TWENTY-TWO medical organizations pushing for the free stem cell treatment in the country on Tuesday got a shot in the arm as the co-chairperson of the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) expressed agreement to their position. In a weekly forum in Quezon City, PHREB co-chairperson Dr. Marita Reyes said it is only right that the patient undergoing stem cell therapy will not be charged, especially since the amount involved is millions of pesos. "The one who will carry the most risk should not be made to pay," opined Reyes. Over the weekend, 22 medical organizations said that stem cell therapy should be given free based on ethical standards. "When stem cell is given under a clinical study, it is unethical to make patients pay for the treatment. The cost of treatment should be shouldered by the sponsor of the study," said the organizations in their position paper. However, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona rejected this. Ona said, the country cannot afford to make service providers shoulder the cost of the stem cell treatment. This was despite his admission that the government has yet to approve any type of stem cell treatment and that those practiced here can … Continue reading →

Manila, Philippines --- The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) yesterday appealed to politicians and celebrities who have undergone the controversial stem cell therapy to stop promoting the procedure which has become a subject of debate for local medical practitioners. "Pakiusap ko sa kanila, huwag na kayo magpagamit kasi mas malakas pa kayo sa Billboard," Dr. Tony Dans, president of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine (PSGIM) said at a forum in Quezon City yesterday. Stem cell treatment is still in its experimental stages and is therefore not yet an accepted form of treatment in the country, the PCP leaders emphasized. The group presented a slide containing photos of public figures who had reportedly undergone stem cell therapy. One of the photos showed Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada who earlier revealed he underwent stem cell treatment in Germany in 2012 where he received stem cells from an unborn sheep. "Sana huwag na lang siyang (Estrada) maging 'endorser' kasi madami siyang following baka sumunod sa kanya," said Dr. Anthony Leachon, Vice President of PCP. The Department of Health (DOH) bans the use of stem cells gathered from animal and plant sources. The sources of stem cells allowed in the Philippines is the … Continue reading →

Osiris Therapeutics Inc.s shares more than doubled after the regenerative-tissue company said a trial of its living stem cell treatment closed three times as many diabetic foot ulcers as standard care. Osiris rose to $21.75 at 12:53 p.m. New York time, after earlier reaching $24.78 for the biggest intraday gain since the company first sold shares to public in August 2006. Interim results from 97 patients in the study found 62 percent of those on Osiriss Grafix had their wound completely closed compared with 21 percent who received conventional treatment, the Columbia, Maryland-based company said today in a statement. Grafix is a flexible, conforming membrane that is applied directly to wounds. The trial also found the therapy also closed wounds faster. Osiris has established a new standard in diabetic wound care and has demonstrated to the world the tremendous impact stem cell products can have in medicine, C. Randal Mills, chief executive officer, said in the statement. Diabetic foot ulcers afflict 25 percent of all diabetics and are responsible for more hospitalizations than any other diabetic complication. The trial is discontinuing the blind phase of the study where its not revealed which patients are receiving which treatment. Patients who were … Continue reading →

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), reported today that its multi-center, randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing the safety and effectiveness of Grafix to standard of care in patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers had met the pre-specified stopping rules for overwhelming efficacy as determined by the data monitoring committee during a planned interim analysis. For the primary endpoint, 62% of patients receiving Grafix had complete wound closure compared to only 21% (p The trial also reached statistical significance in favor of Grafix on all top-line secondary endpoints, demonstrating faster wound closure and a reduction in the number of treatments needed to achieve wound closure. In the crossover phase of the trial, patients whose wounds failed to close after 12 weeks of standard of care had an 80% closure rate when switched to Grafix. Importantly, patients randomized to receive standard of care were 74% more likely to experience an adverse event than those receiving Grafix (p=0.008). As a result, the blinded phase of the trial is being discontinued immediately and all patients randomized to the control arm will be offered treatment with Grafix. Today, Osiris has established a new standard in diabetic wound care and has demonstrated to the world … Continue reading →

MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Aug. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.'s, USL255 (extended-release topiramate), an investigational once-daily formulation for the management of epilepsy, demonstrated equivalent systemic exposure with an improved topiramate (TPM) pharmacokinetic (PK) profile at steady-state, as measured by a significantly lower Cmax (Pmin (PEpilepsia. (The Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy-ILAE). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130520/NY17281LOGO) "The goal of therapy with antiepileptic drugs is freedom from seizures and absence of side effects. While many individuals with epilepsy are successfully treated with one or more of the currently available AEDs, a substantial number still live with uncontrolled seizures or intolerable side effects," said Meir Bialer, PharmD, lead study investigator. "The results from this study suggest that USL255's improved PK profile, reduced fluctuations in topiramate steady-state plasma concentrations and favorable tolerability findings may offer patients a once-daily alternative to twice-daily commercially availableimmediate-release topiramate." About the Study The comparative study, published in Epilepsia, was designed to compare the steady-state PK profile of USL255 (200 mg QD) to TPM-IR (100 mg Q12h) in the same healthy subjects. The randomized, open-label, single-center, two-way crossover, multiple-dose study consisted of a 12-day up-titration, two 14-day maintenance periods with an immediate crossover between periods, followed by an 8-day … Continue reading →

Charlotte Figi has Dravet syndrome - a rare and severe form of epilepsy She suffered from thousands of seizures every week and couldn't walk In desperation, her parents tried treating her with medical marijuana After just a few months she started walking and talking for the first time Her seizures have also almost completely stopped By Emma Innes PUBLISHED: 06:00 EST, 13 August 2013 | UPDATED: 11:11 EST, 13 August 2013 1,072 shares 28 View comments A child who suffered from thousands of seizures a week is finally on the road to recovery - after her parents treated her with cannabis. Doctors told Paige and Matt Figi that their daughter, Charlotte, would not survive much longer after she was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy. But after years of researching possible cures, her desperate parents have resorted to feeding her marijuana - after stumbling across the controversial treatment online. Charlotte Figi (pictured since her treatment), six, has Dravet syndrome - a rare and severe form of epilepsy. She was having a thousand seizures a week and her parents were told to prepare for the worst See the original post: We feed our daughter CANNABIS to stop her having thousands … Continue reading →

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) August 13, 2013 Last month, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed legislation expanding autism insurance benefits. The new law eliminates the age 9 cap for services for state regulated health plans, but limits ABA benefits to $36,000 a year for individuals affected by autism ages 10 and above. Set to take effect September 2013, Children must be medically diagnosed by age 10 to receive coverage. With this new legislation the greater autism community has a road map to a positive future. Teach Me LLC in Dallas, Texas is leading the way in serving children, adolescence and adults on the autism spectrum. Their comprehensive treatment plans are designed on the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and Skinners Analysis of Verbal Behavior (VB) and incorporates speech goals into every day therapy. Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurodevelopment disorder, has grown steadily over the last four decades. While the prevalence continues to increase and individuals with autism journey into adulthood, the need for adult services has become critical. Up until recently few options were available. To help maximize each individuals potential, this growing population requires highly specialized and individualized support designed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Teach Me LLC … Continue reading →

Public release date: 13-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley A new study reports that the incidence of ischemic strokethe most common type of stroke, caused by a clot in the blood vessels of the brainamong non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans over age 60 has declined over the past decade. Most concerning, however, is that the increased relative burden of stroke comparing Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites has not changed at all in the last decade. Overall, Mexican Americans suffer much more, 34%, from this disease than non-Hispanic Whites. Findings are published in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society. Hispanic/Latinos are now the largest minority group in the U.S. at 17% of the population, which is projected to increase to more than 30% by 2050, according to estimates from the January 2013 U.S. Census. Previous research found that Mexican Americans had higher stroke rates than non-Hispanic Whites and as this population ages it raises concern for the impact on public health. In fact, experts estimate that the cost of stroke for the first half of this century in the U.S. could amount to more than $1.5 … Continue reading →

Southampton, NY (PRWEB) August 13, 2013 Southampton Hospital hosted a ground-breaking ceremony on August 12, 2013 to celebrate the beginning of its new Audrey and Martin Gruss Heart and Stroke Center and to honor the Gruss extraordinary gift of $5 million to the new facility at the Hospital. When completed, the Center will provide stroke treatment and carotid stents as needed and will consolidate a broad spectrum of new and sophisticated diagnostic and treatment capabilities with existing cardiovascular programs and services. The core components will include: The construction of an advanced endovascular surgical suite for interventional treatment of stroke and vascular disease. The new endovascular OR will be hybrid in that it places the latest imaging technology in the sterile environment of an operating room. Procedures that will be performed include carotid stenting to prevent and treat stroke, aneurism repair, and treatment of vascular, peripheral arterial and abdominal occlusive diseases. A noninvasive cardiovascular suite for diagnosis of coronary and vascular illness. An advanced heart and stroke monitoring center to provide connections to tertiary and open-heart centers. A stroke and heart simulation education center to provide ongoing skills training for healthcare professionals. Audrey Gruss, President of the Audrey & Martin Gruss … Continue reading →

AP Photo/Eric Gay In this July 12, 2012 photo, two women wait in an exam room at Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, in San Juan, Texas. About 85 percent of those served at the clinic are uninsured. Texas already has one of the nations most restrictive Medicaid programs, offering coverage only to the disabled, children and parents who earn less than $2,256 a year for a family of three. Without a Medicaid expansion, the states working poor will continue relying on emergency rooms _ the most costly treatment option _ instead of primary care doctors. The Texas Hospital Association estimates that care for uninsured patients cost hospitals in the state $4.5 billion in 2010. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Stroke rates in older white and Mexican Americans declined over the past decade but remain higher in Mexican Americans, researchers have found. The study looked at the incidence of ischemic stroke -- which is the most common type of stroke and is caused by a clot in the blood vessels of the brain -- among people aged 45 and older who lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, between 2000 and 2010. During that time, more than 4,600 people in … Continue reading →