Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

House Labor-HHS Spending Bill To Fund 'Teen Pregnancy Prevention Imitative'
On Friday, the House Appropriations Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee approved by voice vote a $730.5 billion spending bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, CQ Today reports. The bill shifts funding away from abstinence-only sex education toward more comprehensive pregnancy prevention programs. The bill would allocate $114.5 million for a "teenage pregnancy prevention initiative" that offers "evidence-based and other approaches, such as abstinence." The measure continues several prohibitions on using federal funds to cover abortion and restrictions on funding for embryo research (Wolfe, CQ Today, 7/10).The measure includes $73.7 billion in discretionary spending for HHS, $2 billion more than President Obama requested (Hunt, CongressDaily, 7/10). The full committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on July 17 (CQ Today, 7/10).
generic viagra online
Endeavor Drug-Eluting Stent Is First To Receive CE Mark For Treating Acute Coronary Syndrome
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced that its Endeavor drug-eluting stent (DES) is the first and only coronary stent to have received CE (Conformité Européene) Mark approval for treating patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as heart attack.
News of the day
Stopping Fatty Change In Heart Cells
Heart failure is one of the world"s most frequent causes of death - caused by conditions such as diabetes and obesity. With people who are overweight, the heart has to do more work in order to pump the blood through the circulatory system and this causes an increase in blood pressure. The heart itself becomes enlarged as the myocardial muscle cells increase in mass. To enable the heart to grow there also has to be an increased supply of energy and oxygen. However, the myocardial muscle cells suffer from a lack of oxygen and energy until such time as there are enough blood vessels to support the tissue.
Diagnostics

Dirucotide Does Not Meet Primary Endpoint In Phase III MAESTRO-01 Trial In Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and BioMS Medical Corp. (TSX: MS) announced that dirucotide did not meet the primary endpoint of delaying disease progression, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), during the two-year MAESTRO-01 Phase III trial in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). In addition, there were no statistically significant differences between dirucotide and placebo on the secondary endpoints of the study. The data also showed that dirucotide was generally well tolerated. There were no unexpected safety or tolerability issues. The most common side effect reported was injection site reaction. More details of the MAESTRO-01 study results are expected to be presented at a medical conference later this year. Lilly and BioMS also announced they would discontinue ongoing clinical trials - including MAESTRO-02 and MAESTRO-03 - and review the available data from these studies. MAESTRO-02 is an open-label follow-on study to MAESTRO-01. MAESTRO-03 is a 510-patient U.S. Phase III clinical trial designed to evaluate dirucotide for the treatment of SPMS that completed enrollment in August 2008. Lilly and BioMS will inform regulatory agencies and provide instructions to investigators outlining the process for discontinuing the studies. Patients involved in studies who have questions should contact their study investigator. "The MAESTRO-01 study was well designed and executed, and we believe these data, while disappointing, are very instructive for us and for the larger MS community," said John Hayes, vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories. "We look forward to further conversations with BioMS Medical about this project." "We are obviously disappointed by this result and will be working closely with our clinical team to evaluate these data and the available data from MAESTRO-02 and MAESTRO-03 to determine our next steps," said Kevin Giese, President and CEO of BioMS Medical. "We are fortunate to have suitable res in place to remain flexible to pursue whatever options emerge once we understand these results more fully." About MAESTRO-01 MAESTRO-01 was a multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dirucotide in patients with SPMS. The study was conducted in Canada and nine countries in Europe and included 612 patients being administered either dirucotide or placebo intravenously every six months for a period of two years. The primary clinical endpoint for the trial was defined as a statistically significant increase in the time to progression of the disease, as measured by the EDSS, in patients with HLA-DR2 and/or HLA-DR4 immune response genes. It is estimated that up to 70% of all multiple sclerosis patients are HLA-DR2 and/or HLA-DR4 positive(i). The EDSS is the standard for measuring impairment in MS. About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system(ii). MS is caused by damage to myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibers in the central nervous system, resulting in disrupted nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord(iii). Symptoms of MS may include vision problems, loss of balance, numbness, difficulty walking and paralysis(iii, iv). MS is thought to affect as many as 2.5 million people worldwide, including approximately 400,000 in the United States(v). It is a disease that affects more women than men, with onset typically occurring between 20 and 50 years of age(v). Approximately 30-40 percent of all MS patients have the secondary progressive form of the disease(vi), in which irreversible disability accumulates more steadily, with or without relapses(vii). There are few treatment options available for these patients(viii). About Lilly Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world"s most urgent medical needs. About BioMS Medical Corp. BioMS Medical is a biotechnology company engaged in the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic technologies. BioMS Medical"s lead technology, dirucotide, is for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. In December 2007, BioMS entered into a licensing and development agreement granting Eli Lilly and Company exclusive worldwide rights to dirucotide in exchange for an upfront payment, milestone payments and escalating royalties on sales. This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which reflect the current expectation of Lilly and BioMS regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changing market conditions, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the establishment of corporate alliances, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company"s ongoing quarterly and annual reporting. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly"s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and BioMS" filings with SEDAR. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. References (i) Wucherpfennig KW, Weiner HL, Hafler DA. T-cell recognition of myelin basic protein. Immunology Today, 1991; 12: 277-282. (ii) Ransohoff, R.M. Natalizumab for Multiple Sclerosis. New England Journal of Medicine, 2007 Jun; 356; 25: 2622. (iii) National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "Symptoms." (iv) National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "What is MS?" (v) National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "Who gets MS? Patterns in the Distribution of MS." (vi) Markowitz, C. Dirucotide (MBP8298) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Therapy, 2008. 5(5): 1. (vii) National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "Four Disease Courses of MS: Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS)." (viii) Multiple Sclerosis Society. "Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: How do you know when you have become secondary progressive? Eli Lilly and Company


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009