Diarrhea News and Research

Latest Diarrhea News and Research

WHO, MSF highlight poor health situation in Southern Sudan

Three quarters of people in South Sudan, which has a population of 8 million, do not have access to health care, and 10 percent of children there and in Darfur die before the age of 1, Mohammad Abdur Rab, the WHO's representative to Sudan, said Thursday, Reuters/ABC News reports.

7 Nov 2009

Journal of Infectious Diseases' special edition on rotavirus

The Journal of Infectious Diseases has released a special edition, Global Rotavirus Surveillance: Preparing for the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines. This special edition provides a significant contribution to the understanding of rotavirus disease burden and the impact of rotavirus vaccines, which have the potential to save an estimated 228,000 lives annually.

6 Nov 2009

TREANDA induces durable responses in indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Cephalon, Inc. today announced the journal Cancer has published a pivotal study demonstrating that TREANDA® (bendamustine HCl) for Injection induced durable responses in patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) whose disease had progressed during or within six months of treatment with rituximab.

6 Nov 2009

Climate change is the biggest health threat to children in the 21st century, says new report

Climate change is the biggest health threat to children in the 21st century and represents an immediate global emergency, according to a new report, "Feeling the Heat," released today by Save the Children, at the Barcelona United Nations Climate Change talks.

6 Nov 2009

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

The Wall Street Journal examines "big pharma's growing interest in a corner of healthcare - emerging-market inoculations," in light of a recent move by Novartis to purchase an 85 percent stake in the Chinese vaccine maker Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. In the summer, drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA made a similar move to acquire a majority stake in India's Shantha Biotechnics, the newspaper notes.

6 Nov 2009

Amgen announces the results for Phase 3 PRIME '203' trial of Vectibix

Amgen today announced that the Phase 3 PRIME "203" trial evaluating Vectibix® (panitumumab) administered in combination with FOLFOX (an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy) as a first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) failed to meet a secondary endpoint of overall survival.

5 Nov 2009

Idera Pharmaceuticals announces financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

5 Nov 2009

Study examines campaign to increase use of zinc to prevent childhood diarrhea

Scientific American reports on a multiyear PLoS Medicine study, published on Monday, which "followed a nationwide public health campaign to increase zinc use for childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh."

5 Nov 2009

Five-year old Pennsylvanian boy dies of H1N1 flu complications

The Department of Health today confirmed that a five-year old Adams County boy died on Oct. 31 as a result of complications from H1N1 flu. This is Pennsylvania's first pediatric death associated with H1N1.

4 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health News: Breast cancer in developing world; Burkina Faso ITN distribution; diarrhea in people over age five; Gates Q&A

"International cancer specialists meet this week to plan an assault on a troubling increase of breast cancer in developing countries, where nearly two-thirds of women aren't diagnosed until it has spread through their bodies," the Associated Press reports. Researchers will also look at "some worrisome data" that suggests breast cancer affects "women, on average, about 10 years" earlier in developing countries than it does in the U.S. (Neergaard, 11/3).

3 Nov 2009

FDA update on BYETTA injection: Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly respond

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) update on BYETTA® (exenatide) injection.

3 Nov 2009

FDA updates Byetta prescribing information following reports of kidney problems

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today acted on new safety information about possible kidney function problems, including kidney failure, in patients taking Byetta (exenatide), a drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes.

3 Nov 2009

Top-line results from Phase 3 linaclotide trial for chronic constipation

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Forest Laboratories, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from two Phase 3 clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of once-daily dosing of the investigational drug linaclotide in patients with chronic constipation (CC).

3 Nov 2009

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced 48-week data from an ongoing study (ETV-048) of chronic hepatitis B patients with decompensated cirrhosis, in which BARACLUDE demonstrated greater viral suppression compared to adefovir. The new BARACLUDE data were presented today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

2 Nov 2009

Gilead Sciences to present Viread Phase III clinical trial data

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced the presentation of three-year (144-week) open label data from two pivotal Phase III clinical trials, Studies 102 and 103, evaluating the safety and efficacy of once-daily Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) among adult patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

2 Nov 2009

Optimer Pharmaceuticals presents additional data from Phase 3 fidaxomicin study

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of new data from fidaxomicin's North American phase 3 study at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in Philadelphia, PA.

2 Nov 2009

Unexpected consequences emerge in patients who are prescribed PPI medications for reflux diseases

Despite being highly effective and beneficial for many patients, unexpected consequences are emerging in patients who are prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for reflux diseases. Physicians are warned to monitor these effects and prescribe these medications carefully, according to a new commentary published in the November 2009 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

2 Nov 2009

FDA approves an expanded indication for BYETTA injection

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expanded indication for BYETTA® (exenatide) injection. BYETTA is now approved for use as a stand-alone medication (monotherapy) along with diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

31 Oct 2009

New York Times examines debate over U.S. global health spending priorities

The New York Times examines the "debate over whether the United States and other rich nations spend too much on AIDS, which requires lifelong medications, compared with diarrhea and the other leading killer of children, pneumonia, both of which can be treated inexpensively."

30 Oct 2009

Idenix Pharmaceuticals reports phase I study results of IDX184 for treating HCV

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced presentations of data on IDX184, a once-daily novel liver-targeted nucleotide prodrug of 2'-methyl guanosine (2'MeG) for the treatment of HCV, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) currently being held in Boston, Massachusetts.

30 Oct 2009