Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

PharmAthene to present its biological/ chemical weapons countermeasure program data at the HHS PHEMCE workshop

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that the Company will participate in and present data at the HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) workshop and BARDA Industry Day taking place in Washington, DC Dec. 2-4, 2009.

2 Dec 2009

Swine flu cases appear to have peaked

The current wave of pandemic H1N1 appears to have peaked, with four weeks of declines in several key indicators, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. Despite the decrease, the outbreak is continuing to take a heavy toll of hospitalizations and deaths, especially among children.

1 Dec 2009

Roche's MagNA Pure 96 System for nucleic acid purification evaluated

TriCore Reference Laboratories of Albuquerque, N.M., reported at a recent user meeting results of their research collaboration with Roche Applied Science in which they evaluated Roche´s new MagNA Pure 96 System for use in nucleic acid purification. The evaluation focused on the Roche system’s ability to process specimens for pathogen testing.

1 Dec 2009

Chinese SFDA approves Tianyin Pharmaceutical's Pediatric Fever and Cough Oral Liquid

Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co., Inc.,, a manufacturer and supplier of modernized traditional Chinese medicine ("TCM") based in Chengdu, China, today announced that it has received approvals from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to produce Pediatric Fever and Cough Oral Liquid in dosage form of 10 ml/tube (SFDA approval number Z20093060) and Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory Capsules in dosage form of 0.27 gram/capsule (SFDA approval number Z20090855).

1 Dec 2009

Akonni Biosystems receives $3.2M Phase II SBIR grant from NIH

Akonni Biosystems, a molecular diagnostics (MDx) company focused on providing rapid and highly scalable solutions for infectious disease testing, today announced receipt of a $3.2M Phase II SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

1 Dec 2009

Amgen to present updated data on Nplate at the 2009 ASH meeting

Amgen Inc. today announced that it will present updated long-term safety and efficacy data for Nplate® (romiplostim) in adult chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Additionally, Amgen will present the first Nplate study in a pediatric setting as well as in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) at the 2009 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Dec. 5 - 8, 2009).

1 Dec 2009

Members of priority groups to receive H1N1 vaccines from Department of Health

The Department of Health reminded Pennsylvanians they can begin making appointments today to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus.

1 Dec 2009

Tripep completes phase I clinical study of its ChronVac-C hepatitis C virus DNA vaccine

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that its partner Tripep AB of Sweden has completed its phase I clinical study of its ChronVac-C hepatitis C virus DNA vaccine delivered using Inovio’s electroporation technology.

30 Nov 2009

NOVAVAX completes patient enrollment in its trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine Phase II study

Novavax, Inc. announced today it has completed enrollment in the Phase II clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza (2008/2009 recommended strains) VLP vaccine candidate in healthy adults 60 years of age or older (older adults). This randomized, double-blind, active-controlled study is comparing the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of two different doses (15 mcg and 60 mcg) of Novavax's trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine to a commercially available trivalent inactivated vaccine, TIV (Fluzone®).

30 Nov 2009

NanoViricides announces filing of its quarterly report with the SEC

NanoViricides, Inc., reports that the Company has filed its quarterly report with the SEC on November 23rd.

30 Nov 2009

Agriflu approved to prevent diseases caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Agriflu for people ages 18 years and older to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B.

27 Nov 2009

Whitehead researchers develop new type of genetic screen for human cells

Whitehead researchers have developed a new type of genetic screen for human cells to pinpoint specific genes and proteins used by pathogens, according to their paper in Science.

27 Nov 2009

Lethality of H1N1 virus has dropped from its peak of 3.7, shows new data

Biotech firm Replikins Ltd., which has analyzed the H1N1 virus' genomic data from the 1918 pandemic through the prediction, outbreak, and progress of the current H1N1 pandemic, today issued its latest biochemical analysis of the virus.

25 Nov 2009

WHO investigates cases of H1N1 drug resistance in U.S., Britain

The WHO is looking into reports that patients with "severely suppressed immune systems" in Britain and the U.S. developed resistance Tamiflu, which is used to treat the symptoms of H1N1 (swine flu), a spokesman for the organization said Tuesday, Reuters reports.

25 Nov 2009

Unilife Medical Solutions files a patent application for its Unifill Select ready-to-fill syringe

Unilife Medical Solutions Limited today announced the filing of patent applications in the United States ("US") for a new ready-to-fill syringe product to be marketed as the Unifill™ Select. Unilife is confident that this new pipeline product, which is to be primarily targeted for use with vaccines, can further expand the Company's ability to penetrate the pharmaceutical market for prefilled syringes.

25 Nov 2009

Sinovac Dalian JV to research, develop, produce and commercialize human-use vaccines

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. ( SVA), a leading developer and provider of vaccines, announced today that it executed a joint venture (JV) agreement to establish Sinovac (Dalian) Vaccine Technology Co., Ltd. (Sinovac Dalian). The JV will research, develop, produce and commercialize human-use vaccines. Sinovac will contribute its expertise and experience in developing and commercializing world-class vaccines; the other party will bring its land use rights, manufacturing facilities and established operating infrastructure.

25 Nov 2009

FDA provides marketing clearance for Prodesse's ProParaflu+ assay

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing Prodesse's ProParaflu+(TM) assay, a molecular test that detects and differentiates parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 viruses, which cause lower respiratory tract infections.

25 Nov 2009

New Medicare rules on home-oxygen affect patients, businesses

The Wall Street Journal: "New Medicare rules designed to reduce waste and fraud in medical-equipment reimbursements are driving some home-oxygen suppliers out of business and leaving patients scrambling to find new providers." The rules - scheduled to go into effect January 1, apply to people "who rely on Medicare to pay for oxygen services, which relieve the symptoms of conditions such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

24 Nov 2009

Ohr Pharmaceutical to develop OHR/AVR118 for cachexia treatment

Ohr Pharmaceutical Inc. is developing OHR/AVR118 for treatment of cachexia based on technology acquired earlier this year from Advanced Viral Research Corp. OHR/AVR118 has shown excellent therapeutic efficacy and safety in human clinical trials in over 100 patients with applications for cachexia in Cancer and AIDS patients, as well as Rheumatoid Arthritis.

24 Nov 2009

Fourth-quarter and year-end fiscal 2009 results announced by Allied Healthcare International

Allied Healthcare International Inc., a leading provider of flexible healthcare staffing services in the United Kingdom, has issued financial results for its fiscal 2009 fourth quarter and year-end.

24 Nov 2009