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News outlets examine HIV vaccine research, cervical cancer screening data presented at conference

Several news outlets examine the latest reports out of this week's Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco.

20 Feb 2010

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour stops in Jackson, Mississippi

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour, a six month, 48 state national cross country HIV testing tour, will stop in Jackson, Mississippi on Friday, February 19th and will offer free HIV testing event on the campus of Hinds Community College from 8:00 AM until 12:00 Noon.

20 Feb 2010

National poll examines public health response to anthrax attack

In a national poll aimed at helping with planning efforts for a public health response to a possible bioterrorism attack, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that, in response to a fictional scenario describing a significant anthrax attack in their city or town, most Americans (89%) will likely follow public health recommendations to obtain prophylactic antibiotics.

20 Feb 2010

Janssen-Cilag International's European MAA for ZEFTERA: CHMP adopts negative opinion

Janssen-Cilag International NV announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a negative opinion on its Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for the antibiotic ZEFTERA(TM) (ceftobiprole medocaril), for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections.

19 Feb 2010

New guidance document to prevent food allergies

For the first time, national authorities carrying out official food allergen controls have a common basis for accepting validated testing methods. Consumers allergic to certain food ingredients will benefit from an increased level of protection by the availability of harmonised and reliable testing methods, and international trade will be facilitated by applying mutually-agreed testing protocols.

19 Feb 2010

BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund invests $400,000 in Bioscience Vaccines

BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund has invested in Bioscience Vaccines, Inc. to accelerate the development of biologic materials, which may boost the effectiveness of a wide range of life-saving vaccines.

19 Feb 2010

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals co-founder discovers new ribosomal structures of antibiotics

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage antibiotics company with a broad product pipeline based on its innovative discovery platform, and Yale University today announced the discovery by Thomas Steitz, Ph.D., co-founder of Rib-X and Yale University professor, of important new ribosomal structures of antibiotics, enabling the potential creation of novel treatments for drug resistant infections, including resistant tuberculosis (TB).

19 Feb 2010

CMAJ study summarizes risk factors for severe outcome among patients admitted to hospital with H1N1

A new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/cmaj.091823 of all patients in Canada admitted to hospital for H1N1 in the first five months of the outbreak summarizes the risk factors for a severe outcome (www.cmaj.ca). The H1N1 pandemic presents important learnings for clinicians and researchers and data on severe outcomes can help inform future treatment and prevention guidelines.

19 Feb 2010

Data from Novavax's Pivotal 2009 A/H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine study presented at WHO meeting

Novavax, Inc. today presented to the world's leading pandemic influenza vaccine experts a summary of the recent preliminary safety and immunogenicity data from its Pivotal 2009 A/H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine study in Mexico.

19 Feb 2010

BioTrends' Stelara second wave report finds increase in prescribing among dermatologists

BioTrends published the second wave of LaunchTrends®: Stelara, highlighting dermatology market trends at three months post launch. The report is based on 76 survey responses and 20 qualitative phone interviews with U.S. dermatologists.

19 Feb 2010

Delay in Vibativ's approval for nosocomial pneumonia to reduce previously forecasted commercial impact

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that delays in the U.S. approval and launch of Theravance/Astellas's Vibativ (telavancin) for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia will reduce by more than half the commercial impact that it was previously forecasted to garner in the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) drug market.

19 Feb 2010

New Jersey Superior Court links Roche's Accutane to IBD

In another major courtroom verdict linking powerful acne medication Accutane with long-term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a nine-person New Jersey jury has found that pharmaceutical maker Hoffman-La Roche Inc. failed to provide an adequate warning of the possible condition to Andrew McCarrell's prescribing physician, which then led to his development of chronic IBD. Mr. McCarrell, who was 23 at the time he took Accutane, developed a severe case of IBD and thereafter had his colon removed. The jury awarded compensatory damages of $25.16 million to Andy, now in his thirties.

19 Feb 2010

Mechanism by which Plasmodium replicates itself in human blood to spread disease identified

Malaria remains one of the most deadly infectious diseases. Yet, how Plasmodium, the malaria parasite, regulates its infectious cycle has remained an enigma despite decades of rigorous research.

19 Feb 2010

SRI International establishes new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, announced today that a new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program has been established within its Center for Health Sciences. This new SRI group of neuroscientists and researchers working at the cutting edge of science brings $6.2 million of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

19 Feb 2010

Mayo Clinic's first DCD lung transplantation performed in 59-year-old Illinois man

Lung transplantation is a well-known therapy for patients with end-stage lung disease, but, as with other patients waiting for organs for transplantation, there are more recipients waiting than donors available. A potential solution for patients with end-stage lung disease is donation after cardiac death (DCD). Mayo Clinic reports its - and Minnesota's - first lung transplantation from DCD in the February issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

19 Feb 2010

VIRxSYS announces results from prophylactic HIV vaccine study at 2010 CROI conference

VIRxSYS Corporation, a privately held company developing vaccines and RNA therapies for serious human diseases such as HIV and cardiovascular diseases, announced results from its prophylactic HIV vaccine (VRX1023) study in Rhesus Macaque monkeys during a presentation today at the 2010 Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco, CA.

19 Feb 2010

Sacred Heart Medical Center fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards

On January 29, 2010, Sacred Heart Medical Center was cited and fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards. The Department of Labor and Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued the citation and fine for violation of Center for Disease Control and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines on H1N1 and also for violation of the DOSH Directive on Enforcement Procedures for High or Very High Occupational Exposure Risk to the 2009 H1N1 Influenza.

19 Feb 2010

Group B streptococcus may have significant public health implications: Study

A common bacteria found in many healthy adult females that can cause life-threatening infections when passed to newborns could be introduced to some women through frequent contact with cows, according to a research team led by a Michigan State University pediatrician.

19 Feb 2010

UBC researcher finds improved uptake of highly active antiretroviral therapy

A comprehensive population-based study, conducted by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and presented at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco, shows that expanded highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) coverage was associated with a 50% decrease in new yearly HIV infections among injection drug users.

19 Feb 2010

Untreated gum disease has potentially dangerous implications

The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) estimates that approximately three out of four Americans suffer from some form of gum disease -- from mild cases of gingivitis, to the more severe form known as periodontitis. However, despite this prevalence, approximately only three percent seek treatment for their gum disease. With increasingly more research indicating that gum disease may be linked to several other diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and certain forms of cancer, maintaining healthy teeth and gums has become more important that ever.

19 Feb 2010

Disease/Infection News

News outlets examine HIV vaccine research, cervical cancer screening data presented at conference

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour stops in Jackson, Mississippi

National poll examines public health response to anthrax attack

Janssen-Cilag International's European MAA for ZEFTERA: CHMP adopts negative opinion

New guidance document to prevent food allergies

BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund invests $400,000 in Bioscience Vaccines

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals co-founder discovers new ribosomal structures of antibiotics

CMAJ study summarizes risk factors for severe outcome among patients admitted to hospital with H1N1

Data from Novavax's Pivotal 2009 A/H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine study presented at WHO meeting

BioTrends' Stelara second wave report finds increase in prescribing among dermatologists

Delay in Vibativ's approval for nosocomial pneumonia to reduce previously forecasted commercial impact

New Jersey Superior Court links Roche's Accutane to IBD

Mechanism by which Plasmodium replicates itself in human blood to spread disease identified

SRI International establishes new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program

Mayo Clinic's first DCD lung transplantation performed in 59-year-old Illinois man

VIRxSYS announces results from prophylactic HIV vaccine study at 2010 CROI conference

Sacred Heart Medical Center fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards

Group B streptococcus may have significant public health implications: Study

UBC researcher finds improved uptake of highly active antiretroviral therapy

Untreated gum disease has potentially dangerous implications

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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