UCB ( UCBJF ) reported 2013 earnings per share of $2.56, down 8% on a reported basis but up 1% at constant exchange rates (CER). Earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.84. Revenues for 2013 were approximately $4.5 billion (down 1% on a reported basis but up 2% at CER), in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. UCB's revenues primarily include sales of Cimzia, Vimpat, Neupro and Keppra. All growth rates mentioned below are on a year-on-year basis and at CER. Cimzia (Crohn's disease and inflammatory arthritis) sales went up 32% to 594 million in 2013, and Vimpat (epilepsy) sales came in at 411 million, reflecting an increase of 27%. Neupro, which is marketed as a treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) and restless legs syndrome (RLS), recorded sales of 182 million, up 39%. However, sales of Keppra, another epilepsy treatment, declined 12% to 712 million in 2013. Sales were hurt by generic competition in Europe. The combined sales of Cimzia, Vimpat and Neupro accounted for about 34.8% of total revenues in 2013. In 2013, research and development (R&D) expenses were 856 million, down 2% year over year. In 2013, general and administrative expenses were 205 million, down 5% while … Continue reading →

SALT LAKE CITY The Utah State Senate gave a different reception to two bills aimed at helping parents of children diagnosed with autism. Jake and Melyssa Smith are counting on one of the bills for their sons continuing treatment and for their familys financial health. The Smiths lost nearly everything to pay for treatment for their son, Cohen, before they got help from a Medicaid program one year ago. Their younger son, Max, has Aspergers and also requires therapy. We claimed bankruptcy, Melyssa Smith said. We lost our home last year, so that we could provide for school for Cohen and for therapy. We were at the end of our rope. We had nothing left. House Bill 88, sponsored by Rep. Ronda Menlove, R-District 1, passed a second reading in the Senate with ease. Menloves bill would extend the pilot program created two years ago. It funds therapy for the Smiths and about 300 families of children with autism. It also continues a state policy of funding autism treatment in insurance for state employees. Menlove said the program has worked well enough to warrant the extension. This body passed that bill two years ago, Menlove said. They now can see … Continue reading →

Sonja Puzic, CTVNews.ca Published Wednesday, February 26, 2014 11:34AM EST Last Updated Wednesday, February 26, 2014 3:47PM EST New guidelines for defining autism spectrum disorders may reduce the number of diagnoses by almost one-third, according to new research from Columbia University. A review of relevant literature and data, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, raises questions about the future of children who have developmental delays, but no longer meet criteria for an autism diagnosis. Kristine M. Kulage, who led the review, said the new guidelines, issued last year by the American Psychiatric Association, may leave thousands of children in the U.S. without an autism diagnosis needed to qualify for medical benefits and social services. The systematic review by Kulages team at the Columbia University School of Nursing found a 31 per cent decrease in autism spectrum disorder diagnoses using the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, compared to the number of cases that would have been diagnosed under the previous version. DSM, the so-called bible of psychiatry, is widely used by experts in both U.S. and Canada to diagnose and classify mental health disorders. The changes introduced in 2013 affect not only … Continue reading →

When it comes to developmental disorders of the brain, men and women are not created equal. Decades of research have shown that males are at far greater risk for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than females. Boys, on average, are five times more likely to have autismthan girls.What causes this disparity has largely remained unknown. Now scientists haveuncovered compelling genetic evidence to explain why the biological scales arent balanced. According to a team of geneticists in the U.S. and Switzerland,it all boils down to whats called the female protective model. This suggests that girls have a higher tolerance for harmful genetic mutations and therefore require a larger number ofthem than boys to reach the diagnostic threshold of a developmental disorder. With identical genetic mutations, then, a boy could show symptoms of ASD while a girl could show none. But because the female mutation threshold is higher, when girls are diagnosed with ASD, they tend to fall on the more severe end of the spectrum. Researchers believe the same dynamic could explain why more boys are diagnosed withADHD, intellectual disabilities and schizophrenia. The findings were published Thursday in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Geneticists analyzed DNA samples … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 26-Feb-2014 Contact: Melinda Krigel mkrigel@mail.cho.org 510-428-3069 Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland February 26, 2014 - Oakland, CA A new study by Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) demonstrates the impact that Vitamin D may have on social behavior associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Dr. Patrick and Dr. Ames show that serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, three brain hormones that affect social behavior, are all activated by vitamin D hormone. Autism, which is characterized by abnormal social behavior, has previously been linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain and to low vitamin D levels, but no mechanism has linked the two until now. In this study, Dr. Patrick and Dr. Ames show that vitamin D hormone activates the gene that makes the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), that converts the essential amino acid tryptophan, to serotonin in the brain. This suggests that adequate levels of vitamin D may be required to produce serotonin in the brain where it shapes the structure and wiring of the brain, acts as a neurotransmitter, and affects social behavior. They also found evidence that the gene that makes the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase … Continue reading →

By Matlin Smith msmith@lcsun-news.com @msmith_lcsun on Twitter LAS CRUCES >> Marisa Cano described it as an explosion of "let's do more." "Out of the woodwork, people are coming and finding us. I've seen a huge shift in how the community is perceiving (autism)," she said of Hearts of Autism, an endowment established in February 2010 through the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. Co-founders Abel Covarrubias, Aprendamos Intervention Team CEO, and Estee Hafassa, a parent of an autistic child, saw a need in Doa Ana County to provide families with autistic children and relatives with resources, while educating the greater community about autism spectrum disorder, which is diagnosed once in every 88 children. A couple poses for a photo at the 2013 masquerade ball event, one of Hearts for Autism's biggest annual fundraisers. This year's event will be held March 8 at the Grapevine Plaza. (Courtesy photo) "Our vision is to really education the community and provide valuable resources to families who have a child or family member with autism," Covarrubias said. "I personally have family members with mental disabilities and the education and the support are instrumental." Cano is the board coordinator and parent liaison of Hearts for Autism. … Continue reading →

MONDAY, Feb. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study adds to the evidence that diabetes may boost the risk of a stroke in women but not in men. "All women, especially those over 55 years old, [should] get their risk factors for heart disease screened and aggressively treated," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She said prior studies have found that women with diabetes are at higher stroke risk compared to men with the disease. "As women go through menopause, the loss of protective estrogen allows for the risk factors of cardiovascular disease -- such as diabetes -- to wreak havoc on the arteries," explained Steinbaum, who was not involved in the new study. According to background information in the study, women living in developed countries are more likely to die from a stroke than their male peers. In the United States, women accounted for nearly 60 percent of stroke deaths in 2010, the study authors said. In the study, a team led by Dr. Gang Hu of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., analyzed data gathered from almost 11,000 men and more than … Continue reading →

When injected into the ankle, it eases painful muscle spasms and allows the foot to function more normally Thousands of stroke patients each year are left with paralysis or spasticity where the muscles are stiff and resistant to being stretched By Jenny Hope PUBLISHED: 19:30 EST, 21 February 2014 | UPDATED: 19:30 EST, 21 February 2014 134 shares 13 View comments Wrinkle treatment Botox is being used to help stroke victims who suffer from paralysed or stiff limbs. When injected into the ankle, it eases painful muscle spasms and allows the foot to function more normally. Thousands of stroke patients each year are left with paralysis or spasticity where the muscles are stiff and tight and resist being stretched. Botox jabs are already used to treat upper limb problems, such as a tight fist or fingers, but this is the first time they have been approved for lower limb disability, such as a stuck or drop foot that cannot be straightened properly. More here: How Botox can help stroke victims: Anti-wrinkle treatment allows paralysed limbs to function better … Continue reading →