Disease

8 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 8 June 2009, 73 countries have officially reported 25,288 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 139 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table.

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

June 8, 2009 -- Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., today became the 16th director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). He was named director of CDC by the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services on May 15.

Dr. Frieden, 48, has been the director of the New York City (NYC) Health Department since 2002. He is an infectious disease expert and has lead initiatives that support wellness and prevention. He replaces Dr. Richard Besser who has been the acting CDC director and acting ATSDR administrator since mid January. Dr. Besser returns to his role as director of CDC’s Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response.    » read more »

SIMSBURY, Conn., Jun 08, 2009 -- The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG) today announced it is joining forces with the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) to offer a product aimed at helping Americans protect their physical and financial health against cancer.

In an ongoing effort to battle the disease and support cancer survivors, The Hartford has launched the LIVESTRONG Wellness Protection Plan, a guaranteed-issue, multi-benefit product that helps promote early detection of cancer and financial protection in the case of a diagnosis.    » read more »

5 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 5 June 2009, 69 countries have officially reported 21,940 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 125 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table:

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

Tasigna® shows rapid and deep responses in newly diagnosed patients with a form of chronic myeloid leukemia

Basel, June 5, 2009 - New data show that at 12 months newly diagnosed patients taking Tasigna® (nilotinib) to treat a life-threatening form of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) had rapid responses and a deep reduction in the amount of the abnormal protein that causes this disease.

"Tasigna now demonstrates potential to achieve remarkable responses in newly diagnosed patients," said Gianantonio Rosti, MD, Institute of Hematology Seràgnoli, Bologna University, Bologna, Italy, and lead study investigator. "These positive data suggest that, one day, Tasigna may offer patients another front-line treatment option."    » read more »

Senator introduces "Healthy Living, Healthy Aging Demonstration Project Act of 2009"

June 4, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Seeking to curb the cost of Medicare by promoting healthy lifestyles that lower the incidence of chronic disease, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the “Healthy Living, Healthy Aging Demonstration Project Act of 2009.”

The legislation would establish a demonstration project to evaluate strategies to lower rates of chronic disease for individuals who are about to enter the Medicare program. Up to six eligible partnerships between public health departments and health centers or rural health clinics would be awarded five-year grants for participating in the demonstration project.    » read more »

Statement of Worldwatch Senior Researcher Danielle Nierenberg to Mexican Congress

June 3, 2009 --
Washington, D.C. -- As health officials scramble to develop a vaccine for the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, there is reason to believe that the current swell is merely a sign of the larger pandemic to come. We should regard the current outbreak of H1N1 as a bad dress rehearsal for opening night. It is not a question of whether the virus will reemerge, but when, and we are woefully unprepared.    » read more »

Attached is an addition to the supplemental request currently being considered by Congress.

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- June 2, 2009 -- Dear Madam Speaker: On April 30, I wrote to you to request funding for the 2009 H1Nl flu outbreak. Since this request, we have learned much about the outbreak and the level of national response that possibly could be necessary in the coming months. There also remains much uncertainty about the outbreak and its potential to return during the upcoming flu season in the United States.    » read more »

June 03, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine released the following statement today regarding the Commonwealth's first confirmed death associated with the H1N1 influenza virus commonly known as "swine flu":

"The news today that the Commonwealth has witnessed its first death associated with the H1N1 influenza virus is a sad and sharp reminder that Virginians must remain vigilant against the spread of this potentially fatal illness. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the young woman who passed away this afternoon in Chesapeake.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- “It is with deep sadness that we learn that New York has lost an Onondaga County resident to an illness related to the H1N1 influenza. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my sincere condolences and prayers to his family and friends during their time of grief.

“As more cases of H1N1 are identified in New York State, unfortunately, we expect some cases to be fatal, especially for those who contract the virus and have underlying medical conditions. This is consistent with what we see during our influenza season each year. Annually, there are approximately 2,000 deaths in New York State from seasonal influenza and an estimated 36,000 deaths nationwide.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- London, UK -- GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Concert Pharmaceuticals announced today that they will collaborate to develop and commercialise deuterium-containing medicines. The deal includes three of Concert’s research and development programs; namely, CTP-518, a protease inhibitor for the treatment of HIV expected to enter Phase I clinical trials in the second half of 2009, a preclinical compound for chronic renal disease, and a third research product in Concert’s pipeline.

Concert will also provide GSK with deuterium-modified versions of three GSK pipeline compounds for GSK to develop.    » read more »

Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health (NVGH) developing bivalent vaccine to prevent Typhoid, which affects over 21 million people worldwide annually

June 04, 2009 -- Basel, June 4, 2009 - Novartis announced that the Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health (NVGH) has been awarded a grant from the Wellcome Trust to develop a bivalent vaccine for Typhoid fever, a disease that affects more than 21 million people worldwide every year.    » read more »

Mechelen, Belgium, (May 28 2009): Virco BVBA has today signed a global research and development, non-exclusive licensing agreement with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc (NY, USA). Under this agreement Siemens is providing Virco a license which will enable Virco to develop and commercialize a new hepatitis C research service testing platform.

This platform will initially be utilized by pharmaceutical companies for drug development support of the new hepatitis C virus (HCV) antivirals. The platform will have the potential to provide HCV clinical diagnostic testing services in the future.    » read more »

1 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 1 June 2009, 62 countries have officially reported 17 410 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 115 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table.

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

Development May Help Shed Light on Disease in Animals and Protect Human Populations

JUPITER, FL, May 28, 2009—Current tests to identify specific strains of infectious prions, which cause a range of transmissible diseases (such as mad cow) in animals and humans, can take anywhere from six months to a year to yield results—a time-lag that may put human populations at risk.

Now, a group of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute's Florida campus have developed a new method that cuts this critical time lag by several months.

The new research was published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE on May 29, 2009.    » read more »