Health News

Actelion announces U.S. commercial availability of OPSUMIT (macitentan)

Date: Nov-06-2013
Actelion (SIX: ATLN) has announced the commercial availability of OPSUMIT® (macitentan) 10mg, an oral, dual endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to delay disease progression. PAH is a chronic, life-threatening disorder that can severely compromise the function of the lungs and heart. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved OPSUMIT on October 18, 2013. OPSUMIT® is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group I) to delay disease progression...

Revised UK IBD Standards launched to improve levels and consistency of care nationwide

Date: Nov-06-2013
There have been significant improvements in the quality of care for people with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis since the UK IBD Standards were first issued four years ago, but IBD clinicians and patient organisations state that there is plenty of scope for improvement. To address these shortcomings and the major changes taking place in the NHS, revised UK IBD Standards have been launched...

Weighing in: Three years post-op bariatric surgery patients see big benefits, Pitt study says

Date: Nov-06-2013
For millions of Americans struggling with obesity and considering surgical procedures to achieve weight loss and alleviate obesity-related health complications, a new study adds weight to the health benefits attributed to bariatric surgery...

Peak production of rhythmic proteins occurs at two times of day

Date: Nov-06-2013
Sleep disorders are reported to affect 50 to 70 million Americans, and have been linked to obesity and diabetes, as well as depression and other psychiatric disorders. Circadian cycles are driven by biological clocks that regulate behaviors such as sleep. Environmental or genetic alterations of the circadian clock contribute to jet lag, sleep disorders, and psychiatric disorders...

Anavex 2-73 blocks Tau and amyloid-beta proteins in a preclinical model of Alzheimer's disease

Date: Nov-06-2013
Anavex Life Sciences Corp. announces that issue 38 (2013) of the international scientific journal Neuropsychopharmacology contains a report demonstrating that ANAVEX 2-73 dose-dependently blocks Tau and amyloid-beta ("amyloid") proteins and memory deficit in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A reduction in these two main hallmarks of Alzheimer's has the potential to stop, slow or reverse the disease...

Just after Christmas is the worst time to need hip or knee joint replacement - just before is the best, UK

Date: Nov-06-2013
Research from the Medical Technology Group reveals that just after Christmas may be the worst time of year to need hip or knee joint replacement - and that just before may be the best time. Like a postcode lottery, this time-of-year lottery means the outcomes for individual patients can be radically different, in this case dependent on the financial calendar.  March is the busiest month for operations, so patients starting the average 15-week wait for a new hip or knee are better starting their wait just before Christmas...

Compounded medication to prevent preterm birth not a safety risk, Pitt study confirms

Date: Nov-06-2013
A new study published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy reports that 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), a medication that reduces the rate of preterm birth in high-risk women, did not raise any safety concerns when the medication was prepared and dispensed by independent compounding pharmacies throughout the United States...

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to plead guilty and pay over $1.6 billion to resolve allegations of misbranding and filing false claims for Risperdal

Date: Nov-06-2013
On behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice on November 4th, 2013 announced a guilty plea agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (JPI) of Titusville, N.J., and a $400 million criminal fine for introducing a misbranded drug, Risperdal (risperidone), into interstate commerce. A Johnson & Johnson Company, JPI must also pay $1.25 billion under a separate civil settlement concerning the same drug. The combined criminal plea and civil settlement agreement related to Risperdal totals more than $1.67 billion...

Positive top-line results shown for Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules (CII) in adults with binge eating disorder

Date: Nov-06-2013
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) announces positive top-line results from two identically designed randomized placebo-controlled Phase 3 studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules (CII) versus placebo in adults with binge eating disorder (BED). In both studies Vyvanse was found to be statistically superior to placebo on the primary efficacy analysis (p-value  "We are extremely pleased with these results, and will be working expeditiously to submit an application to the U.S...

OrSense receives FDA clearance for its noninvasive hemoglobin monitor

Date: Nov-06-2013
OrSense Ltd., developer of solutions for non-invasive measurements of various blood parameters, has announced that it has received FDA clearance for its NBM-200MP, noninvasive hemoglobin (Hb) and pulse oximetry monitor. NBM-200MP belongs to OrSense's NBM-200 family of products, for the noninvasive measurement of Hb levels, enabling monitoring of anemia and hemorrhage. Currently, Hb measurements require collection of blood samples, rendering existing testing methods invasive, painful, time consuming and labor intensive...