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Gilead, MicroDose enter collaboration for inhalable small molecule antiviral fusion inhibitor MDT-637

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and MicroDose Therapeutx, Inc. today announced that the companies have entered into an exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of MDT-637, MicroDose's inhalable small molecule antiviral fusion inhibitor for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

20 Apr 2011

Mylan launches Famciclovir Tablets

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has launched Famciclovir Tablets, 125 mg, 250 mg and 500 mg, the generic version of Novartis' Famvir® Tablets, a treatment for herpes.

20 Apr 2011

BIOTECH Development Partners provides funds to Biomagnetics

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., (PINK SHEETS:BMGP) a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, cholera and malaria detection, and other innovative technologies, today announced it has begun receiving funds from a biotech-oriented investment group called BIOTECH Development Partners, LLC.

20 Apr 2011

Study shows possibility of women living with AIDS to breastfeed with lower risk

In low-income countries, 1.4 million women are living with the Aids virus. If no prevention measures are taken, the risk for future mothers of transmitting HIV to their child in utero, during delivery or when breastfeeding is 35%.

20 Apr 2011

Furiex acquires full rights to JNJ-Q2, a novel broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has acquired full exclusive license rights to develop and commercialize the compound JNJ-Q2 under its existing development and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V.. Furiex acquired these rights as a result of Janssen's decision not to exercise its option under the agreement that gave Janssen the opportunity to continue development of JNJ-Q2.

20 Apr 2011

Durata commences dalbavancin Phase 3 study in acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections

Durata Therapeutics today announced the Company initiated a global, pivotal, Phase 3 study (DISCOVER-1) of its lead product, dalbavancin, a long-acting, intravenous (IV) lipoglycopeptide for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (abSSSI). The pivotal study is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreed upon with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

20 Apr 2011

Researchers to wind down HIV prevention trial in women after interim results find drug not offering protection from HIV

Researchers on Monday announced they were calling off a trial to test whether taking an oral HIV drug reduces the risk of HIV infection in women after interim analysis of the study showed women taking the medication were no less likely to become infected with HIV than those who were not taking the medicine, the Associated Press reports.

20 Apr 2011

IBD patients at greater risk of death if infected with Clostridium difficile

Patients admitted to hospital with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face a sixfold greater risk of death if they become infected with Clostridium difficile, a new study has found. The researchers say IBD patients should be screened on admission to protect them from serious illness.

20 Apr 2011

Diagnostic test Xpert MTB/RIF proven fast and effective in low-resource settings

The Lancet published a significant development for TB diagnostics yesterday with concrete and encouraging study outcomes on the effectiveness of the new Xpert MTB/RIF test for TB and rifampicin resistance in realistic health care field conditions. One of the authors, Prof. Mark Nicol of the University of Cape Town (South Africa) who contributed to this study, is an EDCTP Senior Fellow. The article demonstrates that the test can effectively be used in low-resource settings to simplify early and accurate diagnosis of patients. The potential impact is a reduction in the morbidity associated with diagnostic delay, dropout and mistreatment. The article has appeared online on 19 April 2011 and will be published in volume 377 on 30 April 2011.

20 Apr 2011

SERI selects AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 system to test chronic eye inflammations

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced that the Singapore Eye Research Institute, an internationally known eye research center, will advance biomarker candidates it identified for chronic inflammatory eye conditions into large-scale clinical trials for validation with the AB SCIEX TripleTOF™ 5600 System.

20 Apr 2011

Acorda receives patent for AMPYRA tablets to improve walking in MS patients

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed U.S. Patent Application No. 11/010,828 entitled "Sustained Release Aminopyridine Composition."

20 Apr 2011

MSF calls on African governments, WHO to switch to newer, more expensive treatment for severe malaria

Nearly 200,000 deaths from severe malaria could be averted if African governments replaced the low-cost antimalarial quinine with the more expensive but more effective drug artesunate, according to a report (.pdf) released Tuesday by Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Reuters reports (Kelland, 4/19).

20 Apr 2011

FHI to stop FEM-PrEP study of HIV prevention among heterosexual women

On the heels of Centers for Disease Control announcement earlier today that an ongoing study of the use of Gilead's top selling AIDS treatment, Truvada, as a possible form of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in women is being abruptly halted because the, "…trial could not demonstrate efficacy," the AIDS Healthcare Foundation renewed its call on Gilead Sciences to slow its fast track pursuit of its application for FDA approval of use of its AIDS drug as a possible form of HIV prevention.

20 Apr 2011

U.N. General Assembly passes resolution urging renewed efforts to fight malaria

Ahead of World Malaria Day on April 25, the U.N. General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution urging governments, U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private foundations to accelerate their efforts and build upon established successes in the fight against the disease, particularly in Africa, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

20 Apr 2011

Researchers find relation between strain of tuberculosis and Canadian fur trade

Researchers have found that a strain of tuberculosis responsible for devastating some isolated Aboriginal populations in Canada was first introduced to these communities by French Canadian fur traders between 1710 and 1870.

20 Apr 2011

African AIDS drug trial stopped prematurely

One of the studies in three African countries where women were given an AIDS drug to prevent HIV infection is being stopped because the project is not working, researchers said Monday. These women on the trial were taking a daily dose of the drug Truvada or a look-alike placebo pill and had an equal chance of becoming infected. The ones taking Truvada were expected to have had a much lower infection rate.

19 Apr 2011

Chembio initiates FDA Modular PMA process for DPP HIV 1/2 Screening Assay

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., which develops, manufactures, markets and licenses point-of-care diagnostic tests, reported it recently filed the first module of its Pre-Marketing Approval (PMA) application to the United States Food & Drug Administration for its DPP® HIV 1/2 Screening Assay.

19 Apr 2011

Commonly used strategy has no effect in reducing MRSA, VRE in hospital ICUs

A new research study of the effect of a commonly used strategy to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospital intensive care units shows that the strategy had no significant effect. That's the surprising finding of a multisite study led by Mayo Clinic investigators.

19 Apr 2011

Vancouver's supervised injection site reduces overdose mortality rates to 35%

Illicit drug overdose deaths in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside dropped by 35 per cent after the establishment of Insite, North America's first supervised injection facility, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

19 Apr 2011

Countries agree to draft framework on virus sharing, WHO says

After almost four years of negotiations, the WHO on Saturday announced it had reached an agreement on sharing flu virus samples, Agence-France Presse reports.

19 Apr 2011