Biotechnology News - Biospace
Calorie Restriction And Exercise Show Breast Cancer Prevention Differences In Postmenopausal Women, University of Texas Study
ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2008) Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have identified pathways by which a reduced-calorie diet and exercise can modify a postmenopausal woman's risk of breast cancer.
Stable Blood Sugar Curbs Diabetes Complications, Study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In people with type 1 diabetes, adequate control of blood sugar over the long haul helps reduce the risk of diabetes-related eye and kidney disease, new data suggest.
'Unprecedented' Biotech Bankruptcies Erupt Amid Finance Crisis
Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The global economic crisis has cut funding for biotechnology companies to the lowest level in a decade, triggering bankruptcies and threatening development of drugs based on biomedical breakthroughs.
<b>Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro</b>: McKesson Corporation Settles RICO Lawsuit for $350 Million; Lawsuit Claimed <b>McKesson</b> Violated Racketeering Laws, Costing Consumers and Third-party Payers Millions
SEATTLE, Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys representing consumers and third-party payers today announced a proposed landmark $350 million settlement with healthcare services giant McKesson to settle allegations the company fraudulently inflated the price of more than 400 prescription drugs by manipulating drug-pricing benchmarks.
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MINRAD International, Inc. Announces Reduction in Workforce
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MINRAD International, Inc. , announced effective today it will reduce its workforce by approximately 35% or 50 positions.
Dave DiGiacinto, President and Chief Operating Officer, said, "We have taken this difficult, but necessary action to reduce our cost structure to conserve our cash in response to our current adverse financial...
CombinatoRx, Incorporated Concentrates on Core Strengths, Cuts Staff by 30 Bringing Total Workforce Reduction to 65%
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CombinatoRx, Incorporated (NASDAQ: CRXX) today announced a further restructuring, effective immediately, to focus on the core strength of the company: identifying novel product candidates based on unexpected biological synergies. This restructuring will include a planned further reduction of the Companys Cambridge workforce by approximately 30 employees, bringing...
Argos Therapeutics, Inc. Completes $35.2 Million Series C Financing
DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Argos Therapeutics today announced the closing of the second and final tranche of a $35.2 million Series C financing from a top-tier, international syndicate of new and existing investors. The first tranche was completed in April 2008.
Argos has made substantial progress in all areas of focus since the closing of the first tranche of this financing, triggering...
Vical Incorporated Cuts 20% Jobs, Closes Facility to Save Cash
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq: VICL - News) today announced a strategic restructuring including a staff reduction of 29 employees, approximately 20% of the company's total workforce, and accelerated closure of a research facility. Following the restructuring, the company will have approximately 120 employees and expects to reduce future net losses and cash...
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Researcher Tricks Immune System In Diabetic Mice
CHICAGO, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Doctors have tricked mouse immune systems into "thinking" cells from a donor pancreas are theirs, bringing hope to diabetes patients, U.S. researchers said.
Misreading Of Damaged DNA May Spur Tumor Formation, Emory University School of Medicine Study
ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2008) The DNA in our cells is constantly under assault from oxygen, the sun's radiation and environmental stresses. Most of the time, our cells can repair the damage before it gets copied into a permanent mutation that could lead to cancer.
Genetic Trait Linked to Alcoholism, University of Virginia Study
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 20 -- Variation in the gene for the serotonin transporter appears to be linked to how much some alcoholics drink, researchers here said.
GlaxoSmithKline Receives FDA Approval for PROMACTA(R)
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND - News) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval of GlaxoSmithKlines (GSK) PROMACTA (eltrombopag) for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids...
Inhibiting Protein May Keep Cancer Cells From Refueling; Lactic Acid Found To Fuel Tumors, Duke University And Study
ScienceDaily (Nov. 20, 2008) A team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the Universit catholique de Louvain (UCL) has found that lactic acid is an important energy source for tumor cells. In further experiments, they discovered a new way to destroy the most hard-to-kill, dangerous tumor cells by preventing them from delivering lactic acid.
Neurons Derived From Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Muscle Function After Injury, Dalhousie University Study
ScienceDaily (Nov. 20, 2008) Dalhousie Medical School researchers have discovered that embryonic stem cells may play a critical role in helping people with nerve damage and motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), regain muscular strength.
Estrogen May Explain Why Women With Cystic Fibrosis Suffer More, University of North Carolina Study
THURSDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of estrogen during ovulation may explain why women with cystic fibrosis tend to fare worse than men with the respiratory disease, researchers at the University of North Carolina report.
Low Vitamin D May Lead to Cardiac Death, Loyola University Study
Times of India -- Vitamin D deficiency results in part from reduced exposure to sunlight, which is common during cold weather months when days are shorter and more time is spent indoors. "Chronic vitamin D deficiency may be a culprit in heart disease, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome," said Sue Penckofer, PhD, study author and professor, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University...
Pacific BioSciences: Rapid DNA Test Could Reveal Patient Genome in Minutes Some Day
Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- A new technique could map DNA sequences 30,000 times faster than current methods, accelerating researchers' work to unravel the complex mutations that cause human disease.
Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. Halts Shipment of Budesonide Inhalation Suspension; Court Granted AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP's Motion for Temporary Restraining Order Halting Sales of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited's Generic Pulmicort Respules
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. (NYSE: PRX - News) today announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey last night granted AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals' motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) halting sales of Teva's generic Pulmicort Respules (budesonide inhaled solution). In conjunction with the Court's Order...
Pure Insulin-Producing Cells Produced In Mouse, And Study
SINGAPORE, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- A team of Singapore researchers has made a breakthrough in developing an unlimited number of pure insulin-producing cells from mouse embryonic stem cells that are highly effective in treating diabetes.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Says Fibromyalgia Drug Meets Main Goal of Study
PALO ALTO, Calif., and BRUSSELS, Belgium, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAZZ - News) and UCB (Euronext Brussels: UCB) announced today positive preliminary top-line results from the first of two Phase III pivotal clinical trials of sodium oxybate (JZP-6) for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study achieved its primary...