Bypass tops stents in diabetics with diseased arteries 
November 5th, 2012
By Bill Berkrot and Deena Beasley LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 4, 2012 7:52pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Diabetics with more than one diseased artery fared significantly better if they underwent bypass surgery than those who received drug coated stents following artery clearing procedures to improve blood flow to the heart, according to data from a five-year study presented on Sunday. After five years, the bypass group had a lower combined rate of heart attacks, strokes and deaths of 18.7 percent versus 26.6 percent for the stent group in the 1,900-patient study funded by the U.S.
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Metal-removing therapy may help some heart patients-study
November 5th, 2012
By Deena Beasley and Bill Berkrot LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 4, 2012 7:36pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A controversial therapy to remove heavy metals from the bloodstream was shown in a large trial to cut the risk of another major heart problem in patients who have already suffered a heart attack, but researchers cautioned that the benefit was small and more study is needed. Chelation therapy, an alternative treatment dismissed by many medical professionals as quackery, has its origins in unproven 50-year-old theories about the cause of arterial plaques, the fatty deposits that can cause heart attacks.
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Scientists say heartbeat, not battery, could power pacemakers
November 4th, 2012
By Deena Beasley and Bill Berkrot LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 4, 2012 6:56pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Your own beating heart may generate enough electricity to power a heart-regulating pacemaker, ending the need for expensive surgeries to replace expiring batteries, according to an early study of an experimental energy-converting device. Researchers at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor tested an energy-harvesting device that runs on piezoelectricity – the electrical charge generated from motion, according to the study which was released at the annual American Heart Association scientific conference on Sunday. The approach is a promising technological solution for pacemakers, because they require only small amounts of power to operate, said M.
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FDA approves Celgene’s Abraxane for lung cancer
October 12th, 2012
Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:16am EDT (Reuters) – U.S. health regulators on Friday widened the approved use of Celgene Corp’s breast cancer drug Abraxane to include treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of lung cancer.
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Ariad lung cancer drug shrinks tumors in small trial
September 29th, 2012
Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:25am EDT (Reuters) – A small early-stage trial of Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc’s experimental pill AP26113 showed it shrank tumors in eight out of 11 lung cancer patients with a genetic mutation in a gene known as ALK. The drug, called ’113 for short, is being tested in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who test positive for the abnormal ALK gene, as well as those with a specific mutation in a gene known as EGFR. Thirty-four patients have been enrolled in the Phase 1/2 trial, which is designed to determine the ideal dosage for later-stage trials
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LA doctors, patients sue Health Net for denying claims
September 13th, 2012
Thu Sep 13, 2012 3:10pm EDT (Reuters) – The group representing Los Angeles doctors has joined with two patients to sue Health Net Inc for denying claims based on the insurer’s definition of “medical necessity.” “They are denying these treatments because they are expensive,” said Rocky Delgadillo, chief executive at the Los Angeles County Medical Association, which represents more than 6,500 physicians. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Health Net of unfair and unlawful business practices. The managed care plan operates mostly in the western United States and has 2.3 million members in California
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Peregrine drug doubles lung cancer survival in trial
September 7th, 2012
By Deena Beasley Fri Sep 7, 2012 1:44pm EDT (Reuters) – A small trial of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc’s experimental drug, bavituximab, showed that it doubled the length of time lung cancer patients survived, supporting the company’s plans to conduct a larger study. Investors cheered the news, sending shares of the drugmaker soaring 50 percent to $4.59 on the Nasdaq on Friday afternoon.
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StemCells Inc sees gains in two of three spinal injury patients
September 3rd, 2012
Mon Sep 3, 2012 8:51am EDT (Reuters) – Interim results from three patients in an early-stage trial of StemCells Inc’s experimental cell treatment for chronic spinal cord injury show that two of them experienced gains in “sensory function,” the company said on Monday. StemCells is using neural stem cells, technically adult stem cells, taken from the partly developed brains of fetuses and tested for qualities showing they are destined to form particular types of nerve cells.
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FDA approves Teva version of Amgen’s Neupogen
August 30th, 2012
WASHINGTON | Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:11pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. drug regulators gave the nod to a Teva Pharmaceutical Industries drug that boosts the production of infection-fighting white blood cells in certain cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
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Bristol-Myers drops hepatitis C drug after patient death
August 23rd, 2012
Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:20pm EDT (Reuters) – Bristol-Myers Squibb Co has discontinued development of an experimental hepatitis C drug after a patient treated with it during a clinical trial died of heart failure and several others were hospitalized, the company said on Thursday. The drug, known as BMS-986094, was acquired by Bristol earlier this year through its $2.5 billion purchase of Inhibitex Inc
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