Newly Funded Hepatitis C Treatment Will Help Curb New Zealand's Silent Epidemic From the 1st of September hepatitis C sufferers will have a new treatment option thanks to VICTRELIS (boceprevir) being funded for people with chronic viral hepatitis C, genotype 1. This includes patients being treated for the first time as well as those who have not responded to previous therapy. VICTRELIS is the first new hepatitis C treatment made available to New Zealanders in the last decade. Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is a serious viral infection of the liver that affects around 50,000 New Zealanders. Hepatitis C genotype 1 is the most common form of the condition affecting approximately 50% of all known sufferers. If left untreated, hepatitis C can cause serious liver disease including cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death. Professor Ed Gane, chief hepatologist and deputy director of the New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit at Auckland City Hospital says, VICTRELIS is a protease inhibitor and works directly on the hepatitis C virus to stop it replicating. It is used in combination with other drugs - peginterferon alfa and ribavirin which prevent the virus from becoming resistant to VICTRELIS. When added to other hepatitis C drugs - peginterferon … Continue reading →

Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SUPN) recently received final U.S. Food & Drug Administration (:FDA) approval for Trokendi XR for the treatment of epilepsy. Trokendi XR is a novel once-daily extended release formulation of Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) Topamax (topiramate). This epilepsy product will be launched in a few weeks. Along with granting approval, the FDA also agreed to a deferral of submission of post-marketing pediatric pharmacokinetic assessments, which were due in 2019, followed by clinical assessments in 2025. Supernus also got an FDA waiver for certain pediatric study requirements. In Jun 2013, Supernus had received tentative approval for Trokendi XR. Trokendi XR had initially received tentative FDA approval in Jun 2012. However, at that time, the FDA had said that final approval depended on the resolution of a marketing exclusivity issue raised by the FDA regarding a specific pediatric population. A request for final approval was filed in Dec 2012 along with a safety data update, a new package insert and packaging configurations for Trokendi XR. The FDA had informed Supernus that they will most likely grant this request in the form of a tentative approval because the review period would be expected to conclude within the second quarter, prior to … Continue reading →

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Christopher Duffly Sings the Star-Spangled Banner Autism Speaks President Liz Feld introduces Christopher Duffly, who is blind and autistic, as he helped kick off the Nantucket Walk Now for Autism Speaks wit... By: AutismSpeaksVids … Continue reading →

Understanding that, for example, anorexics and autists both tend to have high interest in systems could inform treatment choices. Erika Beras reports. Subscribe via iTunes Anorexia and autism appear very different. But a British study by autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues finds that teenage girls diagnosed with anorexia score high on standard tests for autism. Their report is in the journal Molecular Autism. [Simon Baron-Cohen et al, Do girls with anorexia nervosa have elevated autistic traits?] The researchers say that traits indicative of both disorders parallel each other. Anorexia and autism are characterized by obsessive, repetitive behaviors, by difficulties with social interactions and an above-average interest in systems. For autistic boys that might mean a fixation with math or maps. For anorexic girls, that translates into an obsession with food, weight and their bodies. Both groups exhibit below-average empathy, rigid attitudes and an atypical preoccupation with themselves. Understanding the behavioral connection between the two conditions could inform treatment choices for anorexia. For example, the researchers suggest that recognizing the fact that info about systems is easier to process than info about emotions may help in developing useful coping strategies. Erika Beras [The above text is a transcript of this … Continue reading →

London hospitals are stepping up efforts to treat stroke patients after a warning shot of a study found fewer than half of patients here were given clot-busting medication that can reduce brain damage. Ive seen more improvement in the last year than the last 10 years (combined), said Dr. Michael Nicolle, chef of neurology at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Patient care is not the only thing at stake: The Ontario Health Ministry soon will fund stroke care in part based on how well hospitals measure up to performance benchmarks. A provincial study found fewer than half of stroke patients who should benefit from a clot-buster got them, though the rate improved from less than one-third in 2010-11 to 47% a year later. That poor finding was one of five for Southwestern Ontario in report cards that found hospitals in the province falling short in providing care to stroke victims, with 96 failing marks compared with just 24 exemplary ones. London hospitals are working hard to better their marks, Nicolle said: The additional stroke neurologists might allow for better treatment in the region around London, too. Right now in the region, only three hospitals have neurologists who can give clot-busters … Continue reading →

A campaign has been launched to protect emergency stroke treatment at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The possibility of stroke services being delivered from only one of the countys two hospitals, and most likely from Telfords Princess Royal, was raised at a meeting of health chiefs earlier this month. Now two councillors in the south of the county, Heather Kidd and Tracey Huffer, have launched a campaign to try to stop any such move. They say people in the areas they represent in Ludlow, Chirbury and Worthen would find it difficult to get to Telford especially if they were relying on public transport. Councillor Kidd, of Chirbury and Worthen, said: It is critical that stroke victims are seen within one hour of the event and they can only be effectively treated at a specialist hospital unit. Given the standard of ambulance response times at the moment, moving stroke services to Telford will jeopardise the lives and recovery chances of many residents in the west and south of the county. Councillor Huffer, who represents Ludlow East, is also a nurse with 20 years experience. She added: At a joint scrutiny meeting I attended in Telford, Shropshires healthcare trust said that there was … Continue reading →