WASHINGTON – With the misuse and abuse of drugs becoming the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., Congress is looking for ways to curb the use of some prescription painkillers and insomnia/anxiety drugs. Read More
HIV infects CD4 "helper" T cells. But new research out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Ragon Institute showed that early in the course of HIV infection, helper T cells play a greater role in controlling the disease than has been appreciated. Read More
• Adeona Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich., appointed Jeff Riley president and CEO, added C. Evan Ballantyne as chief financial officer and named Scott L. Tarriff and Nelson K. Stacks to the board. Read More
• Baxter International Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., said the European Commission granted marketing authorization of Vepacel, a pre-pandemic influenza vaccine indicated for active immunization in adults, ages 18 and older, against the H5N1 subtype of influenza A. Read More
• Novavax Inc., of Rockville, Md., said it started enrollment in a Phase II trial of its quadrivalent seasonal influenza virus-like particle vaccine candidate. The study, being conducted under the firm's contract with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, is designed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of three dose levels of the vaccine in healthy adults, ages 18 to 64. Read More
Awaiting much-anticipated data from its pivotal Fabry disease program later this year, Amicus Therapeutics Inc. is doubling its cash balance via a $57 million public offering. Read More
• Columbia Laboratories Inc., of Livingston, N.J., said it's cutting its work force by about 42 percent, from 24 employees to 14 employees, primarily in R&D and general administrative positions, to lower costs and better align operating expenses with revenues. Read More
Vaccines are now given as an intramuscular jab. And that delivery, Thomas Kupper told BioWorld Today, "totally bypasses the rich immunological environment of the skin.". Read More
