Virus Weekly articles from February 2002

Virus Weekly archives from February 2002

Computational Subtraction Detects Foreign Microbes.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A powerful new method called computational subtraction detects foreign bacteria and viruses in human tissue samples even if the organisms haven't previously been encountered. The microbe-hunting...

Antiviral Drugs Reduce Herpesvirus 6 Replication.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that antiviral therapy may help protect stem cell graft recipients from herpesvirus-6-based disorders. "Human...

Smallpox May Be Kept For Research.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acting on fears of bioterrorism, the World Health Organization's governing body has reversed a long-standing order for the destruction of all smallpox virus stocks and recommended they be retained for...

DNA Vaccine Expressing Human Papillomavirus Gene Invites Viral Immunity.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - An experimental vaccine containing genes for the human papillomavirus 16-L1 (HPV16-L1) protein has shown promising results for halting tumor growth and...

HIV-Like Virus Detected In Wild Chimpanzee.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An international team of researchers has identified a wild chimpanzee infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVcpz). The identification of the infected animal strengthens the scientific case...

Tests Reveal No Systemic Adverse Effects From MDI-P.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Discoveries, Inc., (MDI) announced that test results from WIL Research Laboratories have indicated that MDI-P, MDI's proprietary AIDS drug, produced no systemic toxicity in laboratory animal...

Sandra Lehrman Joins Panacos Pharmaceuticals Board of Directors.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Panacos Pharmaceuticals has appointed Sandra Nusinoff Lehrman, MD, to its board of directors. Lehrman has more than 18 years of experience in senior executive management within the pharmaceutical and...

Genzyme Molecular Oncology Receives Patent Relating To SPHERE Technology.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genzyme Molecular Oncology announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,338,945 ('945) relating to its high throughput screening technology known as SPHERE. The method described in the patent...

Rubella Almost Eradicated In The United States.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study of the incidence and characteristics of rubella (also known as German measles) cases reported in the United States from 1990 through 1999 shows record low levels of the disease. However, the...

Start Of Pilot Program Should Improve Healthcare Delivery In Africa.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PharmAccess International (PAI) announced the start of the CARE partnership pilot program to deliver comprehensive HIV healthcare in four African centers. Together with support and funding from...

Positive Phase Ia Clinical Trial Results For XTL-002 Announced.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- XTL Biopharmaceuticals, Ltd., announced positive clinical data on the antiviral activity and safety of XTL-002, being developed for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Results of...

Quantitative PCR Testing Enables Rapid Screening For Rift Valley Fever Virus.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in France have developed a novel technique for detecting Rift Valley fever virus in patients living in underdeveloped areas. "The Rift Valley...

Production Issue Prevents Tamiflu Liquid Suspension's Release This Flu Season.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche has confirmed that there is a production issue with the Tamiflu oral suspension formulation and that the drug is not currently available in liquid form for distribution in the United States. ...

PKIDs Report Explains The ABCs Of Hepatitis A-E.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The national nonprofit agency PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases) has released a report examining how viral hepatitis affects children's health and its medical, emotional, and civil rights...

Blocking Transmission Of HIV Virus Between Partners.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... 2002 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and their colleagues have made a significant advance in understanding how to block the transmission of the AIDS virus from one sexual...

Antiretroviral Treatment Has Little Effect On Anal Morbidity.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Intensive antiretroviral HIV therapy does not appear to alter the course of anal morbidity associated with the infection, researchers in the United States...

Synthetic RNA Can Knock Out Function Of RSV Genes.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Alabama have described how synthetic inhibitory double-stranded RNA (siRNA) can be used to knock out the function of specific respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genes....

Minority Patients Slower To Start, Faster To Drop Antiretroviral Treatments.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Minority AIDS patients in the United States are more likely to start antiretroviral treatments late and less likely to continue using these drugs, researchers...

American Liver Foundation Issues Advisory Concerning Shortage Of Peg-Intron.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Liver Foundation (ALF) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) have been informed that the heavy demand for pegylated interferon alfa-2b (Peg-Intron) has...

RSV Recommendations Issued.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Winter brings the risk of a common and potentially dangerous virus called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common virus that is a leading cause of pneumonia and severe - and sometimes fatal -...

David Martin Is New VP, Drug Development.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced the appointment of David E. Martin, PharmD, to the position of Vice President, Drug Development. Martin joins Panacos from Bristol-Myers Squibb (formerly...

Former EluSys Therapeutics President Joins Board.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi (NABI) announced that Stephen G. Sudovar, President and Chief Executive Officer of EluSys Therapeutics, Inc., of Pine Brook, New Jersey, has joined its Board of Directors, bringing Nabi's Board to...

Confirmed Cases In Hawaii Increase to 102.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hawaii's state Department of Health has reported four new cases of dengue fever, including three on Maui, raising the statewide total to 102 as of January 23, 2002. Three of the confirmed cases...

Death Toll From Outbreak Rises To 34 In Central Africa.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ebola has claimed five more victims in Gabon, news reports said on January 26, 2002, bringing the death toll from the disease in two Central African countries to 34. The new deaths were reported...

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards 3-Year Grant to AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a grant of $600,000 over 3 years to the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC). Founded in 1995, AVAC is a consumer-based advocacy organization...

Bush Proposes Major Raise for NIH, Including $1.5 Billion In Bioterror Research.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is proposing the largest raise ever for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) - a $3.7 billion increase, almost half of which will go to bioterrorism research. ...

Triangle Plans NDA Submission for Coviracil, Discontinues Work On Coactinon.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VIRS) has provided updated information on the development of two of its HIV compounds, Coviracil and Coactinon. Following recent discussions with the U.S. Food and...

VA Launches Four Hepatitis Centers.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In its continuing efforts to provide care to more than 80,000 veterans infected with hepatitis C, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has funded four new centers to evaluate and improve hepatitis C...

Employers' Group Launches FluSTAR System.(Brief Article)
February 12, 2002... 2002 FEB 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Employers' Managed Health Care Association has launched a new service to help employees understand, identify, and seek treatment for the flu - the FluSTAR System for tracking and reporting the flu....

Prednisolone Doesn't Protect Against Allergic Reactions To Antivirals.(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The anti-inflammatory agent prednisolone is ineffective against antiretroviral-induced allergic reactions, researchers warn. Dr. Ferdinand W.N.M. Wit led...

Swine Veterinarians Have Greater Risk For HEV Infection.(hepatitis E virus )(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Veterinarians who treat or perform research on swine during the course of their careers may have a higher risk for acquiring hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection...

Interferon-(gamma) Improves Response To Interferon-(alpha) In Hepatitis C.
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Insufficient T-cell response can leave some patients battling hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection despite extended treatment with interferon (IFN)-(alpha)....

Research Consortium Targets Flaviviruses.(Novirio Pharmaceuticals Ltd. et al)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novirio Pharmaceuticals announced the award of Euro 1.9 million from the European Commission to fund a research project entitled "Flavitherapeutics." The consortium, made up of Novirio...

West Nile Virus Heading Toward Texas.
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Texans living near water are accustomed to annual warnings about St. Louis encephalitis. Now, they are being warned of a new virus sure to make its way into the state - West Nile encephalitis. ...

Intermittent Treatment Can Reduce Cost, Complications.(antiretroviral treatment )(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Controlled interruptions in antiretroviral treatment can reduce the morbidity - and high cost - associated with such therapy, researchers in the United States...

Viral Library May Aid Vaccine Development.(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Japan and Thailand have developed an HIV viral library to facilitate the search for antiviral vaccines. "A major hindrance in HIV vaccine...

Germ-Fighting Office Out To Defend Country Against Deadly Outbreaks.
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- They're the Green Berets of the germ world. They gather intelligence on invading armies of lethal microbes and then try to force them to retreat. They must be ready to leave their families for...

Number Of Britons With HIV Set To Rise, Government Says.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The number of people infected with HIV in Britain will rise by almost 50% by 2005, health chiefs said January 31, 2002. The latest projections suggest the number living with the human...

Drugs To Prevent Graft Rejection Worsen Liver Disease In Those With Hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Immunosuppressive drugs designed for extending survival in kidney transplant patients may actually lead to worsened liver disease in transplant recipients also...

Invasive Procedures Causing Infection Rates To Expand In Cirrhosis Patients.(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Epidemiologists in Spain have determined that the number of liver cirrhosis patients experiencing bacterial infection as a result of undergoing invasive...

Medecins Sans Frontieres Imports Generic AIDS Drugs In Challenge To Patent Laws.(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Frustrated at South Africa's refusal to legalize cheap copies of patented AIDS drugs, an international humanitarian organization has announced it will import the medicines anyway. Medecins Sans...

Millions of Children Vaccinated In Bangladesh.(polio)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly 20 million children under 5 years old received doses of polio vaccine and vitamin A in the first round January 27, 2002, of the 10th National Immunization Day, the health ministry said. The...

Synagis For Respiratory Disease Approved In Japan.(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MedImmune, Inc., (MEDI) announced that Synagis (palivizumab) was approved on January 17, 2002, by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW). MedImmune also said that Synagis - for...

International Agreement Signed To Distribute Hepatitis Antibody Product.(Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Corp., Cankat Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Lt.)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... 2002 FEB 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi (NABI) announced the signing of its first international distribution agreement for Nabi-HB [hepatitis B immune globulin (human)] with Cankat Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Lt. of Ankara, Turkey. ...