Disease

01 June 2009 -- AstraZeneca and Merck & Co., Inc. today announced a collaboration to research a novel combination anticancer regimen composed of two investigational compounds, MK-2206 from Merck and AZD6244 (ARRY-886*) from AstraZeneca.

Preclinical evidence indicates that combined administration of these compounds could enhance their anticancer properties. This is the first time that two large pharmaceutical companies have established a collaboration to evaluate the potential for combining candidate molecules at such an early stage of development. The collaboration will more quickly advance a potentially promising anticancer treatment. In general, such combinations would only be studied when one or both of the drugs has entered late-stage development or received marketing approval.    » read more »

29 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 29 May 2009, 53 countries have officially reported 15,510 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 99 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 »

Washington, D.C. (May 28, 2009)—The American Lung Association joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in calling attention to the global epidemic of death and disease caused by tobacco use on World No Tobacco Day taking place on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

This year, World No Tobacco Day will focus on the urgent need for graphic health warnings to be placed on all tobacco products in order to reduce the deadly impact tobacco use has on the global community. According to the WHO, tobacco use kills 5.4 million people every year and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide. In the United States, the tobacco caused death toll ends more than 393,000 lives each year. Another 50,000 American deaths are annually attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.    » read more »

27 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 27 May 2009, 48 countries have officially reported 13,398 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 95 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)

Country Cumulative total    » read more »

Company to take first steps toward large-scale production

Lyon, France and Swiftwater, Pa - May 27, 2009 - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today it has received the new influenza A(H1N1) seed virus, enabling the world’s leading manufacturer of influenza vaccines to begin the production process for an A(H1N1) vaccine.

The emergence of a new A(H1N1) virus strain recently led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Level 5 pandemic alert, following human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region.    » read more »

As Confirmed Cases of the Virus Continue to Rise, Funding Necessary to Address Budgetary Shortages That Threaten Local, State, and National Response Efforts

May 27, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced their push to include no less than $350 million in the final Supplemental Appropriations bill to upgrade state and local ability to prepare for and respond to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus and other potential pandemics.    » read more »

05/26/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it has paid more than $1 billion in compensation and medical benefits to 9,134 Tennessee residents under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

The act was created to assist those individuals who became ill as a result of working in the atomic weapons industry. Survivors of such individuals may also be eligible for benefits. Since the implementation of the act, the Labor Department has paid 51,331 claimants more than $4.8 billion in compensation and medical benefits nationwide.    » read more »

Payments Made Under Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act

05/26/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it has paid more than $500 million in compensation and medical benefits to 4,798 current and former employees of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and their survivors under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

The EEOICPA was created to assist individuals who became ill as a result of working in the atomic weapons industry. Survivors of such individuals may also be eligible for benefits.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, located in Paducah, Ky., produced more than one million tons of uranium during the plant's Cold War history.    » read more »

26 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 26 May 2009, 46 countries have officially reported 12 954 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 92 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 »

May 26, 2009 -- By sequencing the genomes of more than 50 samples of the new A(H1N1) influenza virus, researchers have found that it is distantly related to its nearest relatives, indicating that its genes have been circulating undetected for an extended period. The findings suggest that in the future pig populations will need to be closely monitored for emerging influenza viruses.

Completed by an international team of investigators from the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico, the research was made available for immediate release 22 May 2009, following acceptance by Science. Journal editors provided free public access to the findings, in light of public health concerns regarding the A(H1N1) virus.    » read more »

WHO Pre-qualification Will Help to Facilitate Expanded Global Access and Implementation of HPV Vaccination Programs

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., May 26, 2009 - GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant], Merck's cervical cancer vaccine, has been awarded World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualification. GARDASIL is the first cervical cancer vaccine to receive WHO pre-qualification.

WHO pre-qualification means that GARDASIL is now eligible for procurement by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other United Nations (UN) agencies including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), for use in national immunization programs.    » read more »

Takeda will become the exclusive partner for Vaxem-Hib in Japan and pay Novartis 100 million Yen and milestone and royalty payments.

Basel, May 26, 2009 - Novartis announced today that it has entered an agreement with the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Japan for the distribution of the Novartis Vaxem-Hib® vaccine for the prevention of infection caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib).

Through this agreement, Novartis will manufacture the vaccine and supply it to Takeda, which will obtain exclusive rights to license, market and distribute the vaccine in Japan.    » read more »

Initial U.S. order for bulk vaccine valued at $190 million

Swiftwater, Pa. and Lyon, France – May 25, 2009 - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today it has received the first of what is expected to be a series of orders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to commence production of a vaccine to help protect against the new influenza A(H1N1) virus.    » read more »

22 May 2009 -- GSK announced today that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has placed initial orders for A (H1N1) influenza vaccine antigen and the company’s proprietary adjuvant system, AS03, to support its pandemic influenza preparation efforts.

GSK manufactures both a traditional vaccine antigen, which will be made from the recently isolated A (H1N1) influenza strain, as well as an adjuvant system. An adjuvant system can be added to the antigen at time of administration.

GSK expects to fill the US adjuvant order within the next few months. The first doses of the vaccine antigen are expected to be available four to six months after the company receives the H1N1 seed strain, subject to regulatory approval. The new vaccine will be tested in clinical trials.    » read more »

Definitive agreement to acquire EBEWE Pharma's specialty injectables business for EUR 925 million (USD 1.2 billion) in an all-cash transaction

May 20, 2009 -- Basel, May 20, 2009 - Novartis has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the specialty generic injectables business of EBEWE Pharma, providing Sandoz - the Group's generic pharmaceuticals division - an opportunity to create a strong global platform for future growth while improving access for patients worldwide to many generic oncology medicines.

Under terms of the agreement, Novartis will acquire this business for EUR 925 million (USD 1.2 billion) in cash. Excluded from this transaction is EBEWE Pharma's separate injectable neurological products business.    » read more »