Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Interim study analysis comparing MENOPUR with rFSH in GnRH Antagonist IVF cycles

Ferring Pharmaceuticals presented an interim study analysis indicating that MENOPUR® (menotropins for injection, USP) is effective in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles using a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist. The results were presented in a poster at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in Atlanta, October 17-21, 2009.

21 Oct 2009

Lactose intolerance rates may be overestimated by wide margins

Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Today.(1) The study, which uses data from a national sample of three ethnic groups, reveals that the overall prevalence rate of self-reported lactose intolerance is 12 percent - with 7.72 percent of European Americans, 10.05 percent of Hispanic Americans and 19.5 percent of African Americans who consider themselves lactose intolerant.

21 Oct 2009

Logical Therapeutics to present its clinical study results on LT-NS001

Logical Therapeutics, Inc. (Logical), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products that treat medical conditions associated with inflammation, has been selected to present the results of its clinical study comparing the gastrointestinal (GI) safety of its lead product LT-NS001, vs. naproxen at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting on October 27, 2009.

21 Oct 2009

School meal programs should adopt new set of nutrient targets, says IOM

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program should adopt a new set of nutrient targets and standards for menu planning, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

21 Oct 2009

Elan and Biogen Idec to present TYSABRI study data at ACG meeting

Elan Corporation, plc and Biogen Idec today announced multiple presentations at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting, taking place October 23-28 in San Diego.

20 Oct 2009

Clonality analyses may lead to further understanding of hepatocarcinogenesis

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a lesion found in an otherwise normal liver, and is considered to be parenchyma overgrowth responsive to increased blood flow secondary to vascular malformations.

20 Oct 2009

RA patients who adhere to their prescription drug regimen have better outcome: Study

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who regularly adhere to their prescription drug regimen have fewer emergency room and doctor visits and incur lower medical costs, according to research presented today by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. at the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

20 Oct 2009

Age, gender and malignancies pose significant risk factors for TIVADs survival

It is common practice to insert totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) in cancer patients beginning a course of chemotherapy to eliminate potential peripheral venous access problems; however, risk factors impacting the survival of TIVADs remain unclear.

20 Oct 2009

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals publishes data on its Phase III intravenous ibuprofen study

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that its Phase III study on intravenous ibuprofen as a post-operative analgesic was published in Volume 31, Number 9 of the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Therapeutics, distributed in October. The study concludes that patients emerging from orthopedic and abdominal surgeries required less narcotic and experienced less pain with 800 mg of intravenous ibuprofen every six hours compared to morphine alone.

20 Oct 2009

Data on ULORIC treatment for gout flares presented at the 73rd American College of Rheumatology meeting

Data presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology highlight effects of baseline characteristics on achievement of serum uric acid (sUA) levels to <6.0 mg/dL and the frequency of flares with ULORIC- (febuxostat) treatment.

20 Oct 2009

Encorium Group raises $1.6 million through private placement

Encorium Group, Inc., a full-service multinational contract research organization (CRO) that provides design, development, and management capabilities for clinical trials and patient registries to many of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, today announced that it has completed a private placement of 3,937,500 shares of its common stock with a private investor for an aggregate purchase price of $1,575,000, or $.40 per share.

19 Oct 2009

Schering-Plough to present data on boceprevir at the AASLD 2009 Annual Meeting

Schering-Plough announced that data on boceprevir, an investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, will be reported in an oral presentation at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting in Boston, Oct. 30-Nov. 3.

19 Oct 2009

XenoPort commences Phase 2b arbaclofen placarbil clinical trial for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease

XenoPort, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2b clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP), also known as XP19986, in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who remain symptomatic despite treatment with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). The trial is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to assess the efficacy and safety of AP as adjunctive therapy to PPIs.

19 Oct 2009

Genentech reports results of ACTEMRA Phase III study for rheumatoid arthritis

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group, today announced two-year results from a Phase III study, which showed that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who received either a 4 mg/kg or 8 mg/kg dose of ACTEMRA® (tocilizumab), in combination with methotrexate, had no progression of joint damage, (75 and 83 percent, respectively, as assessed by radiograph) compared with people who received methotrexate alone (66 percent).

19 Oct 2009

Research study on EGFR and HER2 expressions in BTC

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are involved in the carcinogenesis of many malignancies. Therapeutic molecules targeting EGFR and HER2 have been successfully used for the treatment of colorectal, breast, lung and head and neck cancers among others.

19 Oct 2009

Discovery may yield better understanding of protective gut-dwelling bacteria

Medical researchers have long suspected that obscure bacteria living within the intestinal tract may help keep the human immune system in balance. An international collaboration co-led by scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center has now identified a bizarre-looking microbial species that can single-handedly spur the production of specialized immune cells in mice.

19 Oct 2009

Chrysanthemum indicum extract holds promise for treating human cancer

A series of studies have demonstrated that Chrysanthemum indicum possesses antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective effects. Recently, much attention has been devoted to the anticancer activity of Chrysanthemum indicum, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its anticancer mechanism of action is still not clear and needs further investigation.

19 Oct 2009

Immune-related proteins are potential drug targets for gastric inflammation and cancer

A research team from South Korea studied the complex reaction of gastric inflammation induced by Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) in a systematic manner using a protein interaction network. Their study will be published on September 28, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

19 Oct 2009

CONFIRMS trial demonstrates efficacy of ULORIC for treating hyperuricemia in patients with gout

19 Oct 2009

WHO, UNICEF publish plan to reduce childhood diarrhea deaths

The WHO and UNICEF have released a seven-point treatment and prevention plan to reduce the number of children around the world who die from diarrhea, the BBC reports (10/14). BMJ News writes, "Every year 1.5 million children aged under 5 years die from diarrhoea, more than 80% of them in Africa and south Asia" (Zarocostas, 10/14).

19 Oct 2009