Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Study finds ginseng can help prevent, treat influenza and RSV infection

Ginseng can help treat and prevent influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages, according to research findings by a scientist in Georgia State University's new Institute for Biomedical Sciences.

22 Apr 2014

Community efforts boost people for HIV testing and reduce new infections

Communities in Africa and Thailand that worked together on HIV-prevention efforts saw not only a rise in HIV screening but a drop in new infections, according to a new study in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Global Health.

16 Apr 2014

Irvine Scientific announces launch of BalanCD MDCK cell culture medium

Irvine Scientific is pleased to announce the launch of its BalanCD MDCK cell culture medium, a next generation cell culture product responding to today's requirements for media used in cell-based vaccine manufacturing. This new flagship product expands Irvine Scientific's current BalanCD product portfolio of animal component-free and chemically-defined media with the addition of a new purpose-built product.

15 Apr 2014

New drug combination proves effective in treating patients with HCV genotype 1

Treatment options for the 170 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are evolving rapidly, although the available regimens often come with significant side effects. Two multi-center clinical trials led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show promise for a new option that could help lead to both an increase in patients cured with a much more simple and tolerable all oral therapy.

15 Apr 2014

S. pneumoniae serotypes differ between primary and post-viral disease

Certain capsular serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae are particularly likely to cause disease in people who have recently experienced a respiratory viral infection, study findings indicate.

14 Apr 2014

Findings pave way for potential therapy to combat H1N1 flu virus

Flu epidemics cause up to half a million deaths worldwide each year, and emerging strains continually threaten to spread to humans and cause even deadlier pandemics. A study by McGill University professor Maziar Divangahi published by Cell Press on April 10 in the journal Immunity reveals that a drug that inhibits a molecule called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases survival rates in mice infected with a lethal dose of the H1N1 flu virus.

11 Apr 2014

Scientists discover protein potentially good target for influenza A virus

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that a protein produced by the influenza A virus helps it outwit one of our body's natural defense mechanisms. That makes the protein a potentially good target for antiviral drugs directed against the influenza A virus.

11 Apr 2014

Guidance on use of Tamiflu needs to be reviewed in light of most recent evidence

Tamiflu (the antiviral drug oseltamivir) shortens symptoms of influenza by half a day, but there is no good evidence to support claims that it reduces admissions to hospital or complications of influenza.

11 Apr 2014

Housing projects in developing world expose low-income workers to natural disasters, disease

Satellite city projects across the developing world are putting an increasing number of poor people at risk to natural hazards and climate change, according to a new study from the University of Colorado Denver.

11 Apr 2014

NIH study could offer clues for developing new antiviral treatments

A National Institutes of Health study reports that a rare genetic disease, while depleting patients of infection-fighting antibodies, may actually protect them from certain severe or recurrent viral infections.

10 Apr 2014

Scientists seek broad, versatile countermeasures effective against several kinds of viruses, other pathogens

A group of University of Washington scientists is seeking broad, versatile countermeasures effective against several different kinds of viruses and other pathogens. The investigators are part of a national push for faster responses to unexpected infectious agents.

9 Apr 2014

PeptiDream develops novel macrocyclic peptide inhibitor for treatment of multiple influenza strains

PeptiDream Inc., a public Tokyo-based biopharmaceutical company ("PeptiDream")( TOKYO:4587) announced today, in collaboration with The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science ("Tokyo Metropolitan Institute") the discovery and development of a novel macrocyclic peptide inhibitor for the treatment of multiple influenza strains.

8 Apr 2014

USPTO grants patent for low-cost dry powder inhaler to Hovione

Hovione announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent for a capsule-based, low-cost dry powder inhaler (DPI) to Hovione. This happened less than three years after the patent was filed and after just one Office Action - unusual speed for an inhaler application.

8 Apr 2014

EPFL scientists develop computer tool to identify mutations that make influenza resistant to Tamiflu

Tamiflu is one of the few available treatments for those who come down with the flu. But the virus quickly develops resistance; multiplying at a rate of several generations a day, these tiny pathogens rapidly accumulate genetic mutations. Because of this, they have a good chance of developing counterattacks to the antiviral. How can these infinitesimal variations be identified within the immensity of the virus' genetic code? EPFL researchers have created a computer tool that can shed light on the flu virus' formidable adaptability.

1 Apr 2014

S. pneumoniae is commonest cause of paediatric CAP

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the predominant cause of community-acquired pneumonia among children in Belgium, with non-vaccine serotypes accounting for the majority of cases, a Belgian study shows.

31 Mar 2014

Amgen reports positive findings from AMG 145 Phase 3 studies in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced new detailed data from three Phase 3 studies that showed treatment with its novel investigational cholesterol-lowering medication, evolocumab (AMG 145), resulted in a statistically significant reduction of 55-66 percent in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to placebo in patients with high cholesterol.

31 Mar 2014

Study reports benefits of implementing bronchiolitis guidelines at Children's Medical Center Dallas

Bronchiolitis, the number-one cause of infant hospitalizations nationally, was the focus of a multidisciplinary effort by physicians and clinicians at Children's Medical Center Dallas to establish and implement clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) aimed at streamlining care and reducing unnecessary tests and therapies.

29 Mar 2014

ADMA Biologics reports consolidated net loss of $15.5M in 2013

ADMA Biologics, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and intends to market specialty plasma-based biologics for the treatment and prevention of certain infectious diseases, today announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2013 and provided recent company developments as well as anticipated milestones for 2014.

28 Mar 2014

TSRI scientists receive $2.3M to study viruses that cause tropical diseases

The outbreak of dengue fever that infected some 20 people in Florida's Martin County late last year unnerved many who feared the tropical disease had once again established a foothold in Florida. The last outbreaks occurred in 2009 and 2010 in Key West—before that, the disease hadn't struck Florida in more than 70 years.

28 Mar 2014

Inovio Pharmaceuticals receives three industry awards at World Vaccine Congress

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it was recognized with three industry awards at the World Vaccine Congress, which is being held this week in Washington, D.C. The Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) Awards recognize outstanding vaccine advancements and achievements of therapeutic and preventive vaccine developers across the global industry as judged by a panel of global biotech industry stakeholders.

26 Mar 2014