Gastrointestinal | Page 18 of 23

Fibromyalgia :: King Pharmaceuticals Reports FDA Approval Of New Skelaxin Label

King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: KG) reported today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (?FDA?) has approved the Company?s revised prescribing information for its Skelaxin? (metaxalone) product. Skelaxin? is a leading branded muscle relaxant, indicated as an adjunct therapy for the relief of discomforts associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions. The new labeling includes revised ?Precautions? and ?Clinical Pharmacology: Pharmacokinetics? sections.

Stent :: SCAI president testifies before FDA on safety of drug-eluting stents

In testimony before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Gregory J. Dehmer, MD, president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), today urged a review panel to evaluate new data on the safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) from the perspective of prior developments in the history of coronary intervention, and with an appreciation for the balance of benefits and risks that guides all clinical decision-making.

Healthcare :: Novartis highlights strong R&D pipeline, plans for multiple new product launches

Novartis unveiled today new data on its promising pipeline amid plans for multiple new product approvals and launches over the next two years. Many of these anticipated approvals are for potentially best-in-class medicines that would advance treatment standards for patients with hypertension, diabetes, cancer and other diseases.

Surgery :: Surgeons perform first robot-assisted procedures in weight loss, colon and gastric fields

UT Southwestern Medical Center surgeons are the first in North Texas to perform robotically assisted laparoscopic gastric-bypass and colon-resections surgeries.

Weight Loss :: Seniors more at risk for complications from large scale weight-loss surgery

The first large-scale review of weight-loss surgeries performed on older adults suggests bariatric procedures should generally be limited to people younger than age 65, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

Chemotherapy :: Chemotherapy temporarily affects the structures of the human brain

Researchers have linked chemotherapy with short-term structural changes in cognitive areas of the brain, according to a new study. The study reveals that within 12 months of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, significant regions of the brain associated with memory, analysis and other cognitive functions were significantly smaller in breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy than those who did not.

Constipation :: Suffering from chronic constipation?

New research has found that a new medication, tegaserod, is effective in treating nearly all symptoms associated with chronic constipation, a common disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects approximately 15 percent of the Western population at any one time. Tegaserod is currently the only drug aside from laxatives found to be effective at treating such a wide variety of symptoms. This research is published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Imaging :: Optical technique provides improved ‘virtual biopsies’ of internal surfaces

A new optical imaging technique, developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, can provide three-dimensional microscopic views of the inner surfaces of blood vessels and gastrointestinal organs.

Fosrenol data show evidence of trends towards improved bone formation in CKD stage 5 patients

Treatment with the phosphate binder FOSRENOL(R) (lanthanum carbonate) was associated with slight improvements in bone formation in chronic kidney disease (CKD) Stage 5 patients with hyperphosphatemia (high phosphorus levels in the blood), according to long-term (two-year) data presented at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) meeting. Additional studies presented at ASN document the efficacy and safety of the reformulated and higher-dose FOSRENOL tablets.

Asthma :: New Studies Reveal What Caregivers See As Key Issues To Facilitate Better Asthma Treatment

In two studies presented during the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), held in Philadelphia November 9-15, caregivers considered the ?seal of approval? from the FDA to be the most important factor when looking for an effective asthma treatment for their child. Caregivers and physicians also expressed in the study the need for a standardized assessment tool that could help diagnose and monitor asthma.