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Session for Parkinson's sufferers, caregivers to be held this weekend

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

A meeting for people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers will be held Sunday at The First United Presbyterian Church (the Red Door Church) on Main Street in Oneonta. The session that runs from 1:30 to 3 p.m. is titled "You and Parkinson's, What You Need to Know." It is sponsored by the Red Door Church and the Butternuts Meeting of Quakers. A free lunch will precede the meeting at 12:30 p.m. The meeting will gauge if there is a need for such a group in Oneonta, said Jim Atwell, one of the meeting organizers. There are people from the area who come to the same support group he attends at the Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, which meets at 1 p.m. the second Friday of every month. With one in 300 people struggling with the disease nationwide, he would be surprised if there weren't more people who could benefit, he said. Pat Cleary, manager of rehabilitative services at O'Connor Hospital in Delhi, was a coordinator of a Parkinson's support group that regularly meets there the second Thursday of every month from noon to 1:30 p.m. "There is probably a need in every community," she said, and having one in Oneonta … Continue reading →

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Multiple Sclerosis: World-first pill for MS to be offered to thousands of British patients

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

Multiple Sclerosis is most common disabling neurological condition, affecting almost 100,000 Britons New drug approved from England and Wales but NOT Scotland By Jenny Hope PUBLISHED: 03:37 EST, 16 March 2012 | UPDATED: 04:43 EST, 16 March 2012 New hope: 50 young people are diagnosed with MS each week Thousands of people with MS could benefit from the first pill to treat the disabling disease. The NHS rationing body has approved the drug fingolimod which can halve relapses compared with standard interferon injections. Experts hoped the once-a-day pill will replace injections and hospital infusions for at least 5,000 sufferers a year. In its initial assessment, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) said the drug was not value for money despite admitting it works. But after considering extra evidence on its effectiveness Nice decided to give the go-ahead for use on the NHS. Dr Eli Silber, a consultant neurologist who leads the MS service for South London based at Kings College Hospital, and was involved in trials, said Read more: Multiple Sclerosis: World-first pill for MS to be offered to thousands of British patients … Continue reading →

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Pill breakthrough in battle with MS

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

At least 3,000 people in the UK with multiple sclerosis (MS) could benefit from the world's first pill for the condition. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has issued new draft guidance recommending fingolimod (brand name Gilenya) on the NHS for some patients with a form of MS. The pill can help reduce the number of relapses in adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which is characterised by periods when symptoms worsen and then improve. The guidance, which is in its final draft form but has not yet been issued to the NHS, relates to people who have experienced an unchanged or increased relapse rate, or ongoing severe relapses, compared with the previous year. This is despite them taking other drugs such as beta interferons. The MS Society estimates around 3,000 patients in the UK could benefit, although it says the figure could be higher. Nice's new guidance reverses a previous version issued in December and follows extra information provided by doctors and the drug manufacturer, Novartis, agreeing to a discount scheme. Professor Carole Longson, director of the health technology evaluation centre at Nice, said: "The latest draft guidance from our committee recommends the NHS … Continue reading →

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UPDATE 1-EU agency still probing safety of Novartis MS pill

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

* EU medicines agency to update on Gilenya safety in April * Novartis says working with EMA to finalise drug label * UK's NICE (Milan: NICE.MI - news) backs drug as cost-effective in about-turn (Combines news from EU medicines agency and Britain's NICE) LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - European regulators are still probing the safety of Novartis AG's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, one of the Swiss firm's top new drug hopes, delaying an expected update on the medicine until April. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) initially aimed to give an update on the medicine by March 16 but a spokeswoman said on Friday that the review had not yet been finalised. As a result, an announcement is now due on April 19 or 20. The delay leaves a question mark over the product, which has seen its prospects clouded by concern about serious heart problems. But there was also good news for Gilenya as Britain's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE, in an about-turn, decided it was ready to recommend its use on the state health service. Gilenya, the first multiple sclerosis (MS) pill of its kind, is seen by analysts as a potential blockbuster with annual sales of $2 billion by … Continue reading →

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UK cost body backs Novartis MS pill in about-turn

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

* NICE (Milan: NICE.MI - news) recommends Gilenya for certain MS patients * Changes view on drug after Novartis presents new data * Endorsement comes ahead of EMA safety update on drug LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - Novartis's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, one of its top new drug hopes, has been recommended for use in Britain's state health service after a change of heart by the country's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog. Friday's verdict from the National Institute for Health (Euronext: IXSHL.NX - news) and Clinical Excellence (NICE), whose opinions are also watched closely in other countries, is welcome news for a product that has run into problems recently. Later on Friday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) - the body responsible for licensing Gilenya in Europe (Chicago Options: ^REURUSD - news) in March 2011 - is expected to give an update on the safety of the medicine, following an in-depth review. The safety probe was launched because of reports of heart problems in some patients and the death of one person in the United States within 24 hours of starting treatment. Gilenya represents a significant change in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, since existing drugs such as beta interferons and Elan (Berlin: DRX.BE … Continue reading →

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Cost body backs Novartis MS pill in about-turn

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

LONDON (Reuters) - Novartis's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, one of its top new drug hopes, has been recommended for use in the state health service after a change of heart by the country's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog. Friday's verdict from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), whose opinions are also watched closely in other countries, is welcome news for a product that has run into problems recently. Later on Friday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) - the body responsible for licensing Gilenya in Europe in March 2011 - is expected to give an update on the safety of the medicine, following an in-depth review. The safety probe was launched because of reports of heart problems in some patients and the death of one person in the United States within 24 hours of starting treatment. Gilenya represents a significant change in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, since existing drugs such as beta interferons and Elan and Biogen Idec's Tysabri must be injected. NICE initially said it was unclear if the new drug, which is known generically as fingolimod, was any better than existing treatments. It changed its mind after Novartis presented data showing the benefits of using Gilenya in a … Continue reading →

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State officials want hormone treatment chain to close NC offices

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

Raleigh, N.C. State officials have sent warning letters to a national chain of medical offices that offer hormone replacement therapy, recommending that it close its North Carolina operations because it doesn't have a license to practice in the state. HRC Medical operates 37 Hormone Replacement Centers in 21 states, including offices in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. The company promises its treatments can provide relief for issues like fatigue, sexual dysfunction and depression. Dr. Dan Hale, HRC's founder, resigned unexpectedly last week, just as Tennessee officials began targeting the chain, questioning the quality of care patients receive. The North Carolina Medical Board rejected Hale's application for a medical license in December, determining that he had multiple felony convictions in the mid-1990s for racketeering and conspiracy to commit mail fraud and had lied on his application. The medical board has turned its findings over to the Wake County District Attorney's Office to determine if any criminal charges are warranted. On Tuesday, the board suspended the license of Dr. Clarence Washington, who oversaw HRC's Raleigh office, for 12 months, determining that he was only a "figurehead" who operated under Hale's direction and allowed nurses to handle hormone treatments without proper oversight. Last week, … Continue reading →

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Stem-cell breakthrough could mean treatment for Huntington’s

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

A research report published earlier this week suggests a possible connection between the use of stem cells and a treatment for Huntingtons disease. Su-Chun Zhang, a UW-Madison professor, is the senior author of the new study, which shows embryonic stem cells may be used to reinstate the neural circuit needed for motor control that is destroyed in Huntingtons patients. There is no cure for Huntingtons, a terminal disease in which patients lose control of muscle coordination. The key to the study is the use of GABA neurons, which are responsible for creating the network the brain uses to coordinate motor function, but are reduced in Huntingtons patients. According to the report, researchers found a way to manufacture large quantities of GABA neurons from embryonic stem cells, which they implanted in mice to test how well they would integrate in to the mouses brain. The cells not only integrated in the mouses brain, but also projected to the corresponding target and reestablished the neural circuit, which restored muscle coordination. This result suggests a possible treatment for a previously incurable disease, as well as discovering that the human brain may be more resilient than originally thought. While the findings are optimistic, researchers … Continue reading →

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Genetic Variation in Human Gut Viruses Could be Raw Material for Inner Evolution, Perelman School of Medicine Study …

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

PHILADELPHIA A growing body of evidence underscores the importance of human gut bacteria in modulating human health, metabolism, and disease. Yet bacteria are only part of the story. Viruses that infect those bacteria also shape who we are. Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, led a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that sequenced the DNA of viruses -- the virome -- present in the gut of healthy people. Nearly 48 billion bases of DNA, the genetic building blocks, were collected in the stools of 12 individuals. The researchers then assembled the blocks like puzzle pieces to recreate whole virus genomes. Hundreds to thousands of likely distinct viruses were assembled per individual, of which all but one type were bacteriophages viruses that infect bacteria -- which the team expected. The other was a human pathogen, a human papillomavirus found in a single individual. Bacteriophages are responsible for the toxic effects of many bacteria, but their role in the human microbiome has only recently started to be studied. To assess variability in the viral populations among the 12 individuals studied, Bushman's team, … Continue reading →

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Gov. Perry's stem-cell firm draws FDA scrutiny

Posted: Published on March 16th, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received a complaint alleging the Houston company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unregulated adult stem-cell operation is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law. In an eight-page letter sent last month, University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner called on the FDA to investigate Celltex Therapeutics Corp., which banks people's stem cells for future reinjection in the event of disease or injury. Perry was the company's first customer last year. "It appears their business plan involves injecting or infusing on a for-profit, commercial basis non-FDA-approved adult stem cells into paying customers," Turner wrote in the Feb. 21 letter. "This plan conflicts with FDA regulations governing human stem cells." An FDA spokeswoman declined comment, but Turner said an agency official told him the matter has been assigned to an investigator and is being taken seriously. Celltex co-founder David Eller said Tuesday night he is confident the company will "meet all FDA specifications." He emphasized that Celltex doesn't administer stem cells, but stores and processes them at the behest of doctors who later reinject them into patients. Dr. Stanley Jones, a Houston orthopedic surgeon, injected Perry's stem cells during his back … Continue reading →

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