Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Flu worries continue

The flu season continues to affect more people. Experts have warned the Britons are still at risk as the surge in flu cases has still not yet peaked. The cases would increase they warn, over the next two to four weeks. World Health Organization released figures that show the rate of influenza-like illnesses is still low across continental Europe but has risen dramatically in Britain since the flu season began in October.

3 Jan 2011

Cyfluent Chart, Version 2.0 receives Complete EHR certification

Cyfluent, Inc. announced today that Cyfluent Chart, Version 2.0, is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on Friday, November 12, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

3 Jan 2011

Flu worries continue

As number of cases of flu rise in the UK, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is under pressure to strengthen the flu vaccination campaign. He reinstated a public health “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” advertising campaign after he was warned by government advisers of the need to improve immunization rates which are at their lowest this winter for many years. It had been discontinued despite helping educate the public to adopt good hygiene habits during last year’s H1N1 swine flu epidemic at a cost of just £609,000. There were 12 more deaths in the last week from flu, bringing the total this winter to 39, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said today. Thirty-six were killed by H1N1 swine flu, which is the most virulent of the two main flu strains currently circulating. The others died after contracting Influenza B, the other strain. All except one of the 39 were under 65 and four were under five.

2 Jan 2011

Sinovac's inactivated EV71 vaccine clinical trial against HFMD receives Chinese SFDA approval

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today that it received approval from the China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to commence clinical trials for its proprietary inactivated EV71 vaccine against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).

28 Dec 2010

Flu infection rates double in a week

Figures reveal that the rates of flu infection in the UK have more than doubled in the last week. Number of cases has risen to 87.1 per 100,000 people, from 32.8 in the previous week, according to the Royal College of GPs. Reports also reveal that school-age children from England and Wales are particularly affected. Ages five to 14 are highest affected followed by those under four, then people aged 15 to 44. Considering all age groups rates almost tripled in the South in one week, from 36 per 100,000 to 93.4. In the North, the rate was 55.5, up from 15.7, and was 94.9 in the central England region, up from 37.9.

27 Dec 2010

Scientific American examines efforts to increase influenza virus monitoring in pigs to prevent pandemics in humans

Scientific American examines how, in an attempt to improve early recognition of viruses that could give rise to pandemics in people, such as last year's H1N1 swine flu, scientists are looking to better understand "the viruses that infect the estimated 941 million domesticated pigs around the world." However, as the article notes, "[i]ntensive monitoring of pig viruses is unlikely to come any time soon … Most pork-producing countries do not test their pigs at all, and in some that do - such as the U.S. - the testing is done on behalf of the pork producers.

24 Dec 2010

Medicago completes first part of H5N1 vaccine Phase II trial

Medicago, a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, today announced that the last dose of vaccine has been administered completing the first part of the Company's Phase II human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza vaccine.

23 Dec 2010

Seaside purchases additional $2.5M of NanoViricides' Series B Convertible Preferred Stock

NanoViricides, Inc., announced today that it had consummated a closing with Seaside 88, LP ("Seaside"), a Florida limited partnership, on Seaside's purchase of an additional $2.5M of the Company's Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. Seaside has financed several leading-edge bio-pharma companies, including Cytori Therapeutics, Inc., Generex Biotechnology Corporation, and NovaDel Pharma, Inc. among others.

22 Dec 2010

BioCryst commences BCX4208/allopurinol combination Phase 2b study in gout patients

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 2b study of BCX4208 as add-on therapy in gout patients who have not responded to allopurinol therapy alone.

22 Dec 2010

Echinacea only offers modest benefit in common cold: study

In a large clinical trial involving more than 700 adults and children researchers showed that the popular herbal remedy Echinacea can cut only half a day from a week long common cold. Echinacea has been marketed for a long time for the common cold. Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower has been shown to have benefits in some earlier studies while some show no benefits.

21 Dec 2010

Study: Chemotherapy can improve survival rate in older adolescents with leukemia

Research led by St. Jude Children-s Research Hospital investigators will likely impact how acute lymphoblastic leukemia is treated in young adults and shows older adolescent age does not dictate worse outcomes against the most common childhood cancer.

21 Dec 2010

Exosomes derived from lymphoma, colorectal cancer patients circulated through Aethlon's Hemopurifier

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that it has demonstrated the ability to capture immunosuppressive exosomes derived from individuals with lymphoma and colorectal cancer.

20 Dec 2010

Germany has not yet achieved influenza vaccination rates set by WHO

The World Health Organization set a target for the influenza vaccination rate for 2006 of more than 50% of the elderly population and an increase to more than 75% by 2010. These rates have thus far not been achieved in the old German states. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[48]: 845-50) the working group around Annicka M. Reuss presents rates from flu seasons past.

17 Dec 2010

NIAID renews funding of PRIME to develop mathematical models to study influenza infection

Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed funding of the Program for Research on Immune Modeling and Experimentation. This program seeks to develop easy-to-use, predictive mathematical models to better understand patterns of infection among individuals affected by the H1N1 and 1918 influenza viruses and other related viruses.

17 Dec 2010

First comprehensive guide to hospital emergency preparedness exercise development

With the publication of the nation's first comprehensive, federally funded guide to hospital emergency preparedness exercise development, Dr. Nathaniel Hupert at Weill Cornell Medical College and his collaborators have provided a new toolset for strengthening hospitals' ability to protect communities nationwide against public health disasters, such as creating care centers during an influenza pandemic or treating casualties in the wake of a bioterrorism attack.

17 Dec 2010

Adeona expands and enhances zinc-based product candidate portfolio

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, announced today that it has acquired access to clinical data supporting a zinc-based therapy for the prevention of infections in the elderly. This acquisition expands and enhances Adeona's zinc-based product candidate portfolio that already includes its proprietary zinc-based tablets for use in the dietary management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment patients, and age-related macular degeneration.

16 Dec 2010

Study confirms Carrageenan as effective antiviral against H1N1 influenza strain

Carrageenan, is a polymer derived from red seaweed which helps to create a protective physical barrier in the nasal cavity and has proven to be an effective antiviral in the treatment of the common cold.

16 Dec 2010

Flu vaccination during pregnancy prevents infant hospitalization

A three-year study by Yale School of Medicine researchers has found that vaccinating pregnant women against influenza is over 90 percent effective in preventing their infants from being hospitalized with influenza in the first six months of life.

15 Dec 2010

DARPA awards Pulmatrix $5.7 million grant to advance iCALM therapies

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 that it has been awarded a grant for $5.7 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a component of the Department of Defense (DOD), focused on identifying and advancing novel technologies to support defense of our nation's soldiers and civilian population.

14 Dec 2010

New theory explains spread of infectious diseases

New research using human-networking theory may give a clearer picture of just how, exactly, infectious diseases such as the common cold, influenza, whooping cough and SARS can spread through a closed group of people, and even through populations at large.

14 Dec 2010

Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Flu worries continue

Cyfluent Chart, Version 2.0 receives Complete EHR certification

Flu worries continue

Sinovac's inactivated EV71 vaccine clinical trial against HFMD receives Chinese SFDA approval

Flu infection rates double in a week

Scientific American examines efforts to increase influenza virus monitoring in pigs to prevent pandemics in humans

Medicago completes first part of H5N1 vaccine Phase II trial

Seaside purchases additional $2.5M of NanoViricides' Series B Convertible Preferred Stock

BioCryst commences BCX4208/allopurinol combination Phase 2b study in gout patients

Echinacea only offers modest benefit in common cold: study

Study: Chemotherapy can improve survival rate in older adolescents with leukemia

Exosomes derived from lymphoma, colorectal cancer patients circulated through Aethlon's Hemopurifier

Germany has not yet achieved influenza vaccination rates set by WHO

NIAID renews funding of PRIME to develop mathematical models to study influenza infection

First comprehensive guide to hospital emergency preparedness exercise development

Adeona expands and enhances zinc-based product candidate portfolio

Study confirms Carrageenan as effective antiviral against H1N1 influenza strain

Flu vaccination during pregnancy prevents infant hospitalization

DARPA awards Pulmatrix $5.7 million grant to advance iCALM therapies

New theory explains spread of infectious diseases

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

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