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MSD's ISENTRESS approved by the EU Commission for treating HIV-1 infection in adult patients

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD) announced today that ISENTRESS® (raltegravir) has been granted an expanded licence from the European Union Commission (Commission) for use in combination with other antiretroviral (ARV) medicinal products for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adult patients, including adult patients starting HIV-1 therapy for the first time (treatment-naïve), as well as treatment-experienced adult patients.

15 Sep 2009

Possible link between El Ni-o and flu pandemic

Research conducted at Texas A&M University casts doubts on the notion that El Ni-o has been getting stronger because of global warming and raises interesting questions about the relationship between El Ni-o and a severe flu pandemic 91 years ago. The findings are based on analysis of the 1918 El Ni-o, which the new research shows to be one of the strongest of the 20th century.

15 Sep 2009

Anti-fungal pill found to be effective for treating oral candidiasis

A once-daily medication option for treating the most common mouth infection in HIV/AIDS patients has shown to be just as effective and safe as taking an anti-fungal pill five times a day, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

15 Sep 2009

RI-MUHC recommends WHO to revise tuberculosis treatment guidelines

Tuberculosis is a global threat that affects more than 10 million people each year. Working with colleagues in the United States and France, Dr. Dick Menzies of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has placed current tuberculosis treatment guidelines under the microscope in a new study.

15 Sep 2009

Pesticide exposure is linked to Parkinson's disease

Individuals whose occupation involves contact with pesticides appear to have an increased risk of having Parkinson's disease, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Sep 2009

NovaBay's Aganocide compounds effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria

NovaBay(R) Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE-AMEX: NBY) (http://www.novabaypharma.com), a clinical stage company developing novel anti-infective compounds for the treatment or prevention of a wide range of bacterial, viral and fungal infections, presented in two poster sessions today at the 49th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco.

15 Sep 2009

Rib-X and NIAID collaborate to develop an antibiotic treatment for N. gonorrhoeae

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs for the treatment of multi-antibiotic resistant infections, today announced that it intends to enter into a Clinical Trials Agreement with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

15 Sep 2009

CFAR to host AIDS Vaccine 2010 conferrence

The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise (the Enterprise) today announced that the Center for AIDS Research at Emory University (CFAR) in Atlanta, Georgia will serve as Local Host of AIDS Vaccine 2010, the largest and most important global scientific conference focused on AIDS vaccine research.

15 Sep 2009

Phase I results of Tobira's TBR-652 CCR5 antagonist for the treatment of HIV

Tobira Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to research and product discovery for the treatment of life-threatening and life-altering infectious diseases, today announced pharmacokinetic data and results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose randomized study of TBR-652 in sixty healthy volunteers.

15 Sep 2009

Public health policy should stress on reduction in sodium intake

Reducing sodium intake is a major public health priority that must be acted upon by governments and nongovernmental organizations to improve population health, states an article http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj090361.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

15 Sep 2009

Innovative treatments for bowel dysfunction

Twenty percent of all Albertans are plagued by symptoms of diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, and gas. More than an inconvenience for many, these problems are rarely discussed in public, leaving sufferers feeling isolated. Yet bowel symptoms can be disabling, greatly impairing quality of life.

15 Sep 2009

Study reveals that daily bathroom showers may deliver pathogenic bacteria

While daily bathroom showers provide invigorating relief and a good cleansing for millions of Americans, they also can deliver a face full of potentially pathogenic bacteria, according to a surprising new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

15 Sep 2009

IBC offers coverage for H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines

In an effort to help keep members healthy and flu-free this year, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) will offer coverage for the administration costs of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine when it becomes available. In addition, IBC will continue to cover seasonal flu vaccine.

15 Sep 2009

FDA clears Diagnostic HYBRIDS' D3 FastPoint L-DFA Respiratory Virus Identification Kit

Diagnostic HYBRIDS, a leading developer of IVD fluorescent staining kits and cell culture products, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (510k) clearance of its D3 FastPointTM L-DFATM Respiratory Virus Identification Kit, which allows the individual detection of influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), adenovirus and parainfluenza viruses from a patient’s specimen in under 30 minutes.

15 Sep 2009

Nebulized interferon-gamma helps minimize transmissibility of TB

A new study published in the September 15, 2009, issue of PLoS ONE found that patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis receiving anti-TB medications supplemented with nebulized interferon-gamma have fewer bacilli in the lungs and less inflammation, thereby reducing the transmissibility of tuberculosis in the early phase of treatment.

15 Sep 2009

NIMH awards Center for AIDS Intervention Research $11.16 million grant

The Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for AIDS Intervention Research (CAIR) received a five-year, $11.16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to continue its HIV prevention research.

15 Sep 2009

BioAlliance announces Phase III results of miconazole Lauriad MBT for treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis

Strativa Pharmaceuticals, the proprietary products division of Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. (NYSE: PRX), today announced that its development partner BioAlliance Pharma SA presented Phase III study results for miconazole Lauriad(R) mucoadhesive buccal tablets (MBT) that demonstrate noninferiority to clotrimazole troches for oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC), an opportunistic infection of the mouth and throat.

14 Sep 2009

Emergency Medical Associates to track swine flu movement with SAP business intelligence solutions

As families return from summer travels and children head back to school, Emergency Medical Associates (EMA) is preparing for a potential resurgence in the swine flu virus (H1N1) this fall. By using business intelligence (BI) solutions from SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), EMA will continue to pinpoint the movement of swine flu and alert federal organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as 21 different emergency medical departments to patterns of outbreak.

14 Sep 2009

H1N1 vaccine to be available in U.S. earlier than anticipated

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Sunday that the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine will be available in the U.S. earlier than previously anticipated, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We are on track to have an ample supply rolling out by mid-October, but we may have some early vaccine as early as the first full week in October. And we plan to get the vaccine rolling out the door as fast as it hits the production line," Sebelius said (Davis, 9/13).

14 Sep 2009

Also in global health news: Polio in Afghanistan; Goosby interview; water shortages in Mexico City; clean water device

Agence France-Presse examines the re-emergence of polio in Afghanistan, which is one of four countries where the disease is endemic. According to AFP, "Health care, or the lack of it, is one of many problems facing Afghanistan, eight years after a war to topple the extremist Taliban regime and the arrival of billions of dollars in international aid." Although UNICEF recently launched a three-day immunization campaign in the country, the "ongoing Taliban insurgency, virulent in the south -- Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces in particular -- has meant many children are not being reached," AFP writes (O'Donnell, 9/14).

14 Sep 2009