Pharma Business Week articles from February 2009

Pharma Business Week archives from February 2009

Research breakthrough targets genetic diseases.
February 2, 2009... A cure for debilitating genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease, Friedreich's ataxia and Fragile X syndrome is a step closer to reality, thanks to a recent scientific breakthrough (see also Research Australia). The finding, which was...

Scripps Florida scientists find novel use for old compound in cancer treatment.
February 2, 2009... The compound, ?-difluoromethylornithine or DFMO, targets the activity of a specific enzyme and, even in very limited doses, is effective in protecting against the malignancy in animal models (see also Scripps Research Institute). The study...

Cell biologists identify new tumor suppressor for lung cancer.
February 2, 2009... Cancer and cell biology experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help scientists develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer (see also University of Cincinnati). The study,...

Genetic testing not cost-effective in guiding initial dosing of common blood thinner.(Report)
February 2, 2009... New analyses led by the University of Cincinnati (UC) show that genetic testing used to guide initial dosing of the blood-thinner warfarin may not be cost-effective for typical patients with atrial fibrillation but may be for patients at higher...

Researchers genetically link Lou Gehrig's disease in humans to dog disease.
February 2, 2009... An incurable, paralyzing disease in humans is now genetically linked to a similar disease in dogs. Researchers from the University of Missouri and the Broad Institute have found that the genetic mutation responsible for degenerative myelopathy...

Neose Technologies Receives Additional Staff Determination from Nasdaq Global Market.
February 2, 2009... Neose Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqGM:NTEC) announced that on January 12, 2009 it received an additional Staff Determination from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department (the oDepartmento) indicating that the CompanyEs failure to hold an...

Rewrite the textbooks: Transcription is bidirectional.
February 9, 2009... Genes that contain instructions for making proteins make up less than 2% of the human genome. Yet, for unknown reasons, most of our genome is transcribed into RNA. The same is true for many other organisms that are easier to study than humans....

Astrocytes regulate sleep pressure and memory deficits associated with sleep deprivation.
February 9, 2009... Scientists have discovered an unexpected brain mechanism that modulates the regulation of sleep and the consequences of sleep deprivation. The research, published by Cell Press in the January 29th issue of the journal Neuron, opens new avenues...

Here's venom in your eye: Spitting cobras hit their mark.
February 9, 2009... Spitting cobras have an exceptional ability to spray venom into eyes of potential attackers. A new study published in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology reveals how these snakes maximize their chances of hitting the target (see also...

Study finds MRSA in Midwestern swine, workers.
February 9, 2009... The first study documenting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in swine and swine workers in the United States has been published by University of Iowa researchers (see also University of Iowa). The investigators found a...

New treatment reduces severity of asthma attacks in preschoolers.
February 9, 2009... This release is available in French (see also University of Montreal). Montreal, January 22, 2009 u The largest study of its kind on preschoolers has demonstrated that preventive treatment with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids is...

Akorn Announces Management Change.
February 9, 2009... Akorn, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKRX) announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer, Arthur Przybyl, is leaving the company and that, pending selection of a new President and Chief Executive Officer, a committee of three board members will...

CompCare Acquires Core Corporate Consulting Group, Inc.
February 9, 2009... Comprehensive Care Corporation (OTCBB:CHCR) (CompCare) announced that it has acquired 100% of Core Corporate Consulting Group, Inc.Es (oCoreEso) stock (see also Comprehensive Care Corporation). Core is a company specializing in the...

EXACT Sciences Regains NASDAQ Compliance.
February 9, 2009... EXACT Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ: EXAS) announced that the Company received a determination from The NASDAQ Stock Market indicating that the Company has evidenced full compliance with all requirements for continued listing on The NASDAQ...

HealthWyse Executive Honored as Guest Speaker at Medical Records Institute Seminar.
February 9, 2009... Andrew Braunstein, co-founder and chief technology officer of HealthWyse, LLC, will be honored as a guest speaker at Medical Records InstituteEs Wireless Health Opportunity Forum on Thursday, February 5, 2009 in Palm Springs, CA. The forum is...

Forbes Names Illumina America's Fastest-Growing Technology Company for Second Time.
February 9, 2009... Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced that Forbes named it to the top of the 2009 list of 25 Fastest-Growing Technology Companies in the United States. This is the second time in the past three years that Forbes has ranked Illumina #1 on its...

Merge Healthcare Sets Fourth Quarter Earnings Call Date.(Financial report)
February 9, 2009... Merge Healthcare Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRGE) will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss fourth quarter and 2008 financial results on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 4:15 PM Eastern Time. The Company anticipates that the results will be...

The Automation Partnership Launches New High-Throughput Nano-Litre Plate Production System at LabAutomation 2009.
February 9, 2009... The Automation Partnership (TAP) launched its latest development, a new high throughput nano-litre plate production system, at the LabAutomation Conference in Palm Springs, CA, USA this week (see also TAP). Coda (TM) has been developed to...

2 immune-system proteins linked to colitis-associated cancer.
February 16, 2009... Recent research from the laboratory of Michael Karin, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine u the first researcher to demonstrate a molecular link between inflammation and cancer u has identified two potential...

USC study finds that green tea blocks benefits of cancer drug.
February 16, 2009... Contrary to popular assumptions about the health benefits of green tea, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that the widely used supplement renders a cancer drug used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell...

Exercise underutilized for chronic back and neck pain.
February 16, 2009... Exercise is commonly used to improve physical function, decrease symptoms and minimize disability caused by chronic low back or neck pain. Numerous randomized trials and clinical practice guidelines have supported this practice, and studies...

Research from Erasmus University has provided new information about Alzheimer disease.(Clinical report)
February 16, 2009... "Cross-sectional reports suggest that statin users are less likely to have Alzheimer disease (AD). Prospective studies have provided inconsistent evidence," scientists in Netherlands report (see also Alzheimer Disease). "Moreover, it is...

Research from Washington University, Medical Department in the area of anesthesia described.
February 16, 2009... "Femoral nerve blockade has been purported to be an effective regional anesthetic in patients undergoing various procedures to lower extremities. Femoral nerve blockade will provide improved postoperative pain control over a local anesthetic in...

Affymax to Present at BIO CEO and Investor Conference.(Conference news)
February 16, 2009... Affymax, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFY) announced that Arlene Morris, president and chief executive officer, will present at the 11th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, at 2:15 p.m. ET at the Waldorf Astoria in New York...

Catalyst Health Solutions to Present at the UBS Global Healthcare Service Conference.(Conference news)
February 16, 2009... Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHSI) announced that David T. Blair, Chief Executive Officer and Hai Tran, Chief Financial Officer, are scheduled to present at the UBS Global Healthcare Service Conference on Monday, February 9, 2009, at...

CLC Bio Launches Largest Software Update to Date and Now Includes Gene Expression Analyses.
February 16, 2009... CLC bio just launched major updates to all their workbenches, resulting in the largest software update in the company's history. Other than a wide range of new features and improvements within sequence analysis, CLC bioEs two top software...

Clinical Data, Inc. To Present at BIO CEO & Investor Conference.(Conference news)
February 16, 2009... Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA), announced that Drew Fromkin, President and Chief Executive Officer, will be presenting a corporate overview at the BIO CEO & Investor Conference on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at The Waldorf-Astoria in New...

Illumina Presents Development Roadmap for Scaling its Genome Analyzer.
February 16, 2009... Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) unveiled a development roadmap for its Genome Analyzer system that charts a path to generate greater than 95 Gigabases of high quality data per run in 2009. This roadmap, which was presented at a user-group meeting...

Inhibitex to Present at the 11th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference.(Conference news)
February 16, 2009... Inhibitex, Inc. (Nasdaq: INHX) announced that it will present at the BIO CEO & Investor Conference on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. EST from the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York, NY. Russell H. Plumb, president and chief executive...

MDVIP Announces Bret Jorgensen Chief Executive Officer.
February 16, 2009... MDVIP, Inc., the national network of physicians specializing in personalized preventive medicine, announced that it has appointed Bret Jorgensen as Chief Executive Officer of the company after a nationwide search (see also MDVIP, Inc.). ...

NCPDP Reports Record Growth in Membership in 2008 and Predicts Banner Year in 2009.
February 16, 2009... The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) announced record breaking membership and achievements in 2008 as industry leaders joined together to build critical standards and infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of...

Routine scans for low-back pain do not improve outcomes.
February 23, 2009... Physicians should not immediately order routine scans for low-back pain unless they observe features of a serious underlying condition, researchers in the Oregon Evidence-Based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University report. Their...

MRI shows brain atrophy pattern that predicts Alzheimer's.
February 23, 2009... Using special MRI methods, researchers have identified a pattern of regional brain atrophy in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that indicates a greater likelihood of progression to Alzheimer's disease. The findings are published in...

Stroke therapy window might be extended past nine hours for some.
February 23, 2009... Some patients who suffer a stroke as a result of a blockage in an artery in the brain may benefit from a clot-busting drug nine or more hours after the onset of symptoms. The findings are published in the online edition of Radiology (see also...

New treatment hope for prostate cancer.
February 23, 2009... Scientists at Melbourne's Burnet Institute have developed a potential new treatment for patients with prostate cancer. An article, which described the invention, has recently been published in the prestigious international journal The Journal...

Gut bacteria can manufacture defenses against cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
February 23, 2009... Bacteria naturally present in the human gut could produce substances that help to protect against colon cancer and provide therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. In a paper published in the journal Microbiology, researchers from the University...

Auto Injury Solutions Launches Provider Desktop.
February 23, 2009... Auto Injury Solutions Inc, (AIS) a leading provider of medical claim management tools for the auto insurance industry announced the launch of its provider transaction portal,Provider Desktop, featuring the on-line capability for a New Jersey...

Stimulus Package Pushes for More Technology in Hospitals and Clinics.
February 23, 2009... The following is a statement from Medsphere Systems Corporation: WHAT: Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of Open Source healthcare IT solutions, anticipates the transition to a new era this week with Congressional approval for...

Oculus Innovative Sciences to Present at the Roth Capital Partners 21st Annual OC Growth Stock Conference.(Conference news)
February 23, 2009... Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLS) announced that Hoji Alimi, the companyEs CEO and founder, will present a corporate overview and business update at the Roth Capital Partners 21st Annual OC Growth Stock Conference to be held at...

Hospitals, Healthcare Providers to Save with Premier's Specialty Distribution - Suture and Endomechanical Products Agreement.
February 23, 2009... Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, announced a new agreement for specialty distribution u suture and endomechanical products has been awarded to Suture Express, Inc. of Lenexa, Kan (see also Premier Inc.). Effective February 1, 2009, the 36...