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Essentialis Meets Primary Endpoint In Phase 2b Trial Of DCCR For Treatment Of Hypertriglyceridemia And Is Granted Extensive Patent Coverage In The US
Essentialis Inc, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, announced that it met its primary endpoint of statistically significant triglyceride reduction in a 90-patient Phase 2b trial of DCCR in dyslipidemic patients. The study encompassed both patients with very high triglycerides and mixed dyslipidemia and included normal weight, overweight and obese patients presenting with or without hypertension.

U Of M Study Finds New Insight On Therapy For A Devastating Parasitic Disease
University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have discovered an important new insight into how a commonly prescribed drug may work to treat those infected by a parasitic flatworm.
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CNP Supplements Helps British Troops Train In Afghanistan
If an army marches on its stomach, it surely gets fit with good nutrition. And now, in Afghanistan, British soldiers are under more pressure to stay fit than ever before. At high altitudes, and when out on active operations, they can"t afford to let their fitness slide.
Cardiovascular

Ethics Review Of Research In The Context Of Humanitarian Relief Work

Two articles published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine highlight the need for, and the practicalities of, getting appropriate ethical review of research done in the context of humanitarian relief. An article by Doris Schopper and colleagues describes the functioning of the Mç©decins Sans Frontiç¨res (MSF) independent ethics review board (ERB) and the framework used for ethics review by this board. The board, set up in 2001, currently comprises seven members from around the world, all independent of MSF. In 2008, the last full year of operation, the board reviewed 23 proposals covering a range of topic and study designs. As well as providing an overview the article describes some specific challenging ethical issues encountered by the board since its inception. In concluding the article, the authors say: "International humanitarian organizations such as MSF will be faced with even more complex health problems in the future as the global environment changes. Research to devise and test new interventions will remain an important part of MSF"s agenda, and will most probably increase. As this happens, a major concern will be to ensure that communities in which such research takes place are empowered to become true partners and that vulnerable individuals and groups are effectively protected The ethical oversight provided by the MSF ERB will be crucial in addressing these challenges." The editorial, written by the PLoS Medicine editors, discusses more generally the problems that can arise when research is done in such settings, and notes that ethical oversight of such research needs to be rigorous, but also pragmatic, and suggests what the role of journals should be. As the editorial notes, by supporting initiatives such as the MSF research ethics board, journals can help to address these ethical challenges, at the same time as ensuring that the research they publish adheres to accepted ethical standards. Article By Schopper and Colleagues: Funding: No funding was received for this work. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Citation: "Research Ethics Review in Humanitarian Contexts: The Experience of the Independent Ethics Review Board of Medç©cins Sans Frontiç¨res." Schopper D, Upshur R, Matthys F, Singh JA, Bandewar SS, et al. (2009) PLoS Med 6(7): e1000115. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000115 PLoS Medicine


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