Ankylosing Spondylitis :: Enbrel provides sustained clinical improvements for ankylosing spondylitis for up to 3 years

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) announced patients with ankylosing spondylitis who received treatment with Enbrel (R) (etanercept) experienced sustained improvement in signs and symptoms, spinal mobility and physical function over 148 to 160 weeks of therapy, according to data from an ongoing open-label, multinational, phase 4 extension study presented at the American College of Rheumatology scientific meeting. These results are consistent with an ENBREL phase 3 clinical trial at 24 weeks.

Rheumatoid Arthritis :: Enbrel first biologic with up to 9 years rheumatoid arthritis safety

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) announced Enbrel (R) (etanercept) is the first biologic with published data to show sustained improvements in multiple efficacy measures in rheumatoid arthritis patients completing up to nine years of therapy. Current data suggest Enbrel is both effective and safe in long-term RA use, and the new data, presented at the American College of Rheumatology scientific meeting, provide a degree of reassurance that unexpected safety concerns do not appear to develop after nine years of use.

Developing uses for sugar-cane bagasse: Biotechnology applied to the paper industry

Sugar-cane bagasse is a fibrous waste-product of the sugar refining industry, which can be recycled as a raw material for paper manufacture. IRD researchers have elaborated a new bioprocess that transforms the bagasse into paper pulp and also produces an industrially useful enzyme, laccase. The process is based on the metabolism of a filamentous fungus. Preliminary laboratory trials show that this integrated bioprocess can be adapted to other potential fibre-yielding materials, opening up promising applications for the paper industry.

ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) halted progression of atherosclerosis as indicated by CIMT

Researchers today presented data showing that ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) halted the progression of atherosclerosis as measured by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Results from the clinical trial, CHICAGO (Carotid intima-media thickness in Atherosclerosis using pioglitazone), are part of a late-breaker presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2006, coincidentally being held in Chicago, and coincide with an early online issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Rett Syndrome :: New insight about the source of anxiety in Rett syndrome

A peptide known to play a role in anxiety is overly plentiful in a mouse model of the inherited neurological disorder Rett syndrome and appears to underlie the anxiety-like behavior in these mice, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding could provide a clue to treatment for this symptom.

Pharmacy care program helps elderly patients take all their medications

A pharmacy care program for elderly patients increases medication adherence, which results in improved health outcomes, according to a study posted online today by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Session. It will be published in the December 6 print issue of JAMA.

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