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U.N. announces members of independent panel to investigate source of Haiti's cholera epidemic

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the names of four experts to be part of an independent panel that will "investigate the source of Haiti's cholera epidemic, which some Haitians blame on U.N. peacekeepers," Reuters reports (Worsnip, 1/6). "The members of the panel have been selected based on their global stature, expertise and extensive experience working with cholera in all its aspects," according to a statement from Ban's spokesperson, U.N. News Centre reports (1/6).

10 Jan 2011

Male circumcision helps reduce rates of HPV transmission to women, study finds

"Among HIV-negative sexual partners, male circumcision helps prevent the transmission of human papillomavirus [HPV] from men to women," according to a study published online Thursday in the Lancet, HealthDay News/Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

10 Jan 2011

Air purifier helps reduce H1N1 swine flu virus on contact

Only one week into the new year swine flu has already claimed several lives. Healthmap.org believes that swine flu has resulted in hospitalization and even death not only in the UK, but also in other parts of Europe and America. Reports indicate that the virus is even more virulent than last year.

10 Jan 2011

FDA, EMA accept boceprevir for expedited review

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that regulatory applications for boceprevir, Merck's investigational oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, were submitted in 2010 and have been accepted for expedited review in both the U.S. and the European Union.

10 Jan 2011

Lancet World Report examines health risks associated with inaccurate TB tests, WHO's upcoming recommendations

With "scores of commercial serology tests for tuberculosis ... being sold in high-burden countries," the "WHO is due to release a negative policy recommendation - the first of its kind for the organisation" - after several reviews have "indicated poor performance of these tests," Lancet World Report writes in a piece that documents the health risks associated with a growing number of inaccurate TB tests.

10 Jan 2011

Tips for surviving a bout with 'stomach flu'

A post-holiday crush of patients are crowding into area physician offices and hospital emergency rooms as individuals of all ages suddenly find themselves laid low by a highly contagious and quick-striking virus.

10 Jan 2011

Positive results form INX-189 Phase 1b trial against hepatitis C virus

Inhibitex, today reported positive preliminary interim safety and antiviral data from the first two monotherapy cohorts of its ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial of INX-189, an oral NS5b nucleotide inhibitor being developed to treat chronic infections caused by hepatitis C virus.

10 Jan 2011

Old flu jabs from pandemic to combat this winter’s peak

With rise of incidence of flu this winter emergency stocks of the vaccine are being released. A review is to be carried out into whether vaccines should be purchased centrally next year in order to avoid shortages. At present the GPs can procure the jabs directly from manufacturers according to their estimates of patient requirement.

9 Jan 2011

Malaria drug makes cancer drug more effective

Scientists investigating the cancer-fighting properties of artesunate - a drug commonly used to treat malaria - have found early evidence that combining it with an existing cancer drug has the potential to make each drug more effective than when used alone. They also found that regular treatment breaks could improve success levels.

7 Jan 2011

MedImmune announces in-licensing agreement with Amgen for IL-1 pathway targeting novel monoclonal antibody

MedImmune today announced an in-licensing agreement with Amgen for a novel monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-1 pathway. The antibody, AMG 108, a fully human monoclonal antibody to the IL-1 receptor, has been studied in multiple phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials and will now be explored by MedImmune for its potential against certain inflammatory diseases.

7 Jan 2011

Chimerix initiates enrollment in CMX001 clinical study for life-threatening conditions caused by dsDNA viruses

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced that patient enrollment has begun in a multicenter, open-label clinical study of CMX001 (the CMX001-350 study) for the treatment of life-threatening or serious conditions caused by double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses.

7 Jan 2011

Study supports two-dose vaccine regimen for protecting children from chickenpox

Two doses of the varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine provide excellent protection in children against this highly contagious and, in some cases, severe disease. To be published in the February 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings support the two-dose vaccine regimen recommended in the United States since 2006.

7 Jan 2011

Pharmasset reports positive data from PSI-7977 and PSI-938 HCV clinical programs

Pharmasset, Inc., announced today positive data from interim analyses of two of its clinical programs: the HCV genotype 2 or 3 (GT2/3) arm of the PSI-7977 Phase 2b trial and the 14 day PSI-938 monotherapy cohort of the dual nucleotide study.

7 Jan 2011

Elevated rates of 'Sarcoid Like' Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease found in WTC responders

Mount Sinai researchers coordinating the largest clinical study to date of "Sarcoid Like" Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease in World Trade Center (WTC) responders have found that the rate of the condition was increased in this group as compared to the records of pre-9/11 FDNY personnel. The study is published online in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

7 Jan 2011

IDSA releases MRSA treatment guidelines

Physicians now have help in their battle against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially deadly infection that initially was limited to hospitals and health care facilities but has become a growing problem in healthy children and adults. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has released its first guidelines for the treatment of increasingly common MRSA infections.

7 Jan 2011

Get examined during National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in women worldwide, yet it is almost always preventable – with the Pap test, the HPV test and the HPV vaccine. That's what the Pearl of Wisdom Campaign to Prevent Cervical Cancer wants women to know – and share with their mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

7 Jan 2011

DARPA grants million dollar to IDRI to develop single dose influenza vaccine

The Infectious Disease Research Institute today announced it has received a multi-million dollar grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Army Research Office, both parts of United States Department of Defense.

7 Jan 2011

Extreme obesity a powerful risk factor for death among 2009 H1N1 patients

For those infected with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus, extreme obesity was a powerful risk factor for death, according to an analysis of a public health surveillance database. In a study to be published in the February 1, 2011, issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers associated extreme obesity with a nearly three-fold increased odds of death from 2009 H1N1 influenza. Half of Californians greater than 20 years of age hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 were obese.

7 Jan 2011

TPRF provides clean water, sanitation, hygiene education to Haitians affected by cholera outbreak

The Prem Rawat Foundation is continuing its support of efforts to aid Haitians affected by the recent cholera outbreak by providing approximately 13,000 people with access to clean water, sanitation goods, and hygiene education.

7 Jan 2011

Queensland’s flooded residents warned against insect bites

The Queensland Health authorities have issued warnings to residents and tourists in the Emerald region regarding mosquitoes, biting midges (commonly known as sand flies) and black flies in areas affected by flooding. The Council insect control programs are helping with reducing the number of insects, say authorities but people still need to protect themselves to reduce the risk of being bitten in the next few weeks.

6 Jan 2011