BioSpace.com News

FDA: Drugs Tied to Meningitis

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

The government is warning doctors and hospitals not to use any product from the specialty pharmacy that made the steroid suspected in a meningitis outbreak. An official with the Food and Drug Administration said tests found contamination in a sealed vial of the steroid at the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts. Tests are under way to determine if it is the same fungus blamed in the outbreak...

Hagens Berman Files Lawsuit Against Thalidomide Distributors and Producers

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New research suggests that thalidomide a drug that caused thousands of horrific cases of deformities in children caused far more deformities in the U.S. than were reported during the height of the pharmaceutical crisis of the early 1960s.

What A Drag ??? Iceland Considers Prescription-Only Cigarettes

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Iceland is considering banning the sale of cigarettes and making them a prescription-only product. The parliament in Reykjavik is to debate a proposal that would outlaw the sale of cigarettes in normal shops. Only pharmacies would be allowed to dispense them initially to those aged 20 and up, and eventually only to those with a valid medical certificate. The radical initiative is part of a 10-year...

Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd. Acquires TCM Cardiovascular Drug Maker for $120 Million

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

June 23, 2011 -- Sihuan Pharmaceutical paid 775 million RMB ($120 million) to acquire two China drug companies, Vinise Pharma and Hainan Litzman Pharma. The transaction adds to Sihuans portfolio of treatments for cardio-cerebral vascular diseases by taking the company into TCM preparations Vinise Pharmas specialty for the first time. Vinise also has expertise in large-volume injections, another...

BioRadar UK Ltd. Release: Rising Replikin Counts in E. Coli in Germany Since 2005 Preceded Current E. Coli Outbreak

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

LONDON, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientists Drs. Samuel and Elenore Bogoch of BioRadar UK Ltd. announced that retrospective studies indicate that an increase in Replikin Counts of the EHEC lethal strains of E. Coli preceded the current E. Coli outbreak. These EHEC strains of...

If the Water Looks and Smells Bad, it May Be Toxic, Study

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2010) Earthy or musty odors, along with visual evidence of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, may serve as a warning that harmful cyanotoxins are present in lakes or reservoirs. In a newly published USGS study of cyanobacterial blooms in Midwest lakes, taste-and-odor compounds were found almost every time cyanotoxins were found, indicating odor may serve as a warning...

Cholera Outbreak in Cameroon 'Worst in 20 Years' Says

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

AP -- YAOUNDE, Cameroon UNICEF says more than 300 people have died in the West African nation of Cameroon from the country's worst cholera outbreak in 20 years.

Ruling Favors PharmAthene, Inc. in Fight Over $78M Anthrax Contract

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats, announced today that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has denied a competitor's protest, challenging a previously announced contract modification for up to ...

Extra Mutations Help Flu Evade Drug, Study in Science

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

Reuters -- Their study, published in the journal Science, provides a way for scientists to keep an eye out for dangerous mutations in new flu viruses, including the ongoing pandemic of H1N1 swine flu.

New Strategy Discussed at World Health Organization Conference May be Last Shot to Get Rid of Polio

Fri, 21 May 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

AP -- For years, the world has been on the brink of wiping out polio, the deadly disease that can paralyze and kill children. At the World Health Organization's annual meeting of health ministers this week, experts are unveiling what they describe as a new strategy to get rid of the feared disease.

The Scripps Research Institute Research Team Finds Structure Of 'Swine Flu' Virus

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

EurekAlert -- A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and other institutions has solved the structure of a key protein from the virus that caused last year's "swine flu" influenza epidemic. The structure reveals that the virus shares many features with influenza viruses common in the early 20th century, helping to explain why, in general, older individuals have been less severely affected...

Was Swine Flu A False Pandemic?

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

Pharmalot -- Thats the contention by more than a dozen members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which reportedly plans to conduct an inquiry into the influence that drugmakers may have had on the World Health Organization, scientists and governments. A resolution was introduced last month by Wolfgang Wodarg, a member of Germanys Social Democratic Party who chairs the PACE health...

First Case of Highly Drug-Resistant TB Found in US

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Norweigian Scientists Announce H1N1 Mutation

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

OSLO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Norwegian health authorities said on Friday they have discovered a potentially significant mutation in the H1N1 influenza strain that could be responsible for causing the severest symptoms among those infected.

Not Just Swine Flu - New Cold Virus May Lurk, Too, Doctors Discover

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Pet Cat in U.S. Catches Swine Flu

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Reuters A cat in Iowa has tested positive for H1N1 swine flu, the first time a cat has been diagnosed with the new pandemic strain, the American Veterinary Medical Association said on Wednesday. The 13-year-old cat apparently caught the virus from one of the people living in the house, the group said in a statement. It has recovered and does not appear to have infected anyone or anything else....

National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Scientists Propose New Explanation For Flu Virus Antigenic Drift

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Alabama Scientists Discover Influenza's Achilles Heel: Antioxidants

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

One Swine Flu Shot Enough?, Thinks So

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Swine Flu Shots May Come Too Late to Stem Fall Outbreak, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Study

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Seattle Post-Intelligencer -- The nation could lessen a swine flu epidemic this fall with aggressively vaccinating children and ultimately 70 percent of the population, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington write in a new report.

New Malaria 'Poses Human Threat', Study in Shows

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

So Far, No "Red Flags" Seen In H1N1 Vaccine, National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Announce

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

8 Cities in US Line up for Swine Flu Vaccine Test, Government Study

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

World Health Organization Sees Swine Flu Vaccination From Next Month

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

University of Rouen, Scientists Find New Strain Of HIV

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

MedImmune's Nasal Vaccine Holds Promise Against Swine Flu

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Swine Flu May Cause Seizures In Children, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Doctors Say

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. Announces New Order for Raxibacumab (ABthrax) from U.S. Government for $151 Million

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI - News) today announced that the U.S. Government has exercised its option to purchase an additional 45,000 doses of raxibacumab (ABthrax(TM)) for the Strategic National Stockpile, to be delivered over a three-year period, beginning near the end of 2009. HGS expects to receive approximately $151 million from...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Says Not Worried About H1N1 Vaccine Supply

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Swine Flu Pandemic Could Trigger Vaccine Battles

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

World Health Organization: Pandemic Flu Shows Need For Pharma Incentives

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

U.S. To Spend Another $1 Billion On Flu Vaccine

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

World Health Organization Likely To Give H1N1 Jab Guidance On Monday

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Drug-Resistant Flu Strain Turns Up in Denmark but Doesn???t Last Long

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Drugmakers Like GlaxoSmithKline And Novartis AG Rush To Produce A Swine Flu Vaccine

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Will Congressional Drug Policies Harm Medical Innovation?

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

World Health Organization Declares Swine Flu Pandemic

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

WebMD -- June 11, 2009 - It's official: We're in a swine flu pandemic, the World Health Organization declared today."The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, MD, said at a news conference.

Viable Swine Flu Shot Closer to Reality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Experts Say

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Swine Flu Genes Circulated Undetected For Years, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Scientists Say

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Tests Show More Swine Flu Immunity In Older Folks, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Report

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

AP -- New test results show what scientists have suspected people in their 60's and older have greater immunity to the new swine flu virus.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Officials Fear New H1N1 Could Mix With Drug-Resistant Strains

Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

GlaxoSmithKline Offers World Health Organization 50 Million Pandemic Vaccines

Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Drugs Urged for Swine Flu in Pregnancy By Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Wed, 13 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

World Health Organization Urges Restraint On Tamiflu In Swine Flu Cases

Wed, 13 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Public Health Agency of Canada's Completes Genetic Sequencing Of H1N1 Virus

Thu, 07 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Amid Swine Flu, Sales Of Antiviral Drugs Surging; Swine Flu Is Sweet Pill For Roche And GlaxoSmithKline

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

World Health Organization Says Existing Vaccine Little Use Against New Flu

Mon, 04 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Friday that tests had shown the current seasonal vaccine against flu would have little effect against the new H1N1 strain.

World Fights New Flu Virus With Latest Science

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

New Flu Virus May Be A Real Mongrel, Columbia University Study Shows

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Swiss Hospital Develops 36-Hour Swine Flu Diagnostics Test

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Aethlon Medical Confirms Hemopurifier(R) Is a Treatment Candidate Against Swine Flu Virus

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

First U.S. Swine Flu Death in Texas

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Research Team Cracks Swine Flu Genetic Code, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Companies Like Novartis AG And Others Start Initial Work On Pandemic Vaccine for New Swine Flu

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

FDA Allows Uncleared Uses Of Flu Drugs, Tests

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency; Admin. Releases Stockpile of Antiflu Virus Drug

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Flu a Windfall for Roche Holding AG and GlaxoSmithKline, Shares Jump

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Canada Sees Plunge In Number Of West Nile Virus Cases In 2008

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

Canadian Press -- Cases of West Nile infection among Canadians during this year's mosquito season plunged dramatically compared with last year, and experts suggest cooler, wet weather is likely the reason.

Bird Flu Pushed Back, Pandemic Threat Remains:

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - International efforts have pushed back the spread of bird flu this year, but the risk of a global influenza pandemic killing millions is as great as ever, the United Nations and World Bank reported on Tuesday.

"Sumo Virus" Warning Is Issued; Deadly Rugby Virus Spreads In Sumo Wrestlers -- in Tokyo, Japan

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2008) Rugby players may get more than just the ball out of a scrum herpes virus can cause a skin disease called "scrumpox" and it spreads through physical contact. Researchers have studied the spread of the disease among sumo wrestlers in Japan and have discovered that a new strain of the virus could be even more pathogenic, according to an article published in the October...

Bad Vaccines Risk Encephalitis Epidemic In India

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

LUCKNOW, India - India's government sent thousands of ineffective vaccines to a northern Indian state, halting a planned immunization drive against a deadly outbreak of Japanese encephalitis that has killed more than 200 children since June, officials said Wednesday.

Morocco "Goat Plague" Poses Regional Threat,

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ROME (Reuters) - Millions of sheep and goats in Morocco could be killed by a virus which poses a risk to other north African and European countries but not humans, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.

Johns Hopkins University Scientists Discover What Drives The Development Of A Fatal Form Of Malaria

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

EurekAlert -- those tiny, unassuming cells that cause blood to clot and scabs to form when you cut yourself play an important early role in promoting cerebral malaria, an often lethal complication that occurs mostly in children. Affecting as many as half a billion people in tropical and subtropical regions, malaria is one of the oldest recorded diseases and the parasite responsible for it, Plasmodium...

Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis Found In California,

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2008) In the first statewide study of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) in the United States, California officials have identified 18 cases of the dangerous and difficult-to-treat disease between 1993 and 2006, and 77 cases that were one step away from XDR TB.

First "Virophage" Could Take The Fight To Viruses, Study

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

NewScientist -- A newly discovered type of virus that spreads at the expense of other viruses, could be used to combat viral infections, say researchers. Didier Raoult and colleagues from the University of the Mediterranean, France, say that the virus, called Sputnik, spreads by hijacking the replication machinery of the mamavirus itself a new strain of the giant mimivirus.

Pressure Grows for Anthrax Evidence

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

NYT -- After four years of painstaking scientific research, the F.B.I. by 2005 had traced the anthrax in the poisoned letters of 2001 to a single flask of the bacteria at the Army biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick, Md., according to government scientists and bureau officials. But at least 10 scientists had regular access to the laboratory and its anthrax stock and possibly quite a few more, counting...

Yokohama City University Experts Try To Block Flu Virus Replication

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Japan have gained a better understanding how influenza viruses replicate, possibly opening the way for the development of drugs to hamper their reproduction.

New Fatal CJD-Like Dementia Discovered In America, Case Western Reserve University Study

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

BBC -- A new form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) may have been uncovered in a handful of patients in the US. Ten people have so far died from a fast-advancing form of fatal dementia called PSPr, New Scientist reports. Patients develop the trademark brain damage associated with CJD - the type not linked to BSE - but scientists believe there may be a genetic cause.

US National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center: 'New CJD Type' Discovered in US

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

BBC -- A new form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) may have been uncovered in a handful of patients in the US.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Measles Outbreak Hits 127 People in 15 States

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

Reuters -- The biggest U.S. outbreak of measles since 1997 has sickened 127 people in 15 states, most of whom were not vaccinated against the highly contagious viral illness, federal health officials said on Wednesday.

Beijing Reports First Victim of Child Virus, Reports

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

Reuters -- China's capital has recorded its first death from an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease as authorities try to contain the spread of a potent virus just three months before the city hosts the Olympic Games.

TB Strain May Be Linked To Unpasteurized Dairy, Study Suggests

Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2008) The incidence of a strain of tuberculosis (TB) called Mycobacterium bovis, or M. bovis, associated more often with cattle than humans, is increasing in San Diego and is concentrated mostly in Hispanics of Mexican origin, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in collaboration with San Diego County public...

New Arenavirus Associated With Hemorrhagic Fever Discovered

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) A team of Bolivian health authorities, U.S. Navy health experts based in Lima, Peru, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has characterized "Chapare arenavirus," a previously unrecognized arenavirus, discovered in serum samples from a patient in rural Bolivia who eventually died of the infection.

First Method For Testing, Assessing Drug Treatments For Chagas' Disease Identified by University of Georgia Scientists

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2008) Chagas' disease is a tropical parasitic sickness that currently affects more than 16 million people, with a staggering 100 million at risk, largely in the tropical areas of South and Central America. And yet the main drug used to treat the disease is highly toxic and causes serious side effects.

New Kind Of Killer Virus Discovered In Bolivia

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

A team of disease hunters has announced the discovery of a deadly new virus, found in a remote village in South America. Experts say the virus named Chapare is probably limited to a small swathe of Bolivia, but urbanisation and climate change could expand its range.

Recalled Malt-O-Meal Cereals Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

St. Paul Business Journal -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked breakfast cereal recalled by Malt-O-Meal last week to a salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 23 people in 14 states.

On April 5, Minneapolis-based Malt-O-Meal voluntarily recalled two products, including its unsweetened Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals, when it found salmonella contamination in the cereals...

New Species Of Infectious Disease Found In Amazon, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Study

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (Apr. 3, 2008) While investigating the tropical disease leptospirosis in the Peruvian Amazon, an infectious disease specialist from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has uncovered new, emerging bacteria that may be responsible for up to 40 percent of cases of the disease. Patients with severe forms of leptospirosis have jaundice, renal failure and lung hemorrhage...

Lyme Disease Can Be Prevented With New Shot, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Study Suggests

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2008) Lyme disease is the blight of countryside users but it may be prevented with a single injection, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. The US saw nearly 20,000 cases of Lyme disease in 2006 and there are up to 2,000 cases a year in the UK, a figure that is increasing steadily. Now scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Deadly Disease Eliminated In Children Under 5 Years Of Age In

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 10 March 2008 (EurekAlert) Hib meningitis has been virtually eliminated in young children in Uganda just five years after the country introduced Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine nationwide, according to an independent study.

Globe-Trotting Black Rat Genes Reveal Spread Of Humans And Diseases

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

Studying the mitochondrial DNA of 165 Black Rat specimens from 32 countries around the world, an international team of scientists has identified six distinct lineages in the Black Rats family tree, each originating from a different part of Asia. Read full article below.