider risk factors for tuberculosis in potential donors and conduct further testing of those at risk. Clinicians should recognize that transplant recipients with tuberculosis might present with unusual signs or symptoms. When transmission is suspected, investigation of potential donor-transmitted infection requires rapid communication among physicians, transplant centers, organ procurement organizations, and public health authorities.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 04/03/2008
|
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| (04/03) Surveillance for Community-Associated Clostridium difficile - Connecticut, 2006 |
People taking antibiotics need to be aware that they could get C. difficile-associated diarrhea, and clinicians need to consider a diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated disease in outpatients with severe diarrhea, even in the absence of traditional risk actors. If promptly recognized, C. difficile-associated diarrhea usually can be readily treated. Clostridium difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium that is a common cause of diarrhea in people who are hospitalized or are residents in long-term care facilities, particularly the elderly. Taking an antibiotic is the primary risk factor for development of C. difficile-associated diarrhea. Recently, concern has been raised that C. difficile may be causing disease in generally healthy people in the community. In 2006, Connecticut began surveillance for C. difficile diarrhea occurring in the community. Findings from 2006 show that 241 Connecticut residents were diagnosed with community-associated C. difficile infection. A total of 110 were hospitalized and two died. Overall, 33 percent of all cases including 25 percent of those hospitalized had no without underlying health conditions.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 04/03/2008 |
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| (04/02) InterMune Provides Additional Information on ITMN-191 (R7227) MAD Study Results |
BRISBANE, Calif. - Following its press release and conference call of April 1, 2008, InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today provided additional information on its Phase 1b multiple-ascending-dose (MAD) study of ITMN-191 to facilitate comparison with previously published data describing other HCV protease inhibitors. The additional information pertains to the Day 14 median reductions in HCV RNA in this study ...(continued)
~InterMune - 04/02/2008 |
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| (04/02) No Viral Reservoir |
About 50% of people who are treated with current HCV medications (pegylated interferon plus ribavirin) are able to achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) which means that the presence of HCV RNA (viral load) is undetectable 6 months after treatment stops. In addition some people who contract acute hepatitis C are able to spontaneously resolve or rid the body of the hepatitis C virus. But does achieving an SVR or spontaneous clearance mean that the hepatitis C virus can be completely eradicated from the body? This has been a very hotly debated topic, but results from a new study add some credibility to the notion that perhaps hepatitis C can be cured ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/02/2008 |
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| (04/02) Extrahepatic Manifestations: Scleroderma |
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the medications used to treat hepatitis C – interferon and ribavirin – are known to induce or exacerbate underlying autoimmune diseases. The incidence of scleroderma in the general population is very low (200-300 per million Americans) and is believed to be even more uncommon in people with hepatitis C. The link between hepatitis C and scleroderma has not been established. In fact, there have only been a handful of studies that have looked at the relationship between HCV and scleroderma. However, since hepatitis C and the medication to treat hepatitis C are known to cause other types of autoimmune conditions some researchers believe that there may be a link ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 04/02/2008 |
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| (04/01) Report on the Annual General Meeting of Pharmexa A/S |
The Annual General Meeting of Pharmexa A/S was held on Monday March 31st 2008 at 4:00 pm. The annual report was approved and the board of directors and the management was given discharge. The board of directors' proposal to distribution of the profit or settlement of loss was approved. Proposal from the board of management concerning approval of general guidelines for the incentive program of the board of management was approved. The proposed changes of article 13.1 of the articles of association were approved. The board members were re-elected. After the meeting the board constituted itself with Ole Steen Andersen as the chairman. Ernst & Young was re-elected as state authorised accountants.
~Pharmexa - Hørsholm, April 1, 2008 Jakob Schmidt Chief Executive Officer
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| (04/01) Trofile to be used to screen patients for clinical program of monoclonal antibody to CCR5 |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Monogram Biosciences, Inc., announced today that it had entered into an agreement with Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGNX) to provide resistance and tropism testing for Progenics' clinical development program of PRO 140, an investigational CCR5 monoclonal antibody being studied for the treatment of HIV. In its ongoing phase 2 studies, Progenics is using Monogram's Trofile(TM) tropism test to screen and monitor HIV infected individuals whose virus uses the CCR5 receptor as a portal of entry to healthy cells. Progenics is also using Monogram's PhenoSense GT(TM) assay to measure viral resistance to drugs from other HIV-1 treatment classes ...(continued)
~Monogram Biosciences - 04/01/2008 |
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| (04/01) NIH to Host Research Symposium on Clinical Applications of Stem Cell Therapies |
"Challenges and Promise of Cell-Based Therapies" is a one-day symposium to explore promising research in regenerative medicine using stem cells. The opening plenary session will feature an overview of hematopoietic stem cell therapy. This will be followed by four plenary sessions that will highlight cell-based therapies for the treatment of neurological, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases and disorders. It will close with a presentation on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the issues that need to be addressed to enable their potential use in cell-based therapies ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 04/1/2008 |
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| (04/01) InterMune Announces Top-Line Results of Phase 1b Trial of ITMN-191 (R7227) and Provides Program Update |
BRISBANE, Calif. - InterMune, Inc. today provided an overall program update and reported the top-line results from the four dose cohorts of treatment-naive patients in its ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial of ITMN-191, designated R7227 at Roche (SWX: ROG). ITMN-191 was administered as monotherapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection. InterMune reported that treatment with ITMN-191 resulted in rapid and significant reductions in HCV RNA ...(continued)
~Intermune - 04/01/08 |
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March, 2008 |
| (03/31) Monogram HIV Antibody Assay Is Key Component of Innovative Vaccine Development Program |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. today announced that company researchers have co-authored with collaborators from Maxygen, Inc. and Aldevron LLC several important abstracts presented during the Keystone HIV Vaccines: Progress and Prospects Symposium in Banff, Alberta. Maxygen, based in Redwood City, CA, is using Monogram's Neutralizing Antibody Assay in its HIV vaccine program to rapidly and accurately screen candidate immunogens produced by gene shuffling for their ability to induce antibodies that protect against a broad range of HIV variants. The Maxygen HIV vaccine approach is being funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Defense ...(continued)
~Monogram Biosciences - 03/31/2008 |
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| (03/31) Chicago Tribune Examines India as Destination for Medical Tourism |
The Chicago Tribune on Friday examined how India is "fast becoming the destination of choice for patients seeking complicated high-end procedures" they cannot afford or cannot schedule with a U.S. physician they trust. In 2007, 150,000 patients traveled to India from the U.S., Britain, Africa and elsewhere in South Asia for a medical procedure ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/31/2008 |
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| (03/29) Updated Fact Sheet on HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States |
This updated fact sheet provides the latest data on the U.S. epidemic, including key trends over time, impact by region and population, and data on the U.S. government's response. Click title.
~Kaiser Network - 03/28/2008 |
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| (03/28) Inovio Biomedical Reveals Safety Results Of Tripep's ChronVac-C Delivered Using Inovio's Electroporation Delivery Systems |
Biomedical company Inovio Biomedical Corp. (INO) said that its partner Tripep AB of Sweden reported preliminary results from its Phase I/II clinical study of therapeutic hepatitis C virus, or HCV, vaccine, ChronVac-C, which was delivered using Inovio's electroporation-based DNA delivery system ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/28) FDA Halts Studies of Hepatitis Vaccine From Merck and Dynavax Over Safety Worries |
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. - Merck Inc. and Dynavax said Monday federal regulators have halted studies of their experimental hepatitis vaccine due to safety concerns. The Food and Drug Administration placed a hold on trials for the companies' Heplisav vaccine after one patient in the U.S. was diagnosed with a rare disease that causes blood vessels to inflame ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/28) Gilead's Viread Gets Hepatitis B Nod |
FOSTER CITY, Calif. - Biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc. said Wednesday a European regulatory agency's advisory committee recommended approving the drug Viread (tenofovir)as a hepatitis B treatment. The drug is currently used to treat HIV. Gilead has also asked U.S. regulators to approve it as a hepatitis B treatment ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/28) Presidio Pharmaceuticals buys rights to hepatitis C program |
Presidio Pharmaceuticals Inc. will pay $4 million up front to XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. for the rights to a treatment aimed at hepatitis C. San Francisco-based Presidio could pay as much as $104 million in milestones, plus further royalties, if the treatment is successfully developed and marketed. The research in this program centers around the NS5A protein, which is important in the replication of the hepatitis C virus ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/28) Hospitalizations for Kidney Disease - United States, 1980-2005 |
More research is needed to determine why hospitalization rates for kidney disease are increasing and to better understand the association between kidney disease and some chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Additional efforts are needed in early detection of kidney disease through screening and to encourage health care professionals to standardize the criteria for diagnosing the disease. Over the past 25 years, the hospitalization rate for kidney diseases has increased dramatically, especially adults over age 65. From 1980 to 2005, the number of hospitalizations with a diagnosis of kidney disease, including chronic and acute kidney failures, rose from 416,000 to 1.6 million. The study analyzed data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, 1980-2005. The study found that hospitalization rates were consistently higher (about 30-40 percent) among men than women, increasing from 25.0 to 66.5 per 10,000 in men and from 17.8 to 45.8 per 10,000 in women. In 2005, approximately 61.4 percent of patients hospitalized with kidney disease were age 65 and older compared to 49.9 percent in 1980. An increasing number of kidney disease related hospital admissions were associated with diabetes or hypertension.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 03/27/2008
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| (03/27) Hepatitis C May Reduce EPO Requirements |
Hemodialysis patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have a significantly decreased requirement for erythropoietin (EPO) compared with hemodialysis patients with no history of HCV infection, according to researchers ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/27) SciClone Hosts Thymalfasin Symposium at Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver |
SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCLN) today announced that it plans to host a symposium at the 18th annual meeting of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), in Seoul, Korea on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. The symposium, "Therapeutic Strategies for Hepatitis B & C - Treatment Regimens Using Thymosin a-1, an Immunomodulator," will take place on March 25, 2008, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. local time, at the COEX Convention Center in Seoul, Korea ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/27) Valeant Pharmaceuticals Reports Encouraging Phase IIb Results at Treatment Week 12 for Taribavirin |
ALISO VIEJO, Calif.- Valeant Pharmaceuticals today reported results at the treatment week 12 analysis point for the Phase IIb clinical trial for its antiviral compound, taribavirin, a prodrug of ribavirin in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in conjunction with a pegylated interferon ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/27) GPs need new liver function guidance say experts |
Patients with abnormal liver function tests picked up in primary care are not being followed up because of a lack of clear referral guidance, experts warn. A new study finds GPs are not routinely employing cautionary measures such as tests for underlying disease or referrals to specialist treatment in the event of a raised liver function test ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/27) OctoPlus announces publication of Phase I Locteron results in the Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research |
OctoPlus N.V. ("OctoPlus" or "the Company") (Euronext: OCTO), the drug delivery and development company, announces today the publication of results from its Phase I study with Locteron, its controlled-release formulation of alfa interferon for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, in the current issue of the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research. In the randomised Phase I trial, the administration of Locteron demonstrated bioactivity over a two-week period and resulted in flu-like symptoms that were less frequent, milder and of a shorter duration in a head-to-head comparison with PEG-Intron, the standard of care used as the control arm in the study ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/27) Hepatitis B Foundation Receives $40,000 IMPACT Award from GlaxoSmithKline |
DOYLESTOWN, PA – The Hepatitis B Foundation headquartered in Doylestown, PA, was selected as a winner of GlaxoSmithKline’s 11th Annual IMPACT award for its dedication, effectiveness, proactive charge and significant impact on local communities. The Foundation was publicly recognized in a special ceremony hosted by GlaxoSmithKline in Philadelphia on March ...(continued)
~Hepatitis B Foundation - 03/27/2008 |
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| (03/26) Rejection of Offer from Investitori |
The Board of Life Therapeutics (ASX:LFE) (“Company”) refers to its announcement made on 17 March 2008 in which it announced that it had received an offer from Investitori Associati SGR S.p.A (the ultimate owner of Kedrion) for the acquisition of all of the Company’s collection centres. Having given careful consideration to the Offer, the Board has determined that acceptance of the Offer is not in the best interests of shareholders, and has formally advised Investitori that its Offer is rejected. The Board has also advised Investitori that it would welcome a revised offer which addresses the concerns outlined in the Board’s response to Investitori. The Company continues to progress the formal documents in relation to the Terms of Agreement entered into with Octapharma.
~Life Therapeutics - 03/25/2006 |
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| (03/26) Eli Lilly Agrees To Pay $15M To Settle Alaska Medicaid Lawsuit Filed Over Zyprexa Allegations |
Eli Lilly has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the state of Alaska over allegations that the company concealed data about the side effects of Zyprexa, a schizophrenia and bipolar disorder medication, and cost the state Medicaid program millions of dollars because of an increased incidence of diabetes among beneficiaries, the Indianapolis Star reports (Spalding, Indianapolis Star, 3/26). According to the lawsuit, filed in 2006, Zyprexa led to a number of health problems -- such as weight gain, hypertension and diabetes -- in Alaska Medicaid beneficiaries (AP/Miami Herald, 3/26). The lawsuit sought $270 million in damages ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/26/2008 |
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| (03/26) HIV/AIDS Vaccine Researchers at NIH Meeting Call for Increase in Basic Research, New Strategies |
HIV/AIDS researchers called for an increase in basic research on the virus and new strategies for research into a vaccine on Tuesday during an NIH AIDS Vaccine Summit, the New York Times reports. The summit was held to discuss the future of HIV vaccine research following the recent failure of a Merck vaccine candidate (Altman, New York Times, 3/26). Merck in September 2007 announced it had halted a large-scale clinical trial of its experimental HIV vaccine after the drug failed to prevent HIV infection in participants or prove effective in delaying the progression of the virus to AIDS. The vaccine candidate also might have put some trial participants at an increased risk of HIV (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/25) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/26/2008 |
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| (03/26) Indian Generic Drug Maker Strides Acrolab Receives Tentative FDA Approval for Combination Antiretroviral |
FDA on Tuesday announced that it has given tentative approval to Indian generic pharmaceutical company Strides Acrolab for its fixed-dose antiretroviral drug that contains lamivudine, nevirapine and stavudine, Reuters/Yahoo! Malaysia News reports (Reuters/Yahoo! Malaysia News, 3/26). Tentative FDA approval means that although existing patents or other issues prevent marketing of the drug in the U.S., the drug is qualified for consideration in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (FDA release, 3/24). The FDA approval is for multiple strengths of the combination therapy, according to Dow Jones (Dow Jones, 3/24). The two versions are 30 milligrams, 150 mg and 200 mg of stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine, respectively, and 40 mg, 150 mg and 200 mg of stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine, respectively (FDA release, 3/24).
~Kaiser Network - 03/26/2008 |
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| (03/25) BARACLUDE® (entecavir) Data Continue to Demonstrate Low Incidence of Resistance Through Five Years of Treatment in Nucleoside-naive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients |
PRINCETON, N.J. - New BARACLUDE® (entecavir) data presented today demonstrated a continued low incidence of resistance in nucleoside-naive patients through five years of treatment. In the nucleoside-naive chronic hepatitis B patients analyzed, no additional patient developed resistance in the fifth year (n=108). Through five years of treatment, the cumulative probability of developing mutations in the virus that confer resistance to BARACLUDE (also called genotypic resistance) was 1.2 percent. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced the results at the 18th Conference of the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) in Seoul, Korea ...(continued)
~Bristol-Myers Squibb - 03/24/2005 |
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| (03/25) New HCV Antivirals and Drug Resistance |
Researchers are investigating new antiviral medications to treat hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). Some of these drugs are referred
to as direct antiviral medications since they specifically target the hepatitis C virus. However, unlike current HCV medications, direct antivirals carry the potential for drug resistance. This fact sheet will discuss the basics of HCV replication and drug resistance ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/19/2008 |
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| (03/25) What is Fibrosis/Cirrhosis? |
Hepatitis C infection can lead to liver damage including fibrosis ( light to medium scarring of the liver), cirrhosis (extensive scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. It is estimated that only 10-25% of people who have hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis, but this
usually takes about 20-30 years. This fact sheet will discuss the fibrosis and cirrhosis --the causes, disease progression and treatment ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/19/2008 |
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| (03/25) HepaLife™ to Present New Bioartificial Liver Device Data at Major National Scientific Conference |
Boston, MA – HepaLife Technologies, Inc. today announced that the Company will present new data from ongoing research and development of its artificial liver device technology in three presentations at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO), June 19-21, 2008. The conference, “Concept to Commercialization of Organ Replacement & Repair Therapies”, will be held at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco, California ...(continued)
~HepaLife Technologies - 03/25/2008 |
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| (03/25) Genetic Variations Might Be Causing Mutations to HIV, Making It Less Potent, Study Says |
Genetic variations that might help people newly diagnosed with HIV control their viral loads also could be causing a mutation in the virus that makes it less potent, according to a study published Friday in PLoS Pathogens, Reuters reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/25/2008 |
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| (03/24) Have Hep C? What can liver biopsy can tell you? |
The liver biopsy is the best test we have today for finding out if the liver is healthy or damaged. After the biopsy is performed, a
medical expert will review the tiny piece of liver tissue and write a report on the health of the liver ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/19/2008 |
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| (03/23) Enough is Enough |
To control AIDS, funding must be invested in strategies that work: effective prevention efforts, routine testing and universal access to treatment - and not spent on expensive vaccine research that over 20 years has yielded little of promise other than discovering how not to make an AIDS vaccine. The latest round of vaccine trial failures (including a large-scale Merck trial halted when the vaccine turned out to have possibly increased subjects' risk of acquiring HIV) has added to a growing consensus in the scientific community that an AIDS vaccine is a decade or more away, if one can be developed at all ...(continued)
~AIDS Healthcare Foundation - 03/23/2008 |
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| (03/21) Do you have a Fatty Liver? |
When excess fat cells develop in the liver, this condition is called “fatty liver disease” or steatosis. More people with hepatitis C have fatty liver than people who do not have hepatitis C. The reason that people with hepatitis C have more fatty liver is not really
understood. However, there seems to be a way that the hepatitis C virus makes it easier for people to get fatty liver ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/19/2008 |
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| (03/20) Trends in Tuberculosis - United States, 2007 |
A CDC analysis of 2007 national tuberculosis (TB) surveillance data shows continuing disparities and a slowing decline in U.S. TB rates. In 2007, the national TB rate fell to an all-time low of 4.4 cases per 100,000 people (13,293* new cases). However, progress in eliminating TB has slowed recently, with 3.8 percent average annual declines in rates for 2000-2007, compared to 7.3 percent average annual declines for 1993-2000. TB continues to disproportionately affect foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities. Foreign-born persons had a TB rate nearly 10 times higher than U.S.-born persons (20.6 vs. 2.1 cases per 100,000) and accounted for 58.5 percent of all cases with known origin. Hispanics had a rate seven times higher than whites, and for the fourth consecutive year, accounted for more TB cases than any other racial/ethnic group. The TB rate was 23 times higher in Asians than in whites. Blacks had a rate eight times higher than whites, and accounted for the greatest disparity in TB rates among U.S.-born persons. among persons with TB and a known HIV test result, 11.3 percent were co-infected with HIV, a major risk factor for TB disease. The proportion of multidrug-resistant TB cases remained stable in 2006, accounting for 1.1 percent of cases for which these data are available. The authors note that continued disparities among persons with TB and the diminishing decline of TB incidence threaten progress toward TB elimination in the U.S.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 03/20/2008 |
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| (03/20) Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling of TB Patients - |
CDC-supported pilot study demonstrated that provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling approach results in high uptake of HIV testing among TB patients and is feasible and acceptable to TB clinic staff. Furthermore, training TB staff members to use HIV rapid test kits enabled same-day results; and shifting the task of HIV testing from laboratorians to other health-care personnel alleviated the problem of shortages of trained laboratory workers. In sub-Saharan Africa where HIV prevalence is high among tuberculosis (TB) patients, TB clinics are an excellent place to identify HIV-infected persons for referral to HIV care and treatment and for delivering HIV prevention messages. A recent CDC-supported pilot study, to test the feasibility of offering WHO-recommended, routine "opt-out" provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling as part of routine TB care, demonstrated high uptake of HIV testing among TB patients. The pilot showed that the program was practical, acceptable, and sustainable to TB clinic staff, and, additionally, training TB staff members to use HIV rapid test kits enabled same-day results and eliminated the need for repeated patient visits. Furthermore, shifting the task of HIV testing from laboratorians to other health-care personnel alleviated the problem of shortages of trained laboratory workers. A national scale-up of the program is underway and CDC, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is supporting the effort.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 03/20/2008 |
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| (03/20) Immunization Information Systems Progress - United States, 2006 |
Immunization Information Systems have made progress enrolling children and health-care providers in their systems. In 2006, approximately 65 percent (or 15 million) of U.S. children aged <6 years participated in grantee IIS, an increase from 56 percent in 2005, or approximately 2 million more children. In addition, IIS private provider site participation increased from 44 percent in 2005 to 47 percent in 2006. This report highlights selected data from CDC's 2006 Immunization Information System Annual Report (IISAR). The data indicated that 65 percent of all U.S. children aged <6 years, approximately 15 million children, participated in an Immunization Information System (IIS), an increase from 56 percent in 2005. IISs can provide accurate data on which to make informed immunization decisions and better protect against vaccine-preventable diseases. Most grantees (70 percent) reported that
their IISs have the capacity to track vaccinations for persons of all ages. Data on vaccinations were entered within 30 days of vaccine administration for 69 percent of children aged <6 years. However, results for several data completeness measures are low. These findings underscore the need to continue efforts to address challenges to full participation and ensure high quality information.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 03/20/2008 |
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| (03/19) Researchers Discover Genetic Circuit in HIV That Controls Whether Virus Activates, Remains Dormant |
Researchers from the University of California-San Diego and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered the genetic circuit in HIV that controls whether the virus is activated or remains dormant, according to a study published in the March 16 issue of the journal Nature Genetics, Xinhuanet reports (Xinhuanet, 3/18) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/19/2008 |
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| (03/18) Warning: Prezista Linked to Liver Problems, New Warnings Added |
Prezista, a drug used to treat HIV, has been associated with serious liver injuries, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has warned. Johnson & Johnson’s Tibotec Therapeutics, the maker of Prezista, has modified the drug’s prescribing information to include a warning on hepatotoxicity ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/15/2008 |
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| (03/18) California Medicaid Establishes Coverage for Trofile(TM) |
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. today announced that the California Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) has established coverage and reimbursement for Monogram's Trofile Assay. Medi-Cal is the state medical assistance program in California established to provide essential medical care and services to individuals or families on public assistance, or whose income is not sufficient to meet their individual needs. "We are delighted that Medi-Cal has established coverage for Trofile," said Bill Welch, Monogram chief commercial officer. "California has the second largest population of HIV/AIDS patients in the U.S. and now all public payers in the state provide coverage for Trofile. With coverage now clarified, we expect that testing activity for Medi-Cal beneficiaries may increase" ...(continued)
~Monogram Biosciences - 03/17/2008 |
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| (03/18) Hospitals Increasingly Reviewing Patients' Personal Financial Information To Gauge Ability To Pay |
A "growing number" of U.S. hospitals are accessing patients' personal financial information to help determine how likely patients are to pay their medical bills, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, some hospitals look at patients' credit reports -- which provide information on available lines of credit, debt and payment histories -- while other hospitals employ third-party services that predict patients' ability to pay based on factors such as income ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/18/2008 |
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| (03/18) NIH Establishes New Health Disparities Center |
NIH will launch a new Center for Genomics and Health Disparities to study the "many mysteries involving the interaction between health and race," the New York Times reports. The new research center, which will operate within the National Human Genome Center at Howard University, will study the dynamics of genetics, the economy and other social factors that result in different disease rates and medical responses among racial groups. According to the Times, some genetics experts "have long argued that human genetic variability is so profound that race is not a scientifically useful label," and other experts cite "clear disparities in health outcomes to argue that race matters."
Recent studies have found that scientists can use clusters of genes to define broad racial categories, such as white, black, Hispanic or East Asian. Charles Rotimi, former director of the Genome Center and the head of the new center, said, "By understanding the nature of human genetic variation, we can see how that overlaps with group identity and individual identity," adding, "Do those differences have implication to what we see in terms of differential response to drugs and differential distribution of diseases?" (Harris, New York Times, 3/18).
~Kaiser Network - 03/18/2008 |
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| (03/17) SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY NEW LEADS FOR TREATING PARASITIC WORM DISEASE |
A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has identified chemical compounds that hold promise as potential therapies for schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide. The findings were reported today in the advance online publication of the journal "Nature Medicine". In their paper, researchers from Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal, Ill., and NIH's Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC) report that chemical compounds known as oxadiazoles can inhibit an enzyme vital to survival of Schistosoma, a group of parasitic flatworms that cause schistosomiasis. The NCGC, established in 2004 by the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, includes a set of strategic initiatives drawing collectively from the agency-wide research resources of NIH ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 03/16/2008 |
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| (03/17) Receipt of Offer from Investitori |
SYDNEY – The Board of Life Therapeutics wishes to announce they have received a formal offer from Investitori Associati SGR S.p.A (the ultimate owner of Kedrion) for the acquisition of all of the Company’s collection centres. It has come to the Board’s attention that Investitori also sent copies of the Offer to a small number of LFE shareholders. The Board is disappointed that Investitori have taken this step. In these circumstances, the Board considers that the only equitable course is to release the Offer to all LFE shareholders. The full text of the Offer is, therefore, included as a schedule to this announcement ...(continued)
~Life Therapeutics - 03/17/2008 |
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| (03/16) Studies from National Public Health Institute update current data on hepatitis C virus cell biology |
Researchers detail in “Hepatitis C virus proteins interfere with the activation of chemokine gene promoters and downregulate chemokine gene expression,” new data in hepatitis C virus. "The hepatitis C virus (HCV) non-structural (NS) 3/4A protein complex inhibits the retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) pathway by proteolytically cleaving mitochondria-associated CARD-containing adaptor protein Cardif, and this leads to reduced production of beta interferon (IFN-beta). This study examined the expression of CCL5 (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted, or RANTES), CXCL8 (interleukin 8) and CXCL10 (IFN-gamma-activated protein 10, or IP-10) chemokine genes in osteosarcoma cell lines that inducibly expressed NS3/4A, NS4B, core-E1-E2-p7 and the entire HCV polyprotein," investigators in Helsinki, Finland report ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/15/2008 |
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| (03/15) Doctors focus on liver disease linked to obesity |
Today's most common liver diseases are cirrhosis from alcohol abuse and hepatitis C, a viral infection often transmitted through sharing of contaminated needles or blood. But a third liver disease is about to make it to the top. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure, is on the rise. It's linked to the country's obesity epidemic ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/15/2008 |
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| (03/15) Research from Wuhan University, College of Life Sciences has provided new data on hepatitis B virus cell biology |
Research findings, “Putative tumor suppressor YueF affects the functions of hepatitis B virus X protein in hepatoma cell apoptosis and p53 expression,” are discussed in a new report. According to a study from Wuhan, People's Republic of China, "Previously, we identified YueF as a novel Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx)-interacting protein. Herein, we studied the functions of YueF and HBx in hepatocarcinogenesis" ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/15/2008 |
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| (03/15) Peginterferon-Ribavirin Safe, Effective for Children With HCV |
NEW YORK - Treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b (PEG-IFN-alpha-2b) plus ribavirin results in virologic control in children with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and is "reasonably well-tolerated," a Spanish team reports in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/15/2008 |
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| (03/15) Benitec licensee's deal to commercialise Hep C drug |
Sydney, Mar 13, 2008 (RWE via COMTEX) -- (RWE Australian Business News) Benitec Ltd (ASX:BLT) licensee Tacere Therapeutics Inc of San Jose, California and Oncolys BioPharma Inc of Tokyo have announced a licence agreement to develop and commercialise Tacere's RNA interference (RNAi) based hepatitis C virus (HCV) compound TT-033 throughout Asia ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/15/2008 |
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| (03/14) Curious about Hepatitis C? Check out the Fact Sheet: |
Click title for fact sheet:
~HCV Advocate - 03/08/08 |
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| (03/14) N |
