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Positive interim results from Idera Pharmaceuticals' IMO-2125 Phase 1 clinical trial for HCV

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive interim results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of IMO-2125 in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). IMO-2125 is an agonist of Toll-like Receptor 9 that Idera designed to treat HCV by inducing endogenous interferon-alpha and other Th1-type cytokines and chemokines.

21 Dec 2009

TessArae's RM-Flu test granted FDA EUA

TessArae, LLC, a privately held company, and Affymetrix Inc., (NASDAQ:AFFX) today announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to TessArae for its TessArray® Resequencing Influenza A Microarray Detection Panel for the Detection of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus (TessArray RM-Flu test) for the duration of the declaration of emergency unless revoked earlier. The declaration of emergency will expire on April 26, 2010, unless terminated earlier or renewed.

21 Dec 2009

Swedish agency approves Medivir's Xerclear for treatment of cold sores

The Swedish Medical Products Agency has now approved Xerclear™ for treatment of cold sores. It is the first and only topical treatment that has been demonstrated to prevent the incidence of cold sores and shorten healing-times. Xerclear™ will be available from pharmacies in the first half-year 2010.

21 Dec 2009

Positive interim results from Medicago's H5N1 vaccine Phase I human clinical trial

Medicago Inc. a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today reported positive interim results from a Phase I human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza vaccine candidate ("H5N1 vaccine"). The vaccine was found to be safe, well tolerated and also induced a solid immune response.

21 Dec 2009

Malaria nasal vaccine, antimicrobial peptide against MRSA, and safer method to prolong orange juice shelf life

An experiemental nasally administered malaria vaccine prevented parasite transmission from infected mice to mosquitoes and could play an important role in the fight against human malaria. The researchers from Japan report their findings in the December 2009 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.

19 Dec 2009

Second wave of H1N1 virus infection in the U.S. comes to an end

Rates of 2009 H1N1 influenza virus testing in the U.S. have declined more than 75 percent since their peak in late October, suggesting that the "second wave" of virus infection that sickened tens of millions of Americans since it began four months ago may be coming to an end, according to a new report by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services.

19 Dec 2009

Diabetes patients at higher risk from glaucoma

An estimated 3 million Americans have glaucoma, which can stealthily cause vision loss even before people realize they have the disease. People with diabetes face special risks from glaucoma. This January during Glaucoma Awareness Month, through its EyeSmart™ campaign, the American Academy of Ophthalmology in partnership with the American Glaucoma Society and the Glaucoma Research Foundation, remind Americans that knowing your glaucoma risks can save your sight and that people with diabetes need to be extra-vigilant.

19 Dec 2009

SCCA's infection control program leads to suppression of potential H1N1 pandemic

Despite a 100-fold increase in H1N1 influenza cases in the Seattle area during spring 2009, an aggressive infection control program to protect immunocompromised cancer patients and thorough screening measures resulted in no corresponding increase in H1N1 cases among the total patient population at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, according to a new study by researchers and physicians at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the SCCA.

19 Dec 2009

MinuteClinic medical clinics in select CVS/pharmacy stores offer H1N1 vaccinations

MinuteClinic medical clinics in select CVS/pharmacy stores throughout Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee are now offering H1N1 vaccinations on demand seven days a week with no appointment necessary.

19 Dec 2009

New ways of treating infections identified by researchers at Binghamton University

Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have identified three key regulators required for the formation and development of biofilms. The discovery could lead to new ways of treating chronic infections.

19 Dec 2009

WHO sponsors event at Copenhagen conference to highlight climate change effect on public health

The WHO held a "side event" on Thursday at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen to highlight climate change's effect on public health, CNN reports. "We're reminding people that climate change is not just an environmental issue or an economic issue - it's a health issue that's actually about people's survival," Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, a scientist in the WHO's Public Health and Environment department, said of the event.

18 Dec 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

A Scientific American article examines recent efforts to tackle neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The author writes "NTDs have plagued humankind for thousands of years. … What is new, however, is that donors, drugmakers, health ministries in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO), and public-private partnerships are linking their efforts to combat the NTDs in a more coordinated and systematic way."

18 Dec 2009

Opinion: Uganda anti-gay bill; Shah confirmation

Columnist Michael Gerson in a Washington Post opinion piece writes of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 being considered by the country's parliament "that would impose new and harsher penalties on homosexuality, including life imprisonment and capital punishment. It also would force pastors and others to report homosexuals to the authorities.

18 Dec 2009

H1N1 cases still increasing in many countries; WHO to begin shipping donated vaccines within weeks

With many countries continuing to report a growing number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases, Keiji Fukuda, special adviser to the WHO director general on pandemic influenza, said Thursday it was too early to declare the pandemic over, the Washington Post reports.

18 Dec 2009

U.S. health officials announce shift in focus of prep trial in Botswana

U.S. health officials on Thursday announced they will shift the focus of a clinical trial in Botswana aimed at testing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - the strategy that "a daily low dose of the drugs, which interfere with the ability of the virus to replicate, could also lower the risk of infection" - after researchers discovered they would be unable to determine the efficacy of Truvada, the medicine used in the trial, Reuters reports.

18 Dec 2009

EMA's CHMP issues positive opinion for Cangene's Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin product

Cangene Corporation today reports that it has received a positive opinion from the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use ("CHMP") regarding the immunoprophylaxis indication of Cangene's ImmunoGam(TM) (Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin).

18 Dec 2009

PolyMedix completes first two segments of its PMX-30063 antibiotic drug candidate Phase 1B study

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care products for infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, has successfully completed the first two segments of a Phase 1B clinical safety study with its novel antibiotic drug candidate PMX-30063.

18 Dec 2009

Flamel Technologies initiates IFN-alpha-2b XL Phase 2a clinical trial for HCV

Flamel Technologies today announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial of Flamel’s Interferon alpha-2b XL (IFN-alpha-2b XL), which is based on Flamel’s Medusa® platform for controlled release of biologics. IFN-alpha-2b XL is being developed as a controlled release of unmodified interferon alpha-2b for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

18 Dec 2009

Congress lifts federal ban on needle exchange programs

The Minnesota Independent: "An appropriations bill passed by Congress last weekend is being hailed by public health advocates for ending funding for abstinence-until-marriage sex education and eliminating the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs" (Birkey, 12/17).

18 Dec 2009

Safe living guidelines for transplant recipients

Keeping pets healthy can reduce infection risks for people who have received solid organ transplants and veterinarians should be seen as an integral part of the healthcare team. That's just one of the key pieces of advice from a safe living article published in an infectious diseases supplement in the American Journal of Transplantation.

18 Dec 2009

Disease/Infection News

Positive interim results from Idera Pharmaceuticals' IMO-2125 Phase 1 clinical trial for HCV

TessArae's RM-Flu test granted FDA EUA

Swedish agency approves Medivir's Xerclear for treatment of cold sores

Positive interim results from Medicago's H5N1 vaccine Phase I human clinical trial

Malaria nasal vaccine, antimicrobial peptide against MRSA, and safer method to prolong orange juice shelf life

Second wave of H1N1 virus infection in the U.S. comes to an end

Diabetes patients at higher risk from glaucoma

SCCA's infection control program leads to suppression of potential H1N1 pandemic

MinuteClinic medical clinics in select CVS/pharmacy stores offer H1N1 vaccinations

New ways of treating infections identified by researchers at Binghamton University

WHO sponsors event at Copenhagen conference to highlight climate change effect on public health

Recent releases in Global Health

Opinion: Uganda anti-gay bill; Shah confirmation

H1N1 cases still increasing in many countries; WHO to begin shipping donated vaccines within weeks

U.S. health officials announce shift in focus of prep trial in Botswana

EMA's CHMP issues positive opinion for Cangene's Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin product

PolyMedix completes first two segments of its PMX-30063 antibiotic drug candidate Phase 1B study

Flamel Technologies initiates IFN-alpha-2b XL Phase 2a clinical trial for HCV

Congress lifts federal ban on needle exchange programs

Safe living guidelines for transplant recipients

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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