MADRID, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --The fifth annual BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Development Cooperation category goes to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) for "developing and delivering new, effective and affordable treatments for poverty related diseases including Chagas disease, sleeping sickness, malaria and leishmaniasis affecting the world's most vulnerable populations," according to the award citation. DNDi, in the jury's judgment, "represents an institutional model of good practice, translating scientific research to development cooperation, through knowledge management and delivery of results to disadvantaged populations suffering from neglected diseases." (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130226/DA66850) DNDi's Executive Director Bernard Pcoul expressed his delight "for the organization, but also for those suffering neglected diseases, who are what this initiative is all about." "Despite the major progress achieved in global health over the last century, there remains a significant equity gap and many diseases affecting the poorest populations are still neglected," the citation said. "This represents shortcomings of market incentives resulting in only 10 percent of the world research expenditure being spent on diseases that account for 90 percent of the global health burden. Controlling and eliminating these diseases is a vital component of the strategy to alleviate poverty." "A neglected disease is … Continue reading →

26 February 2013 Last updated at 15:26 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The Professional Cricketers' Association is to review its drug testing following Mr Maynard's death The death of a cricketer who was struck by a Tube train while drunk and high on drugs was accidental, a jury has decided. Cricketer Tom Maynard fled from his car after being stopped by police near Wimbledon Park station shortly after 05:00 BST on 18 June, an inquest heard. The Cardiff-born batsman landed on a live track as he tried to get away. The 23-year-old Surrey player died from multiple injuries, Westminster Coroners' Court was told. A post-mortem examination showed he was nearly four times the legal alcohol limit to drive and had also taken cocaine and ecstasy in the form of MDMA after a night out with his two flatmates in Wandsworth, south London. The only people who would judge Tom on the findings of the inquest are people who didn't know him. Tests on hair samples indicated Mr Maynard, who had previously played for Glamorgan and was tipped as a future England international, may have been a regular drug user up to three-and-a-half months before his … Continue reading →

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes patients who take the latest class of drugs to control blood sugar levels are twice as likely to develop pancreatitis as those who take other medications to control blood sugar, according to a new study. The drugs Januvia (sitagliptin) and Byetta (exenatide) are glucagon-like peptide-1-based (GLP-1) therapies, which are used by millions of Americans with diabetes. Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, the organ that releases hormones such as insulin and glucagon, as well as enzymes that help digest food. Pancreatitis is a painful condition that can be dangerous if left untreated. People with diabetes are already at higher risk for pancreatitis because of the role the pancreas plays in the condition. In this study, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore compared nearly 1,300 type 2 diabetes patients who took one of the GLP-1 drugs with the same number of type 2 diabetes patients who took other medications. Those who took the GLP-1 drugs were twice as likely to be hospitalized with acute pancreatitis within 60 days of first taking the drugs than the other group of patients. The GLP-1 drugs appeared to affect the pancreas in ways that trigger inflammation, according … Continue reading →