A new review of studies offers good news and bad news for women faced with the decision about whether to get regular mammograms. The good news is that screening mammography does reduce breast cancer mortality. The review found that women offered screening mammograms are 15 percent less likely to die of breast cancer than women who are not offered mammograms.
Certain types of brain cancer cells, called cancer stem cells, help brain tumors to buffer themselves against radiation treatment by activating a “repair switch” that enables them to continue to grow unchecked, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found.
UT Southwestern Medical Center is one of a handful of top research institutions evaluating a promising new medication researchers hope can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks in inner-city children, a population known to have a high prevalence of severe asthma.
Merck KGaA and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals S.A (Switzerland), a wholly owned subsidiary of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals India (GPL), have entered into an agreement for Glenmark?s DPPIV inhibitor GRC 8200, a treatment for type 2 diabetes in Phase II of clinical development. The transaction is expected to close this year upon approval of the exclusive license to GRC 8200 by the U.S. anti-trust agencies under the HSR Act.
Data on fingolimod (FTY720), a new oral immunomodulating drug, reported recently in the New England Journal Medicine shows a relapse rate reduction of more then 50%, compared to placebo, with 77% of people taking Fingolimod remaining relapse-free over the two years of the trial.
Heart rate reduction is the cornerstone of the treatment of angina. To date, β-blockers have been the best drugs with which to achieve this. Heart rate is set by the pacemaker cells in the sinus node. Specific cardiac ion channels, f-channels, have been identified that control the rate at which these pacemaker cells initiate cardiac contraction. A selective and specific f-channel (f) current inhibitor, ivabradine, has now been developed that reduces heart rate to a degree similar to that achieved with β-blockers, but without their side effects. Ivabradine is now available for clinical use and promises to be a major and exciting treatment for individuals with angina.
Data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 42nd Conference in Copenhagen showed NovoMix? 30 (biphasic insulin aspart) to have comparable efficacy to basal-bolus combination therapy, with a similar safety profile in patients previously treated with oral antidiabetic therapy. These findings follow on from the European Commission?s recent decision to approve NovoMix? 30 as the first premixed insulin suitable for once-daily initiation and subsequent intensification of treatment, if needed. The data also confirm the position of NovoMix? 30 as an appropriate treatment choice for patients who prefer a convenient, effective once or twice-daily insulin therapy.
Parents are always looking for the best way to provide for their families while spending wisely and discovering great bargains at the same time. Luvs, a trusted name in baby care, understands that sometimes it can be challenging to maintain a budget while still providing the best for our families. So, Luvs has partnered with Mocha Moms Inc. — a national, not-for-profit support group for moms of color who work less than full-time to devote more time to their families — to share tips on finding that happy medium between splurging and saving.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire ICOS Corporation (Nasdaq: ICOS), based in Bothell, Washington, in a cash transaction. Since 1998, Lilly and ICOS have been partners in Lilly ICOS LLC, the joint venture that manufactures, markets and sells Cialis?(tadalafil). Successfully launched in 2003, Cialis is an oral PDE-5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction that is available in more than 100 countries.
Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved JANUVIA (sitagliptin phosphate), the first and only DPP-4 inhibitor available in the United States for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. JANUVIA has been approved as monotherapy and as add-on therapy to either of two other types of oral diabetes medications, metformin or thiazolidinediones (TZDs), to improve blood sugar (glucose) control in patients with type 2 diabetes when diet and exercise is not enough. The recommended dose of JANUVIA is 100 mg once daily. JANUVIA should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis, as it would not be effective in these settings.