Medical Device Industry Headlines
Why Females Fare Better Than Males After Traumatic Injury
A study published in the September 2010 issue of SHOCK by Dr. Ed W. Childs and colleagues at Scott & White Healthcare looks at how female versus male rats fared after suffering a trauma and subsequent hemorrhagic shock who were given Estradiol (estrogen). In the study, the Estradiol prevented vascular permeability following hemorrhagic shock. "We've always known that females fare better than males after traumatic injury, but we never knew why, now we know a potential mechanism," said Ed W. Childs, M.D...
…Crohn's Disease: Risk Of Surgery Lower Than Reported In Recent Studies
A new multi-center study of 854 children with Crohn's disease shows a 5-year cumulative risk of bowel surgery is significantly lower than reported in recent studies. The findings of the study, led by Hasbro Children's Hospital, also indicate that children diagnosed between ages 13 and 16 had an increased risk of bowel surgery, and that a common treatment that begins at diagnosis, immunomodulator therapy, did not alter the risk of surgery. The study is published in the September 2010 edition of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology...
…Study Finds Privatizing Sweden's Retail Alcohol Sales Will Increase Alcohol-Related Violence And Other Harms
A study published in the scientific journal Addiction argues that privatising Sweden's government monopoly on the sale of alcohol will significantly increase alcohol-related violence and other harms. Depending on the type of privatisation, experts predict that total alcohol consumption in Sweden will increase by 17 - 37%, with thousands more alcohol-related deaths, assaults, and drunk driving offences per year and up to 11 million more days of sick leave. Systembolaget, the Swedish Alcohol Retail Monopoly, currently controls the off-premises sale, within Sweden, of all beverages over 3...
…Group Health Study Reveals That People Want To Be Asked Before Sharing Genetic Data
People want to be informed and asked for consent before deciding whether to let researchers share their genetic information in a federal database. This is according to a team of investigators at Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington (UW). The team's report, called "Glad You Asked," is in the September 2010 Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics. To the team's knowledge, it is the first to ask research participants' opinions about the need for informed consent for sharing their own information...
…Chronic Insomnia With Objectively Measured Short Sleep Duration Is Associated With Increased Mortality In Men
A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found an elevated risk of death in men with a complaint of chronic insomnia and an objectively measured short sleep duration. The results suggest that public health policy should emphasize the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of chronic insomnia. Compared to men without insomnia who slept for six hours or more, men with chronic insomnia who slept for less than six hours were four times more likely to die during the 14-year follow-up period (odds ratio = 4.33)...
…Research Reveals Higher Rates Of Substance Use By Hispanic Students
Hispanic middle school students may be more likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana than their peers of other races and ethnicities, whereas Asian students seem to have the lowest risk, according to new research in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study, of 5,500 seventh- and eighth-graders at 16 California schools, found that young Hispanic adolescents were more likely than other students to have ever used alcohol, cigarettes or marijuana...
…Allergan Receives FDA Approval For LUMIGAN(R) 0.01% As First-Line Therapy Indicated For The Reduction Of Elevated Intraocular Pressure In Glaucoma
Allergan, Inc. (NYSE:AGN) announced the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved LUMIGAN® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.01% as a first-line therapy indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. LUMIGAN® 0.01% is an optimized reformulation of LUMIGAN® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%. "The approval of LUMIGAN® 0...
…Quidel Announces FDA Clearance Of Its RapidVue(R) HCG Pregnancy Lateral Flow Diagnostic Test
Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL), a leading provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the sale of Quidel's RapidVue® hCG test, a lateral flow pregnancy immunoassay for the qualitative detection of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)...
…White House Drug Policy Director Awards $85.6 Million To Local Communities To Prevent Youth Drug Use
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), announced $22 million in new Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC) grants to 169 communities and 16 new DFC Mentoring grants across the country. The awards announced today are in addition to the $63 million in Continuation grants simultaneously released to 549 currently funded DFC coalitions and seven DFC Mentoring Continuation coalitions. These grants provide community coalitions needed support to prevent and reduce youth substance use...
…Shionogi Announces Positive Outcome To The Decentralized Procedure For The European Approval Of Twinject(R) (Epinephrine Auto-Injector)
Shionogi Inc., a U.S.-based group company of Shionogi & Co., Ltd., announced a positive outcome to the European Decentralized Procedure for the approval of Twinject® (epinephrine auto-injector) following a communication from the UK Regulatory Authority (MHRA) as Reference Member State and the agreement of all the Concerned Member States that the product is approvable, a notification which has been conveyed to the company's Shionogi Ireland subsidiary. Twinject®, available in 0.15mg/0.15ml and 0.30mg/0...
…St. Jude Doctors And Scientists Team Up To Fight Childhood Cancer
Survival rates overall for childhood cancer are almost 80 percent a marked advance against a disease that was curable in only a small fraction of children 50 years ago. However, despite progress, pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of death due to disease among U.S. children older than 1 year of age. While September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month nationwide, at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the fight against this disease is a year-round mission...
…Oral Supplements Enhance Effectiveness Of Botox Injections
Taking a dietary supplement of organic zinc and the enzyme phytase four days before receiving botulinum toxin injections made the toxin more effective in 93 percent of patients tested in a recent study at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. Dr. Charles Soparkar's research has resulted in a patent-pending dietary supplement combining zinc and phytase (trademarked as ZYTAZE™) to be available to patients as early as this month. Forty-one of the 44 patients who took the oral supplements prior to botulinum toxin injections (Botox®, Dysport®, or Myobloc®) showed improved results...
…Revaccination Could Benefit HIV-Infected Children
HIV-infected children receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may require revaccination to maintain immunity against preventable diseases. There remains no standard or official recommendation on revaccination of children receiving HAART, an effective intervention in reducing morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected children...
…Health Informatics Partnership Is Launched To Expand Informatics Work Force, Improve Health Globally
AMIA, the U.S.-based association for informatics professionals, has launched a non-profit, wholly owned subsidiary organization called the Global Health Informatics Partnership (GHIP) to serve as an international center for collaborative initiatives on health informatics. With generous operational support from AMIA, GHIP (say "gee-hip"), aims to build grassroots networks of health informatics advocates and professionals that will result in strengthened health informatics capacity in low-resource settings, primarily in South America, Africa, and Asia...
…Sun Pharma Announces USFDA Approval For Generic Strattera(R) Capsules
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE:SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715) announced that USFDA has granted its subsidiary an approval for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to market a generic version of Strattera ®, atomoxetine hydrochloride capsules. These generic atomoxetine hydrochloride capsules are equivalent to Eli Lilly's Strattera ® capsules and include six strengths: 10 mg, 18 mg, 25 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, and 100 mg...
…Donation By Author J K Rowling Aids Multiple Sclerosis Research In The UK
A research clinic for multiple sclerosis patients is being set up with a 10 million pound donation from the author J K Rowling. The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh will place patients at the heart of research to improve outcomes for multiple sclerosis sufferers. This will focus on patient-based studies to help find treatments that could slow progression of the disease, working towards the eventual aim of stopping and reversing it...
…Growing Obesity, Diabetes Epidemics In California
A majority of adults in California are obese or overweight, and more than 2 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to a new study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Both conditions - which are related to each other as well as to heart disease - increased significantly in just six years, with the prevalence of diabetes alone jumping nearly 26 percent between 2001 and 2007. The "epidemic" of obesity and diabetes leaves no racial, ethnic, economic or geographic segment of the state unscathed, according to the researchers...
…Battling Cancer: New Infrared Light May Open New Frontier In The Fight
A "game-changing" technique using near infrared light enables scientists to look deeper into the guts of cells, potentially opening up a new frontier in the fights against cancer and many other diseases. University of Central Florida chemists, led by Professor Kevin Belfield, used near infrared light and fluorescent dye to take pictures of cells and tumors deep within tissue. The probes specifically target lysosomes, which act as cells' thermostats and waste processors and which have been linked to a variety of diseases, including types of mental illnesses and cancers...
…Study Suggests That Staggered Radiologist Work Shifts Improve Patient Care
Implementation of staggered radiologist work shifts can expedite the communication of urgent findings and improve patient care, according to a study in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Radiology practice in the United States is moving toward 24/7 coverage, in which it has maximized coverage for imaging such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) interpretation either by utilizing on-call radiologists with their groups or teleradiology services...
…Ovatech™ Reports Successful Completion Of Phase 2 Clinical Trial Of Ovaprene™ Non-Hormonal Intravaginal Contraceptive Ring
Ovatech, an emerging women's health-focused company, announced that the Company's Phase 2 clinical study of its non-hormonal, intravaginal contraceptive ring, Ovaprene, has been successfully completed. Ovaprene is a 'one-size-fits-all' patented, female-controlled, intravaginal organic silicone ring barrier-contraceptive that is designed to continuously release spermiostatic and spermicidal non-drug agents over a four-week period...
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