Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from February 2004

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from February 2004

Hypoglycemic agent glibenclamide found in a health food.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The hypoglycemic agent glibenclamide was found in a health food in amounts high enough to be therapeutic. According to recent research from Japan, "Glibenclamide, a sulfonylurea derivative (SU)...

Smallpox vaccination recommended for first-line medical personnel.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smallpox vaccination is recommended for first-line medical personnel who would be helping victims of a terrorist attack. "There is great concern that smallpox could be used for bioterrorism. The...

Glycoconjugates from oligosaccharides mimicking Vibrio cholerae O-PS prepared.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists report the one-pot preparation of a series of glycoconjugates with a predetermined antigen-carrier ratio from oligosaccharides that mimic the O-PS of the Vibrio cholerae O:1 serotype Ogawa....

In vitro evolution of BCG vaccines reviewed.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers review the in vitro evolution of BCG vaccines in a recent issue of the journal Vaccine. According to research from Canada and the United States, "The bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)...

RD1-encoded protein TB27.4 from M. tuberculosis elicits immune response.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The RD1-encoded protein TB27.4 (Rv3878) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis elicited a strong immune response. "In recent years, there has been considerable focus on the discovery and characterization...

GenVec, NIH expand contract to include late-stage manufacturing for HIV vaccine.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GenVec, Inc., (GNVC) announced an additional expansion of its multiyear subcontract with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the...

New survey finds Virginia's youth tuned in to antismoking ads.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An 18-month-old statewide campaign to discourage smoking and tobacco use among the next generation of Virginians is paying off, a new Harris survey shows, with overall awareness of the campaign now up...

Report shows abstinence-only education program not more effective.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An abstinence-only sex education program used in some Minnesota schools isn't working, according to an independent study commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Health. The study found that...

GT 1061 proceeds to human safety testing subsequent to FDA review of first IND.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anthony Giovinazzo, president and CEO of GB Therapeutics, Ltd., (GBt), announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed GBt's first investigational new drug application, which...

Judge OKs military anthrax vaccinations.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A federal judge has allowed the military to resume anthrax inoculations, although he questioned the timing of a government announcement declaring the vaccine safe. U.S. District Judge Emmit...

CDC to lose top vaccine expert to Emory University.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. government's top expert on immunizations will leave government service and join the faculty of Emory University, school officials say. Dr. Walter Orenstein, director of the National...

Company submits NDA for ARCOXIA.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Merck & Co., Inc., has submitted a new drug application (NDA) for ARCOXIA (etoricoxib) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Merck's NDA seeks indications for ARCOXIA for the treatment of...

New drug application submitted to FDA for Alvesco.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis and Altana announced that a new drug application (NDA) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Alvesco (ciclesonide). The companies are seeking marketing...

NIH names Alabama college national autoimmunity center of excellence.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has received a 5-year, $3.6 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish an Autoimmunity Center of Excellence - one of four...

Additional protection measures set to guard U.S. against BSE.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced additional safeguards to bolster the U.S. protection systems against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and further protect public health. "For...

FDA continues ban on most silicone gel implants.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue its decade-plus ban on most silicone gel breast implants for now, health officials announced January 8, 2004, saying they still have serious...

NCI to evaluate Transfluor for screening GPCR receptors.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Norak Biosciences, Inc., announced that it has entered a research evaluation agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Bethesda, Maryland, and Frederick, Maryland. The agreement will...

Agency prepared to help reduce high rate of disease in Caribbean.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)-supported report presented to the Caribbean Caucus of Ministers said that well-organized programs can save lives of many women in the Caribbean, a region that...

Virulence factor identified.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chagas disease affects more than 18 million people in Latin America. The agent responsible is a protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted by haematophagous insects. For survival in the host's...

Predictors of low-nutrient-density food consumption children reported.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers report the predictors of low-nutrient-density food consumption in U.S. children and adolescents in a recent issue of the journal Appetite. "The purpose of this study was to develop an...

Registry to study links among genetics, environment, disease.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) are developing a voluntary DNA registry to study the link among...

Mutations enhance replication of dengue virus in Vero cells.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have identified mutations that enhance the replication of dengue virus type 4 and an antigenic chimeric dengue virus type 2/4 vaccine candidate in Vero cells. According to a study from...

Automated database used to determine epidemiology of diabetes in Israeli HMO.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A large automated database was used to determine the epidemiology of diabetes in an Israeli health maintenance organization (HMO). "Diabetes is one of the most prevalent noncommunicable disease...

Water and sanitation key to health of infants in developing countries.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research among households in Peru highlights how healthy growth of infants in less-developed countries is directly related to water supply, water storage, and sanitation - children who grow up in...

Prenatal testing, antiretroviral prophylaxis reduces perinatal HIV spread in Georgia.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Increases in voluntary HIV counseling and testing among pregnant women, coupled with improved use of antiretroviral medications have resulted in very low rates ( Despite such low rates, perinatal HIV...

Largest multistate study finds needs of the dying still are unmet.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a national study on end-of-life care in the United States, Brown University researchers report the physical and emotional needs of the dying continue to be unmet, particularly for those who die in...

High levels of arsenic in chicken may require adjustment in consumption.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chicken consumption may contribute significant amounts of arsenic to total arsenic exposure of the U.S. population, according to a new study. Arsenic is an approved animal feed supplement that...

Aspergillosis can occur in sinuses; serological and culture positivity is low.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aspergillosis can occur in sinuses of immunocompetent children; serological and culture positivity is low. According to published research from India, "a retrospective study of 40 otherwise healthy...

Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid peptide vaccines show promise for HIV.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid peptide vaccines show promise for treating HIV infection. According to recent research from the United States, "The Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid acts on MHC...

CE Mark granted for Liberte coronary stent.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) announced that it has received CE Mark for its new coronary stent, the Liberte. The company plans to launch the stent immediately in Europe and other...

FDA clears B-type natriuretic peptide test.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biosite Incorporated (BSTE) announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Triage BNP Test for Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems, a diagnostic...

Virosomal hepatitis A vaccine (Epaxal) protects against infection.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A virosomal hepatitis A vaccine (Epaxal) protected against infection in young children. According to a study from Lithuania, "To evaluate the immunogenicity and tolerability of Epaxal in infants and...

Hepatitis B DNA vaccine induces protective responses in non-responders.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis B DNA vaccine induces protective antibody responses in human non-responders to conventional vaccination. According to recent research from the United States, "A novel DNA vaccine against...

Flu season appears to be waning, says CDC.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The flu season appears to be on the decline, federal officials said January 8, as they announced that influenza had killed 93 children so far. The government said 38 states, including Wisconsin,...

Two-dose regimen of influenza vaccine more efficacious than one dose.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results from an Internet-based study of the effectiveness and safety of influenza vaccination in the 2001-2002 influenza season indicate that a two-dose regimen of influenza vaccine is more efficacious...

Medicaid being misused by some in Kentucky for prescription-drug pedaling.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some Medicaid recipients in Kentucky are using their benefits to sell prescription drugs illegally for profit or to supply their own addictions, authorities say. Police and prosecutors in rural...

Appeals ruling could expand medical treatment for illegal immigrants in North Carolina.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- North Carolina must broaden its Medicaid coverage for illegal immigrants to allow for longer-term treatment of serious health problems, the state Court of Appeals ruled January 6, 2004. The ruling...

CMS announces special geographic classification appeals procedure.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a notice outlining procedures for hospitals meeting specific criteria to follow to request reclassification to geographic areas with higher...

CMS issues payment reforms for hospital outpatient services.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule with comment period revising payment policies for hospital outpatient services to Medicare beneficiaries. The rule...

Physicians to get payment increases in 2004.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule on December 31, 2003, that increases payments to more than 875,000 physicians and other healthcare professionals for services under...

Report: World tobacco demand set to rise until 2010, but at slower rate.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With smoking set to continue declining in developed countries while rising in poorer areas, world tobacco demand is expected to increase until the year 2010 due to population and income growth, but at...

States need to expand cessation and prevention efforts.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Because tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, efforts to reduce tobacco use must remain a public health priority, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Scientists study soy infant formula.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) in Little Rock has been conducting a 6-year study that began September 2002 to investigate the effects of soy-based infant formula compared with formulas...

McKesson selected by Veterans Affairs as supplier.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- McKesson Corp. (MCK) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which runs the nation's largest integrated healthcare system, to be the VA's pharmaceutical prime vendor. The...

U.N. says polio is spreading to countries where it had been eradicated.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed two new cases of poliovirus in Benin and Cameroon - countries where the disease had previously been eradicated. The spread of the...

Phase II clinical trials to begin for surgical treatment for presbyopia.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Refocus Group, Inc., received approval from the U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA) to begin phase II clinical trials of the company's Scleral Implants and Scleral Spacing Procedure for the surgical...

Connecticut lawmakers explore Canadian drug importation despite FDA threats.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Connecticut lawmakers, faced with a growing state budget deficit, are exploring the idea of buying cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. Leaders of the legislature's Public Health, Aging and Human...

Man indicted for trafficking counterfeit Viagra tablets.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has indicted a Glendale, California, man on charges of trafficking counterfeit Viagra tablets that were manufactured in the People's Republic of China. Khoa Twan...

Airlines better prepared to spot potential carriers.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Airline and health officials say the aviation industry is better prepared than last year for a SARS outbreak, with procedures in place to help limit the global spread of the flu-like illness and to...

WHO sends team to China to probe SARS case.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched a team of experts to Guangzhou, China, to investigate a case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The six-person group will...

FDA approves vaginal self-collection kit for the APTIMA Combo 2 assay.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gen-Probe, Inc., (GPRO) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the APTIMA Vaginal Swab Specimen Collection Kit, the first kit that enables patients to self-collect vaginal...

Company seeks FDA approval of health claims for chromium.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nutrition 21, Inc., has filed a health claim petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that the FDA allow use of eight dietary supplement health claims associating chromium...

Mimotopes of antigen of Salmonella enterica identified from peptide library.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have identified mimotopes of the Vi antigen of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi from a phage display peptide library. "The capsular polysaccharide Vi antigen (ViCPS) is an essential...

New drug application submitted for Nascobal Nasal Spray.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (QSC) and Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc., (NSTK) announced the submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a New Drug Application (NDA) seeking...

Study: Moderate physical activity benefits women as much as intense workout.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- You've heard that physical activity is important for losing weight. But how much activity? According to a new study supported by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), women...

Safety results support expansion of Neugene antisense drug program.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AVI BioPharma, Inc., (AVII) released data compiled from its phase I/II West Nile virus (WNV) clinical trial with its proprietary Neugene antisense drug, AVI-4020. The primary objective of the trial...

Japanese encephalitis vaccine partially protects against West Nile.
February 1, 2004... 2004 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccine provides partial protection against lethal West Nile virus infection in mice. According to recent research from Japan, "The effect of mouse...

When it comes to contact notification, HIV is not TB.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When it comes to contact notification, HIV infection must be treated differently than tuberculosis. According to published research from the United States, "HIV partner notification can help...

CDC provides perspective on genotyping in TB contact investigations.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides its perspective on genotyping in TB contact investigations in a recent issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease....

Fully implantable, completely electric artificial heart developed.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have developed a fully implantable, completely electric artificial heart, the 'AbioCor.' "The fully implantable complete electric artificial heart 'AbioCor' is the ultimate stage in the...

x-Height better indicator of legibility than type size for drug labels.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The height of a lower-case x is a better indicator of legibility than type size for drug labels. According to recent research published in the journal Packaging Technology and Science, "In 1999 the...

Cadmium carcinogenesis occurs via up-regulation of translation factors.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Up-regulation of the expression of translation factors is a novel molecular mechanism for cadmium carcinogenesis. "The molecular mechanisms potentially responsible for cadmium carcinogenesis were...

Atazanavir is novel azapeptide inhibitor of HIV-1 protease.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atazanavir is a novel azapeptide inhibitor of the HIV-1 protease. "Atazanavir is a novel azapeptide protease inhibitor (PI) that has been approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in...

Company submits Powerlink PMA to the FDA.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Endologix, Inc., (ELGX) announced that it has filed its completed premarket approval (PMA) submission with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the PowerLink System, an endoluminal stent...

Analysis of CD8+ T-cell response after adenovirus vaccination presented.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists provide a detailed analysis of the CD8+ T-cell response following adenovirus vaccination in a recent issue of the Journal of Virology. According to a study from Canada, "We examined CD8+...

Life satisfaction and suicide among high school adolescents explored.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Investigators explored the relation between life satisfaction and suicide among high school adolescents in a recent issue of the journal Social Indicators Research. According to recent research...

Fluconazole induces torsades de pointes in intensive care unit patient.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fluconazole and levofloxacin induced torsades de pointes in an intensive care unit patient. According to a study from the United States, " Patients initiated on fluconazole and levofloxacin should...

Rodents bred for alcohol preference live longer than rats bred for avoidance.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Statistics clearly show that alcohol consumption can be detrimental to one's health by increasing the chances of accidents, criminal activities and health problems. However, little research has...

510(k) filed with FDA for next generation monitor.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physiometrix, Inc., (PHYX) has submitted a 510(k) application to obtain clearance for commercial distribution of its PSA 5000 next generation monitor to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ...

Lecithins and bile salts inhibit apoptosis in mouse cholangiocytes.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lecithins and cytoprotective bile salts inhibit bile salt-induced apoptosis in immortalized mouse cholangiocytes. "Bile duct epithelium is physiologically exposed to high concentrations of bile...

WHO: Bird flu not moving human to human.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health officials are hoping a chicken flu that has killed at least three people in Vietnam won't start spreading from person to person, and a genetic study has provided encouragement, a health agency...

FDA issues "not approvable" letter for amended silicone gel breast implant PMA.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inamed Corp. (IMDC), has received a "Not Approvable" letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The letter outlines the additional information that Inamed must provide prior to the...

FDA says "not yet" to silicone gel breast implants; ASAPS comments.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) respects the scientific inquiry and regulatory process that led the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration] to its current conclusion not to...

Mentor comments on new FDA breast implant guidance.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- William F. Coffin, 818-789-0100 Mentor Corp. (MNT) responded to the new draft guidance document for breast implant sponsors that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released. Chris...

Tomato parasite shares antigens with Trypanosoma cruzi.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phytomonas serpens, a tomato parasite, shares antigens with Trypanosoma cruzi that are recognized by human sera and induce protective immunity in mice. According to published research from Brazil,...

IND filed for phase I/II trial of MagneTarg system to deliver mitomycin C.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- FeRx, Inc., a targeted drug delivery company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed the phase I/II clinical trial submitted in an investigational new drug (IND) application...

NO synthase polymorphisms linked to pulmonary hypertension in COPD.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gene polymorphisms of endothelial nitric oxide synthase enzyme were associated with pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). According to recent...

Primary endpoint achieved in Prialt phase III trial.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Elan Corporation, plc announced that its recent phase III trial for Prialt (ziconotide) met its primary endpoint in patients with severe chronic pain who had not achieved pain relief with other...

Alliance to develop, commercialize influenza vaccines.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis (AVE) and Crucell N.V. (CRXL) announced that they have entered into a strategic agreement to further develop and commercialize novel influenza vaccine products based on Crucell's proprietary...

Drug makers sign deal to develop combined diabetes product from Actos, Fortamet.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Andrx Corporation of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, (ADRX) and Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, have entered into an agreement to develop and market a combination product consisting of...

Company responds to reports of phase II VELCADE colorectal trial closure.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (MLNM) clarified that based on the completion of a prespecified interim analysis, the company has decided to stop further accrual to its phase II trial examining the...

FDA grants tentative approval for generic Ortho Tri-Cyclen.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Andrx Corporation (ADRX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tentatively approved the company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Ortho Tri-Cyclen...

Depression plan accelerated, fiscal 2004 guidance revised at pharmaceutical firm.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cyberonics, Inc., (CYBX) announced acceleration of its U.S. depression plan and revised guidance for the third and fourth quarters of its fiscal year ending April 30, 2004. "We are accelerating all...

Treatment in prison can prevent disease outside, says U.S. Surgeon General.
February 8, 2004... 2004 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cooperation between its health department and prison system has helped Mississippi do something unique: steadily reduce tuberculosis cases for more than a decade, a federal official said. ...