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FDA Approves Generic Version Of Emergency Contraception Pills
FDA on Wednesday approved Watson Pharmaceuticals" generic version of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, the Wall Street Journal reports. The generic drug will be available without a prescription to women ages 18 and older on Aug. 24, when Duramed Pharmaceuticals" market exclusivity for Plan B expires (Kalish, Wall Street Journal, 6/25). The generic version will be available to women ages 17 and younger with a prescription, according to an FDA press release (FDA Web site, 6/24). Watson will market the generic version under the name Next Choice (AP/Washington Post, 6/24).A one-time use pack of the brand-name product, Plan B, currently costs $49.99 through the online retailer DrugStore.com. According to Bloomberg, generic drugs usually cost 30% to 80% less than brand-name versions (Larkin, Bloomberg, 6/24).

Mersana Reports Preliminary Phase 1 Results Of XMT-1001 In Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors
Mersana Therapeutics presented preliminary results of a Phase 1 clinical trial for its lead development candidate, XMT-1001, in a poster session at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando. XMT-1001 is a broad-spectrum cytotoxic, based on camptothecin (CPT), conjugated to Mersana"s biodegradable polymer platform, Fleximer(R).
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Measurement Affects Racial Variations In Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
According to a research abstrac presented on Monday, June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, white Americans are more likely to report experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) more days per month than Asians, African Americans and Hispanics, but African Americans experience more severe EDS.
Nutrition

SLU Explores Best Ways To Use Standard TB Vaccine

In a study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, Saint Louis University"s Center for Vaccine Development is investigating whether the standard vaccine used in foreign countries against tuberculosis offers better protection as a shot, drink or combination of both. "The fight against tuberculosis is important because a third of the world is thought to be infected and there are significant problems with drug-resistant TB organisms," said Daniel Hoft, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator and director of the division of immunobiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. The "standard" tuberculosis vaccine, bacillus Calmette-Guçİrin (BCG), is given to infants in foreign countries, and is not currently recommended for use in the U.S. "Experts believe it provides some protection against TB disease, particularly in children where severe manifestations of TB are averted," Hoft said. "However, despite widespread use of BCG, TB remains a major cause of death worldwide. The main purpose of this study is to find out if BCG can be used in a more effective way. "We hope to learn whether a BCG vaccine drink or a combination of a drink and an injection could increase immune responses against tuberculosis lung infection and affect the progression of the disease as it spreads throughout the body." The study also will look at whether it is better to give one or two doses of the BCG vaccine. A total of 70 healthy volunteers who are 18 to 40 years old are needed for the research. The study will last about two years and requires up to 21 scheduled visits. Each visit takes between 30 minutes and three hours, depending upon the procedures being performed. Study participants will be compensated for their time and travel after each completed visit. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that strikes developing nations hardest. Each year, nearly 8 million new cases of TB develop, and 2 million persons die from the infectious disease. Saint Louis University Medical Center


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