Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Health Canada approves PURE Hard Surface disinfectant

PURE Bioscience, Inc., creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, today announced that Health Canada has approved PURE™ Hard Surface disinfectant for use in food premises, hospitals and health care facilities, domestic locations and institutional and industrial premises.

23 Jun 2011

Veredus Labs develops ‘Lab-on-Chip’ to detect and differentiate several food-borne pathogens, including Escherichia coli

Veredus Laboratories, a leading provider of molecular detection tests, and its technology partner, STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), today announced the successful development and deployment of VereFoodborne™, a Lab-on-Chip application that is able to detect 10 to 12 food-borne pathogens in one test, including the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) responsible for the recent severe food poisoning outbreak in Europe.

23 Jun 2011

Veredus Lab-on-Chip application can diagnose and differentiate food-borne pathogens

Veredus Laboratories, a leading provider of molecular detection tests, and its technology partner, STMicroelectronics, today announced the successful development and deployment of VereFoodborne, a Lab-on-Chip application that is able to detect 10 to 12 food-borne pathogens in one test, including the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli responsible for the recent severe food poisoning outbreak in Europe.

23 Jun 2011

Mothers receiving influenza vaccination during pregnancy also protect infants

Infants born to mothers who received the influenza (flu) vaccine while pregnant are nearly 50 percent less likely to be hospitalized for the flu than infants born to mothers who did not receive the vaccine while pregnant, according to a new collaborative study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

23 Jun 2011

CSL Biotherapies statement on FDA warning letter

Today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Warning Letter issued by its Office of Compliance and Biologics Quality to CSL Biotherapies, a division of CSL Limited. The FDA regulates the manufacture, marketing and distribution of CSL Biotherapies’ influenza vaccine, Afluria®, in the US market.

21 Jun 2011

NanoViricides plans to lease new cGMP manufacturing and lab space

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that it will be leasing new space for cGMP production of its nanoviricides drug candidates against various viral diseases.

20 Jun 2011

Pulmatrix introduces novel iSPERSE inhaled dry powder drug delivery platform

Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing a new class of therapies for the prevention, treatment and control of respiratory diseases, today announced the launch of iSPERSE, the company's novel inhaled dry powder drug delivery platform.

20 Jun 2011

Public Health Grid technology could address specific surveillance needs for pandemic disease control

An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a study published in the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing.

17 Jun 2011

Positive results from BiondVax Multimeric-001 Phase IIa trial against influenza

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. today announced positive results from its first Phase II clinical trial of the Multimeric-001 Universal Influenza Vaccine.

16 Jun 2011

Geisinger uses mandatory approach to improve healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates

Geisinger Health System vaccinated more than 92% of all employees against influenza this season, with a modification of a mandatory program. On average, fewer than half of all healthcare workers receive flu vaccinations.

16 Jun 2011

Inviragen commences INV21 Phase 1 trial against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Inviragen announced today the initiation of the first clinical trial of the Company's proprietary Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) investigational vaccine, INV21, a highly purified virus particle preparation designed to protect against HFMD caused by enterovirus 71.

16 Jun 2011

Novartis Bexsero pivotal study data on meningococcal serogroup B presented at ESPID

New data from a pivotal study in more than 1,800 infants show that Novartis candidate vaccine Bexsero induces a robust immune response to meningococcal serogroup B when given alone or when co-administered with other routine vaccines.

15 Jun 2011

Universal influenza vaccination may reduce health care costs in the U.S.

Implementing a recommendation that all Americans be vaccinated against influenza may dramatically reduce health care costs and the number of people infected with seasonal influenza in the United States.

14 Jun 2011

Scientists identify six influenza A viruses similar to 2009 pandemic strain

Scientists using new mathematical and computational techniques have identified six influenza A viruses that have particularly close genetic relationships to the H1N1 "swine" flu virus that swept through the United States beginning in the spring of 2009. That virus eventually killed almost 18,000 people worldwide.

14 Jun 2011

MinuteClinic, OhioHealth enter affiliation to enhance high quality care services

MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark, and OhioHealth, a nationally recognized not-for-profit, charitable health care organization based in Columbus, Ohio, have entered into a clinical affiliation that will enhance the high quality, affordable health care services they provide in central Ohio.

13 Jun 2011

New swine flu variant shows some resistance to drugs, report says

A new variant of H1N1 (swine) influenza that is easily spread and retains some resistance to the two major drugs used to treat flu has been detected in Singapore and Australia, according to a report from the WHO's influenza research group published in the journal Eurosurveillance, Bloomberg reports.

13 Jun 2011

NIAID awards Biota $2.9M grant for development of lead candidate for C. difficile

Biota Holdings Limited advises that its wholly owned subsidiary, Biota Scientific Management Pty Ltd, has been awarded a grant to fund the preclinical development of a lead candidate for the treatment of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).

10 Jun 2011

Researchers and advocates form new vaccine foundation

Researchers and "advocates for all vaccine research today launched yet another effort to increase funding and coordination," ScienceInsider reports. The Foundation for Vaccine Research "has recruited a board stacked with several prominent HIV/AIDS researchers," the article notes.

10 Jun 2011

Quest Diagnostics receives MDEA gold award for Simplexa/3M technology

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that its Simplexa molecular diagnostic test on the 3M Integrated Cycler won a gold award in the in vitro diagnostics category at the 2011 MDEA awards ceremony yesterday in New York City.

From Quest Diagnostics 10 Jun 2011

New vaccines on the horizon

In a report published in The Lancet, researchers say there is the potential to develop 20 new or improved vaccines over the next decade. They emphasize that funding is crucial - but so is trust and confidence in vaccines. It is said that AIDS and malaria vaccines as the most important areas for research. Authors further suggest that neglected tropical diseases, such as leprosy, should also be investigated.

9 Jun 2011