Tag Archives: Healthcare

ShigETEC vaccine candidate has the potential to have a major impact on diarrheal diseases

VIENNA, 24-Sep-2020 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — Eveliqure Biotechnologies GmbH, an Austrian biotechnology company, today announces the initiation of clinical testing for its ShigETEC vaccine candidate, with the dosing of the first subject in a Phase 1 safety and immunogenicity study in Europe. ShigETEC is an orally administered vaccine candidate targeting Shigella and Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), two of the major pathogens responsible for diarrhoeal diseases in travelers to endemic countries, as well as a major threat to children living in low- and middle- income countries.

Currently no effective vaccines against these two pathogens exist and previous attempts to develop vaccines against Shigella and ETEC have failed. Eveliqure has employed a radically innovative approach based on a live attenuated Shigella vaccine strain rationally designed to provide broad, serotype independent protection against both Shigella and ETEC, and is developing the vaccine for both travelers to endemic countries and for children living in resource-poor countries. Following this initial Phase 1 study run in Hungary, further clinical development of ShigETEC will include Phase 1 testing in non-endemic adults, immune characterization of vaccine responses, vaccine formulation studies and clinical testing of ShigETEC in the pediatric population in resource poor-countries. These activities are supported by the EU-funded SHIGETECVAX international consortium of world-leading vaccine organizations – the European Vaccine Initiative, Eveliqure Biotechnologies, University of Gothenburg, icddr,b and PATH.

“Entering clinical development with ShigETEC marks a major milestone for Eveliqure, culminating from our extensive preclinical work performed over the past five years” – commented Gábor Somogyi, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Eveliqure. “We believe that ShigETEC has the potential to reduce the burden of diarrhoeal diseases for travellers, while also saving hundreds of thousands of children in endemic areas of the world”.

“Initiating the Phase 1 study for ShigETEC in adult volunteers is a crucial step towards establishing safety and immunogenicity of our vaccine candidate, and will help us define a well-tolerated, and effective schedule of dosing for our planned Phase 2 human challenge studies”. – commented Frank Malinoski MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Eveliqure.

Compared to single pathogen approaches, ShigETEC has the potential to have a major impact on diarrheal diseases, protecting both travelers to the developing world and children in endemic populations.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

First Rhenium-SCT® (Skin Cancer Therapy) treatment in Germany done by Dr. Lutz-Hendrik Holle

HANAU, Germany, 4-Oct-2019 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — OncoBeta®, a Medical Device Company specialized in innovative epidermal radioisotope therapies for Non-Melanocytic Skin Cancers (NMSCs), announced today, that Dr. Lutz-Hendrik Holle, Medical Director of the interregional professional association for nuclear medicine in Hanau, has accomplished the first Rhenium-SCT® (Skin Cancer Therapy) treatment in Germany. This state-of-the-art technology of local radionuclide therapy offers a painless and non-invasive treatment option for patients with basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (BCC and SCC) and the interregional professional association for nuclear medicine Hanau is the first center in Germany that offers the Rhenium-SCT®.

With approximately 50.000 outpatient examinations annually, the interregional professional association for nuclear medicine Hanau is one of the biggest nuclear medicine service providers in Hesse. The offered services include a variety of different modern treatment and diagnostic methods. The key argument for the expansion of the spectrum was that the Rhenium-SCT® is a new, painless and highly efficient treatment option that also delivers excellent cosmetic results. Besides being a painless alternative to other procedures, the Rhenium-SCT® also allows the treatment of numerous NMSC lesions consecutively in a single session, which was already realized during the first treatment in Hanau. This has also attracted international attention so that an American patient travelled to Hanau for the treatment.

“This therapy is particularly suitable for tumor localizations where good cosmetic results are to be achieved. The fact that the treatment is completely painless and can be performed in just one session is a great advantage”, says Dr. Lutz-Hendrik Holle, Medical Director of Nuclear Medicine in Hanau.

“We are very happy and proud to be able to offer our revolutionary treatment to patients in Germany now. The interregional professional association of nuclear medicine in Hanau is an excellent partner for NMSC patients in the fight against NMSC”, said Shannon D. Brown III, CEO and Managing Director of OncoBeta® GmbH. “Unfortunately, Germany is one of the countries that has experienced a drastic increase in newly diagnosed NMSC cases in recent years. Our highly qualified team strives to provide physicians and patients with a non-invasive and affordable solution to treat NMSC, while focusing on the needs of the patient.”

The global incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers has been drastically increasing over the past decades. Depending on the source, it is estimated that there are over 5 million non-melanoma skin cancer cases reported globally each year. In certain analyzed areas of Germany there was an increase in the incidence between the year 2005 and the year 2014 by about 30%1. To serve the increasing medical need for innovative therapies in this field and to improve the quality of patients’ lives, OncoBeta® GmbH has developed its innovative Rhenium-SCT® which only require a single application in most of the cases, applied in one single session with excellent aesthetic outcomes.

Via EPR Network
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CoapTech and Fidmi Medical to Collaborate on Groundbreaking G-Tube Systems

Baltimore, MD, 2019-Sep-18 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — CoapTech LLC (Baltimore, MD) and Fidmi Medical, Ltd. (Caesarea, Israel) announced today that they will be collaborating on bringing to market a set of next-generation products for the initial placement and long-term maintenance of gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes). The collaboration between CoapTech and Fidmi will focus on integrating the company’s two technologies and expanding their collective market opportunities.

Gastrostomy tubes, which help patients receive long-term nutritional support, are typically placed endoscopically and need to be replaced every 3-6 months.

CoapTech’s PUMA-G System allows initial gastrostomy tube placement by non-surgeons/ gastroenterologists, outside of the endoscopy suite, using point-of-care ultrasound at the patient bedside. This novel approach can be performed in the ICU, emergency room, and eventually outside of the hospital setting, substantially reducing costs for tube placement.

Fidmi Medical’s innovative low-profile gastrostomy system is unique in that it can be utilized for both initial placement and replacement and has several features which make it more durable and comfortable for patients. Gastrostomy tubes very often get dislodged, clogged, or infected, and need to be replaced frequently. Fidmi’s improved low-profile gastrostomy tube is placed just like any standard PEG tube but has an easily replaceable inner tube which can be changed by patients without the need to re-enter the healthcare system for replacement procedures. This will result in fewer complications with patients’ g-tubes, therefore potentially reducing healthcare costs for payers and healthcare systems; as well as providing a substantial improvement in quality of life for patients and their caregivers.

Fidmi Medical Chairman, Lloyd Fishman, commented, “We are excited to collaborate with CoapTech in development and marketing. Both companies have developed cutting-edge technologies that will improve patient care and contribute to the ease, efficiency and confidence of clinicians’ work in the gastrostomy field.”

Dr. Steven Tropello, CoapTech’s founder and CMO said, “In combination these systems will be compatible with Push or Pull methods, be implantable in a wide variety of clinical settings, and require minimal readmission to the hospital and fewer visits to the ER. The synergy will reduce both front and back-end costs for hospitals and payers, and make care safer and more patient-centered.”

Via EPR Network
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2019 Red Herring North America Top 100 Winner: New recognition of OncoBeta’s success in developing and providing an innovative therapy for non-melanoma skin cancer patients

Pasadena, CA, U.S.A., 6-Jul-2019 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — OncoBeta®, a Medical Device Company specialized in innovative epidermal radioisotope therapies for Non-Melanocytic Skin Cancers (NMSCs), announced today, that it was honored as a Red Herring Top 100 North America Award winner recognizing the continent’s most exciting and innovative private technology companies. After being recognized with the Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award earlier this year, this is now the second recognition obtained by Red Herring.

The winners, celebrated at a special awards ceremony at the Westin Pasadena hotel, have been chosen from thousands of entrants, whittled down to hundreds making the trip to California. The ceremony, led by Red Herring chairman Alex Vieux, was preceded by two days of keynote speeches, discussions and finalist presentations.

Companies were judged by industry experts, insiders and journalists on a wide variety of criteria including financial performance, innovation, business strategy, and market penetration. Winners ran the gamut of verticals, from FinTech and Marketing to Security, IoT, and many more industries.

Red Herring’s editors have been evaluating the world’s startups and tech companies for over two decades. It gives them the ability to see through the industry’s hype to pick firms that will continue on a trajectory to success. Brands such as Alibaba, Google, Kakao, Skype, Spotify, Twitter and YouTube have all been singled out in Red Herring’s storied history.

“2019’s crop of Top 100 winners has been among our most intriguing yet,” said Vieux. “North America has led the way in tech for so many years, and to see such unique, pioneering entrepreneurs and companies here in California, which is in many ways the heartland of the industry, has been a thrilling experience.”

“What has excited me most is to see so many people forging niches in high-tech and cutting edge sectors,” added Vieux. “Some of the technical wizardry and first-rate business models showcased here at the conference has been fantastic to learn about. We believe OncoBeta® embodies the drive, skill and passion on which tech thrives. OncoBeta® should be proud of its achievement – the competition was incredibly strong.”

“Being named as one of the Red Herring’s Top 100 North America award winner in addition to the Top 100 Europe is a great honor for us.” states Shannon D. Brown III, CEO of OncoBeta®. “The spirit of the award aligns perfectly with our team’s mission in the fight against non-melanocytic skin cancer (NMSC) with the Rhenium-SCT®.”

The complete list of the 2019 Red Herring North America Top 100 Winners can be found here in alphabetical order: https://www.redherring.com/2019-rhna-top100-winners/

Red Herring’s press release is available online at https://www.redherring.com/red-herring-2019-top-100-north-america-winners-press-release/

SOURCE: EuropaWire

EMA, MHRA and U.S. FDA among regulatory agencies participating at PDA’s 4th Annual European Meeting in Amsterdam

BERLIN, 10-Jun-2019 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) is excited to host its 4th Annual European Meeting: Global Healthcare of the Present and the Future, June 25-26 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the new location of the European Medicines Agency, where industry and regulatory agencies will present their perspectives on the transformation unfolding in the pharmaceutical sector regarding the digitalization and automation of manufacturing processes.

From the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Felix G. Rebitschek will deliver the keynote speech, “Decision-Making Under Uncertainty.” Following him, the opening plenary “Regulatory Updates – Current Situation” will discuss understanding regulatory frameworks in an atmosphere of rapid change and provide the opportunity to participate in conversation with regulators and industry representatives.

Regulatory agencies sharing industry updates include the European Medicines Agency, U.S. FDA, WHO, MHRA and HPRA, PIC/S.

A series of parallel tracks will offer the chance to learn about topics ranging from virtual reality, data quality management, manufacturing technologies and much more.

Learn more about the topics that will be examined in-depth.

Registration (https://store.pda.org/Meetings/Login.aspx?ID=4520) can be completed until June 24.

Bona fide members of the press are welcome to apply for a press pass.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

GenieMD to Feature Award Winning AI-based Telemedicine Platform at HIMSS19

San Francisco, CA, 2019-Jan-24 — /EPR Network/ — GenieMD will be exhibiting at HIMSS19 in Orlando, Florida February 11-15, 2019. The GenieMD team will be showcasing their iVisit Telemedicine platform. GenieMD’s award-winning Telemedicine platform, driven by an AI engine, assists in the patient’s triage allowing for a streamlined consult with their physician through its HIPAA compliant text messaging, video visits and question-based asynchronous visits.

Patients are demanding convenience, expanded access and lower cost of health care. Doctors are overwhelmed with simple cases which take up most of their consult time. Clinics are struggling to manage costs in light of their patients increasingly use of alternative channels to seek treatment. To address these challenges, technology companies are innovating new ways for patients to gain access to providers. Government regulators are responding more favorably to the use of these methods including Telemedicine. Therefore, Telemedicine adoption is growing at a rapid pace.

“At GenieMD, our mission is to help improve the quality of human life by providing solutions that enable people to live healthier and longer.” – Dr. Soheil Saadat, CEO

The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to democratize healthcare globally.

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Alliance Life Sciences to present expanded portfolio of pricing & market access services at the World Pharma Pricing and Market Access Congress 2018

SOMERSET, N.J. / LONDON, UK, 19-Mar-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Alliance Life Sciences, a leading global life sciences consulting, pricing data and technology provider, announced that it is a sponsor at the World Pharma Pricing and Market Access Congress 2018 taking place March 20-21 in London, United Kingdom. As part of the largest pharmaceutical commercialization organization that services more than 300 of the industry’s top pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies, Alliance will present its expanded portfolio of pricing and market access services. The focus will be on pricing and reimbursement data managed by PricentricOne and pricing governance, reference and tender pricing software manage by PriceRight.

Now in its 12th year the World Pharma Pricing and Market Access Congress brings together the most innovative leaders and organizations to discuss all aspects of evidence, access and pricing. This year’s event will feature over 150 speakers and a greater range of topics being covered including Big Data & AI, rare diseases, advanced therapies and other emerging, innovative areas.

Alan Crowther, President of Global Markets noted “Alliance Life Sciences is pleased to be a sponsor of the World Pharma Pricing & Market Access congress, particularly this year. We have made a number of investments in our people and infrastructure in Europe. Our acquisition by Water Street partners in 2017 allowed us to offer enhancements in our Market Access offerings too. Europe continues to be our focus market and World Pharma Pricing & Market Access congress is a great venue to showcase our expended capabilities”.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Prof. Lucien Abenhaim: There is an incredible challenge for the sustainability of health systems across the world

Prof. Lucien Abenhaim

LONDON, Dec-3-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — On December 5-6, 2017, 200 high-level experts from government, academia, biopharmaceutical developers and patient organisations convene in London (UK) to address the mounting challenge of accessibility and patient access to high-value, high-cost medical therapies.

The not-for-profit executive forum is organised by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and analytica|LASER, a global research consultancy, to investigate topical questions around drug policy, global health systems sustainability and innovation funding through a combination of case studies, panel sessions, and roundtables. Delegations are registered from over 70 public and private organisations, including the World Health Organization, as well as health systems representatives from Belgium, England, Estonia, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the United States and Wales. Multiple patient organisations support the meeting to ensure that the patient voice is reflected in all deliberations.

“Access to life-saving drugs is not a new challenge. The paradigm of accessibility was changed completely in the face of the deadly HIV epidemic. This time, however, accessibility concerns almost every domain of medicine such as cancer, auto-immune diseases and rare diseases. We must act now,” says Prof Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and former head of UNAIDS.

“There is an incredible challenge for the sustainability of health systems across the world”, says Prof. Lucien Abenhaim, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Chairman of Analytica Laser. “It is critical that drug developers and health system engage on actionable proposals that address concerns around value, cost and overall access to innovation for the patients who need it. We are at an inflection point – the paradigms of the 1990’s can no longer guide us,” he adds.

The main plenary on December 6th features scheduled remarks by over a dozen authorities in the field, including Professor Baron Peter Piot (Director, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and former Head, UNAIDS), Dr. Olivier Brandicourt (Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi), Dr. Sarah Garner (World Health Organization), Prof. Dominique Le Guludec (President, French HAS), Sir Andrew Dillon (Chief Executive, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence UK) and Dr. Harold Paz (Chief Medical Officer, Aetna). The plenary is preceded by a scientific seminar on December 5th which gathers globally renowned academics to explore new frontiers on the methodology for the appraisal and valuation of high-value medicines.

Please contact the organisers for more information on the programming and media access, or refer to www.accessibility-symposium.org

SOURCE: EuropaWire

HD Biosciences, Co., Ltd. and E. J. Corey Institute of Biomedical Research Reached Agreement for Drug R&D Collaboration

HD Biosciences Co., Ltd. (HDB) and E. J. Corey Institute of Biomedical Research (CIBR) announced that they have reached a risk-sharing agreement on collaborative drug discovery and development in the therapeutic areas of infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, and oncology. This joint effort will focus on both international and Chinese markets to provide innovative medicines for unmet healthcare needs. The agreement includes lead candidate selection pre-clinical development, IND filing, clinical trials, and NDA approvals. Both companies will share financial returns from any successes or products launches.

“We are delighted to enter this partnership. The collaboration will leverage HDB’s extensive capabilities in preclinical drug discovery and development, and create long term potentials for the company.” stated Xuehai Tan, Ph.D., President & CEO of HDB. “In combination of CIBR’s expertise in drug development, we are confident to deliver novel drug candidates over the next few years, and to make this partnership a success.”

“Working with HDB gives CIBR a unique opportunity to showcase its strength in innovative drug discovery and development,” said Wuyi Meng, Ph.D., President of CIBR. “This partnership further demonstrates CIBR’s commitment in the betterment of patient’s lives by bringing forward novel medicines. We will collaborate closely with HDB to accelerate the progress of our collaborative programs”

About HD Biosciences Co., Ltd.
HD Biosciences Co., Ltd. is a Shanghai-based, biology-focused preclinical drug discovery contract research organization (CRO). The company offers comprehensive service platforms around target validation, plate-based pharmacology, hit identification and lead discovery, therapeutic antibody discovery, in vivo pharmacology, as well as other research and development services. The company currently collaborates with eight of the ten largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and has established strategic partnerships on many key R&D areas with impacts to their portfolios. The strong scientific expertise, high quality and consistency in deliveries, constantly meeting or exceeding expectations, has earned the company a great reputation in the industry, and helped the company to build its widely recognized leadership in preclinical contract research services.http://www.hdbiosciences.com

About E. J. Corey Institute of Biomedical Research
Located in the Jiangyin High-tech Industry Development Zone in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, E. J. Corey Institute of Biomedical Research (CIBR) is a non-profit research organization founded by Nobel laureate Prof. E. J. Corey with the support from Jiangyin and Jiangsu government. CIBR is committed to scientific research in the broad biomedical field and to the development of novel therapeutics to meet the unmet medical needs of patients. In addition to its strong internal research and discovery capabilities in biomedical research and drug discovery, CIBR has established solid external capabilities in translational medicine and molecular toxicology to support drug development. Under the guidance of Nobel laureate Prof. Corey, CIBR is well poised to contribute to the discovery and development of novel medicines. http://www.cibrnobel.org

Contact Details:
HD Biosciences
Ms. Jessie Yang
Email: yangxiaojie@hdbiosciences.com

CIBR
Dr. Jiaquan Wu;
Email: jwu@cibrnobel.org

 

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EMS Healthcare receives ISO accreditation for fourth consecutive year

EMS Healthcare has announced that it has achieved ISO accreditation for the fourth consecutive year.

It is the latest in a long line of endorsements that the UK event marketing organisation has achieved continuously and maintained over the years. It marks EMS Healthcare as a first-class employer.

By investing in standards of best practice, EMS Healthcare not only gives their customers peace of mind and the confidence to do business with them, but they are also able to recruit the best and brightest talent in the event trailer hire and mobile medical accommodation industry.

Ultimately, it strengthens our proposition to both existing clients and prospects; whilst also helping to strengthen their ongoing recruitment drive. Ultimately it makes good business sense all round.

David Legg, Finance Director at EMS said: “We may be a SME business, but we are perfectly formed and certainly have big company values.

“When it comes to our staff, this is no exception, and we’re delighted to have recently passed the BS OHSAS 18001:2007 – Occupational Health and Safety Standard, which is no mean feat.

“It’s the fourth consecutive year that we have achieved the accreditation. And we were among one of the first live events companies to lead the way in its attainment.”

Find out more about EMS Healthcare and mobile medical accomodation today by calling 0151 350 1500 or visiting http://ems-healthcare.com.

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BlueFire Marketing Announces Launch of New Healthcare Reminder Service

BlueFire Marketing, a fully integrated marketing firm, announced today the launch of a text message marketing reminder service for healthcare providers. This service allows them to automatically remind patients of upcoming appointments. This reduces time and cost for healthcare providers who manually and individually call patients to remind them of their appointments.

BlueFire Marketing recognizes changing trends in both the market and in consumer preferences. In the U.S., smartphone penetration has reached 54%, and is projected to hit 84% by 2016. This creates an opportunity to reach individuals and build 1-on-1 relationships at an incredibly low cost.

Curt Johnson, President of BlueFire Marketing, said, “The beauty of the smartphone era for retailers and healthcare professionals is that the cost of the marketing medium is paid for by the consumer. The more your marketing mix shifts towards digital, the lower your cost per thousand.”

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Innovative Drug Discovery Business, Biosortia Pharmaceuticals, Lands Two Health Care Veterans

Kurt Dieck formerly SVP of Strategy and Business Execution at Cardinal Health, will lead early stage drug discovery business at Biosortia Pharmaceuticals. Dieck was named President and CEO in November 2012 and has quickly identified other key executives, including Dr. Guy Carter, former Natural Product head at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, as his Chief Science Officer. In conjunction, other collaboration partners have joined the team, including NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), NCI (National Cancer Institute) and key universities, to strategically accelerate the development of novel drug leads in the therapeutic areas of cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation and neurological disorders. Biosortia Pharmaceuticals has seen promising early results with dozens of novel compounds having already been requested, and are under evaluation with NCI and Eli Lilly.

Dieck has spent nearly 30 years in healthcare, including 18 years at Arthur Andersen as a global equity partner and then 10 years with Cardinal Health, a Fortune 20 public company, as a senior executive; there he worked with a broad spectrum of partners, including brand pharmaceutical manufacturers, throughout the supply chain. Dr. Guy Carter has over 30 years of experience working in pharmaceutical R&D, primarily in the discovery and development of microbial natural products. He previously was the leader of natural products drug discovery at Wyeth Research, as head of the Chemical Technologies Department.

“Kurt and Guy make a great team. Their complementary Pharma experiences and backgrounds create great opportunities to accelerate Biosortia’s objective to become the premier, aquatic natural products company with a primary focus in drug discovery,” says Ross Youngs, Biosortia’s Founder and Chairman. “Kurt and Guy bring a wealth of research and business experience along with deep industry relationships in building successful Pharma partnerships. Everyone involved with this young biotech is excited about the future.”

Industry observers have commented that late-stage R&D pipelines are not providing Pharma with the desired revenue growth the market is expecting. Therefore, large Pharma is evolving the way it performs R&D in order to optimize efficiency and to boost patent cliff defenses. These changes require shifting from relying solely on in-house chemistry-based R&D to acquiring and licensing external technologies and natural products based compounds in various stages of development. Biosortia’s ability to supply novel, highly active and potent compounds with drug-like characteristics will increase the productivity and success rate for Pharma as well as reduce the overall cost of the discovery process. The cost to discover, develop and launch a new drug is estimated to reach nearly $3B per drug by 2015. Biosortia’s business model is designed specifically to support Pharma’s needs.

“With nearly unlimited microorganisms (3.7 nonillion), the aquatic environment and its consortia represent an extraordinary opportunity…a new frontier, to access extremely potent and chemically diverse secondary metabolites with drug-like properties with unique mechanisms of action never researched before,” said Dieck. In describing the opportunity, Dieck goes on to say, “Biosortia is on the cutting edge of natural product discovery
and has the capabilities to deliver on its aspiration. Our powerful natural products research team, led by Dr. Guy Carter, in partnership with NOAA’s Dr. Peter Moeller, a leader in aquatic natural products research, has the experience and know-how to decipher the complex unexplored environment in a very efficient manner leveraging all the current state of the art instrumentation. The need for more efficient and effective approaches to drug discovery has never been more important. Biosortia’s innovative technologies, deep research skills and key relationships will efficiently provide thousands of unique natural products as candidates for drug discovery at a time when Pharma is in critical need for “high quality shots on goal.”

“Aquatic microbial consortia are a rich source of metabolically active organisms including microalgae, bacteria, fungi and their secondary metabolites,” states Carter. “Owing to the competitive nature of their habitat, chemical investigations of microbial consortia reveal unique structurally diversified natural products that are responsible for signaling and self-defense that have potential as therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action. Since they have been pre-optimized by nature, these compounds are typically closer to a drug candidate than a synthetic lead, thus requiring less optimization and shorter time when found as ‘hits’ in screening programs.”

The team has also focused on agreements with strategic collaboration partners as vital components to the strategy. Biosortia has recently entered into several collaboration agreements with NOAA, Analyticon and exclusive harvesting relationships, just to name a few. Several others will be advanced by the end of January. Biosortia’s cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with NOAA’s Center for Human Health Risk at Hollings Marine Laboratory provides a 5-year framework for research and development regarding the analysis and purification of novel bioactive compounds. According to NOAA’s Technology Partnerships Office, “Success will result in the commercial development of new and unique chemical compounds from the sea which have benefits to human health, either through disease prevention or new treatments for disease.”

Dr. Peter Moeller, NOAA’s Research Scientist who leads the Toxins Natural Products Program stated after analyzing fractions of Biosortia’s biomass, “Coupling NOAA’s mission of characterizing toxins affecting environmental and/or human health with Biosortia’s drug discovery focus turns one man’s toxin into another’s chemotherapeutic. The microorganisms analyzed in the Biosortia biomass identified more unique activity than I have seen in my 30 year career. The volumes achieved from a single harvest delivered an equivalent of 30 years of accumulation. This could materially change the landscape for natural products drug discovery research.”

As of December 31, 2012, Biosortia has identified more than 30 bioactive candidate compounds (hits) from a fresh water eutrophic lake consortium. Therapeutic areas of focus include treatments for cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation and neurological disorders. In addition, more than a dozen of its patent protected compounds are in initial evaluation stage within Eli Lilly’s Open Innovation Drug Discovery Program.

Dieck states, “Looking forward, it is with great optimism. We have a great team built around mutual respect, deep experience, and a desire to succeed and make a difference. We are aligning with the right partners and collaborators to execute our strategy with speed and discipline to provide Pharma with much high quality & diverse compounds vs. “me-too” drugs than they have had in the past 10 years. We are excited about what this company can accomplish, not only for its shareholders but also for the millions of people who have been diagnosed with various forms of chronic diseases who are looking for Pharma to identify better ways to help them extend their lives or live a more productive life. Biosortia can play a big role in identifying compounds that can help Pharma achieve these goals. I am looking forward to the challenge and opportunity to build an industry leading drug discovery company.”

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1 800-GET-THIN Says New “Whistle Blower” Lawsuit A Fantasy And Sham

1 800 GET THIN has called a lawsuit filed against it a fantasy and lacking in credibility. The lawsuit, Meyle v. 1 800 GET THIN, was filed in LA Superior Court (BC486169) on Thursday, and charges that San Diego Ambulatory Surgery Center failed to properly sterilize its instruments on December 30 and 31 of 2011. However, Konrad Trope, the attorney for the surgery enter, said that Jessica Meyle, the plaintiff, sent an email on January 5, 2012 which acknowledged the instruments were, in fact, properly sterilized. The email from Jessica Meyle said: “…it [the sterilizer] passed!!!!:):):) Mejid is looking at the autoclave now. He says the problem may have been that we removed the Bowie Dicks too quickly. He recommends to crack the door & leave the tests in the autoclave for 20 minutes. Thank you, Jessica”.

Trope stated “this email conclusively proves that the plaintiffs filed a false claim with the court knowing full well that the sterilizer worked.” Trope added that “it is improper that the plaintiffs’ attorneys Alexander Robertson and John Walker filed this lawsuit without doing an appropriate investigation of this false allegation as required by law.”

Trope further stated that “the plaintiffs and their attorneys are looking for a fast buck with false allegations.”

1 800 GET THIN is a marketing firm and does not perform medical procedures. The plaintiffs’ attorneys Robertson and Walker recently dismissed 1 800 GET THIN from their prior “whistleblower” lawsuit. 1 800 GET THIN will challenge this lawsuit as well. Trope added that “the plaintiffs and their attorneys have gone ahead and filed false claims which will inevitably result in their suit being dismissed with the strong likelihood that they will face a lawsuit for malicious prosecution.”

Trope has challenged the plaintiffs to explain the contradiction between their claims, the emails, and the written records. The record of quality medical care and safety in San Diego Ambulatory Surgery Center is excellent.

Trope says he is deeply concerned about Jessica Meyle’s criminal history and credibility. “She has a conviction for Retail Theft in Pennsylvania in the case of Commonwealth v. Jessica Gordon (her maiden name), in case number CP-23-CR-0007812-2006.”

Contact Details: Contact: Konrad Trope (888) 942-9997
Centurion Law Group

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Varicose Vein Treatment Offers Multi-Million Savings For Hard-Pressed NHS

As the pressure on the NHS to find efficiency savings increases, several trusts are looking to adopt a pioneering approach to varicose vein treatment that saves resources, while improving patient outcomes.

If adopted by all hospitals, The VNUS Closure procedure for the treatment of varicose veins, endorsed by the NHS National Innovation Centre, could save the health service around £17million.

The major benefits for the NHS lie in the fact that this procedure is much less resource-intensive than surgery. Conventional varicose vein stripping is a common operation, and one that takes up a great deal of operating theatre time.

The VNUS Closure procedure, however, can be carried-out in a treatment room, freeing up surgical theatres, enabling the NHS to treat other serious conditions more quickly and so reduce waiting-times.

It is said that as many as one in three adults in the UK suffers from venous reflux or varicose veins at some point in their life, and varicose vein treatment is one of the most common hospital procedures.

Almost 90,000 varicose vein operations were carried-out by the NHS in 2005-06, while approximately 20,000 similar operations were conducted privately, producing a total of around 110,000 procedures per year.

As long ago as 1999, a study conducted by the University of Edinburgh, put the total cost to the NHS at between £400m and £600m.

It is difficult to compare accurately the direct costs of conventional surgery and VNUS Closure. However, as the procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic without an overnight stay, and performed with minimal staff in a simple treatment room, this technique offers significant benefits for the NHS.

Cost savings are estimated to be between £40 and £450 per patient, depending on whether or not the patient requires an overnight stay.

The VNUS Closure is also expected to bring benefits to the wider economy, with patients being able to return to work almost immediately after their procedure with little or no pain.

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Pioneering Varicose Vein Treatment Gets Patients Back On Their Feet In No Time

Varicose veins can be painful and unsightly, with treatment often meaning surgery under general anaesthetic and a long recovery period.

While the traditional surgical approach has meant painful vein stripping, many UK hospitals now offer minimally invasive catheter technology that enables even severe varicose veins to be successfully treated in an outpatient setting, under a local anaesthetic.

Taking just a few minutes, a device is inserted into the diseased vein, where a catheter or fibre delivers either radio frequency or laser energy to heat and seal the vessel. The technique is extremely successful and far less painful and traumatic to the patient than vein stripping.

Endovenous laser (EVL) devices utilise an optical fibre to deliver extremely high levels of heat – over 700 degrees centigrade – that boils the blood in the vein to create a clotting effect that seals the vein as the device is withdrawn.

Radiofrequency devices operate at far lower temperatures to heat and shrink the vein walls, limiting the impact on surrounding tissues and, according to a clinical study, causing significantly less pain and bruising than laser.

Vascular surgeons using the VNUS® ClosureFAST™ catheter, the only radiofrequency device on the market today for the treatment of venous reflux, report that most patients return to normal activity almost immediately following the procedure, with little or no post-operative pain.

Radiofrequency endovenous ablation is a minimally invasive procedure for treating venous reflux disease, using Radiofrequency to heat and seal diseased veins, thereby reducing or eliminating existing varicose veins.

With the VNUS® ClosureFAST™ catheter, radiofrequency energy is delivered through a heating element seven centimetres long, to heat the collagen within the vein walls and cause the shrinkage and collapse of the vessel.

The closure procedure is generally performed using local anaesthesia, typically in a hospital theatre or an outpatient facility.

A ClosureFAST™ catheter is inserted into the vein through a tiny incision below the knee. Guided by ultrasound imaging, the vascular surgeon treats each 7cm segment of vein with a 20-second burst of radiofrequency energy, causing the vessel to shrink around the catheter.

The vascular surgeon withdraws the catheter, treating each segment until the entire vessel has been sealed. On average, 45cm of vein can be treated in three to five minutes.

In a clinical trial comparing Closure to laser, patients treated with Closure experienced less pain, less bruising and fewer complications, while a
one-year clinical data has shown the ClosureFAST™ catheter to be more than 97.4% effective in preventing reflux recurrence.

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Revolutionary Treatment Could Mean End For Varicose Vein Surgery

A revolutionary new treatment for varicose veins is proving a successful alternative to surgery.

The VNUS ClosureFast catheter is a minimally invasive alternative treatment, which doctors claim, results in less pain and bruising than traditional vein stripping surgery.

Using the Closure system, doctors close the diseased veins by inserting the closure catheter into a vein and heating the vein wall using temperature-controlled RF energy. As it is catheter-based, it results in little to no scarring.

Heating the vein wall causes collagen in the wall to shrink and the vein to close. After the vein is sealed shut, blood then naturally reroutes to healthy veins.

Dr Thomas Proebstle, a dermatologist and expert in venous diseases, said: “Beauty treatments and aesthetic surgery is on the increase all over the world. Quite often, this is associated with risky procedures, some pain and lengthy courses of wound healing.

“With this new, less-invasive approach, the procedure is much more gentle and smoother. The risks are much lower and the pain is kept to a low level, plus it can be administered under local anesthetic.”

Dr Proebstle, who is Professor for Dermatology at University of Pecs in Hungary, added: “Obviously this type of treatment does not need to be performed in a theatre or hospital, which improves its cost-effectiveness. It can easily be performed in an outpatient setting with the right medical facilities.”

The results of a recently published three-year-study carried out at eight european centres, which involved 225 outpatients, showed a huge success rate for the treatment.

The study showed that between 12 and 24 months after the treatment, 96.4 per cent of patients reported they had no pain. After 24 months, that number had increased to more than 99 per cent.

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Lasering Off Your Unwanted Hair

Almost all of us have unwanted hair and most of would probably like to get rid of that hair permanently. So it is not surprising that many of us look into laser hair removal in Atlanta.

There are a few things that you should know about laser hair removal before you undergo the process. A little knowledge can often make things easier and more fun. Here is a little of what you should know about laser hair removal:

  • Laser hair removal is very safe, most people will suffer no side effects or harm if the procedure is done by a cosmetic surgeon and they follow their doctors’ instructions.
  • You will have to stay out of the sun for a few days after laser hair removal because your skin will be more sensitive and susceptible to sunburn.
  • Laser hair removal is more effective for people with light skin and dark hair. It may not work as well for blondes and persons with darker skin.
  • Laser hair removal is not permanent the hair will probably grow back but will be lighter in color.
  • The process is an outpatient procedure but it has to be done in a doctor’s office.
  • You will be able to resume your normal routine after the process as long as you cover the areas of skin that were treated.
  • There can be some pain involved because the doctor will be using a laser to burn hair follicles.
  • Board certified cosmetic surgeons can offer a wide variety of procedures for the removal of unwanted hair including laser hair removal.
  • It is best to discuss the procedure with the doctor before undergoing it.
  • Laser hair removal is considered cosmetic surgery so chances are that it will not be covered by your health insurance. This means you will have to pay for the whole procedure yourself.
  • Laser hair removal is very affordable so almost anybody should be able to afford it.

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Innovators in Health Care Meeting at HealthCamp Florida on July 30, 2011

The inaugural meeting of HealthCamp Florida will be held in Tampa, Florida on July 30, 2011. It will be held on Saturday, July 30 at Kforce in Tampa (1001 E. Palm Ave., Tampa, FL 33605). This is the inaugural event for HealthCamp Florida and the theme is ‘The remarkable innovations that are transforming healthcare.’ The focus will be on technology, policy and process areas and it is expected that these three areas will help to cross-pollinate thoughts, speakers and attendees and inform the discussions.

HealthCamps have been held in a number of other cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and other locations. HealthCamp will be similar to a BarCamp type of unconference but the attendees and speakers will represent a wide variety of people, industries and advocates focused around health care topics. These events have become popular because they involve interesting, high-energy people talking about interesting things.

One of the goals of HealthCamp Florida is to raise awareness of the remarkable innovators and innovations available right here in Florida. The event will bring together interesting people who might otherwise not meet at their own individual industry meetings. This will allow them to share, collaborate, learn and inspire. Some of the extraordinary innovators who are on the cutting edge of health care innovation have committed to attending the event and speaking. They will cover topics ranging from a new non-invasive medical device that provides more accurate predictions of heart risk, to iPhone and iPad apps for health care, to a neural communications device to help the brain communicate with prosthetic limbs, and to a new way to manage patient data and more. The website is www.healthcampflorida.org.

About HealthCamp Florida: HealthCamp Florida is part of the HealthCamp group of events and is designed to look at innovations in HealthCare in general and, focus on people, companies and innovations in Florida.

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Global Health Progress Amplifies Report Calling for Funding Products to Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases

The third-annual Global Funding of Innovation for Neglected Diseases (G-FINDER) survey was released last week revealing both good and bad news for the funding of neglected diseases in the developing world. In a press release issued by Policy Cures, an independent group providing research and analysis for those involved in the creation of new pharmaceuticals for neglected diseases, the group reveals that while funding for neglected diseases has increased, funding for new products has decreased.

Funders appear to be focusing more of their money toward traditional basic research. This shift has caused a $50 million drop in funding for Product Development Partnerships (PDP), non-profit organizations that partner with external organizations to drive product development for neglected diseases, including neglected tropical diseases.

Report author Dr Mary Moran, Director of Policy Cures warns funders not to “take their eyes off the ball” in the press release, stating that while the increase in funding is encouraging it is important that the funds are spent wisely.

Global Health Progress has worked with partner groups to encourage and sustain funding for the research and development of new products. The innovative research and development (R&D) of new drugs and vaccines is a critical component of improving health care and combating epidemics of neglected tropical diseases in developing countries. There are no vaccines or cures for some widespread and life threatening diseases such as malaria, while existing treatments for diseases such as tuberculosis are becoming less effective due to drug resistance.

Read the full press release from Policy Cures here:
http://globalhealthprogress.org/mediacenter/wp-content/uploads/G-FINDER_Year_3_media_release.pdf,
or read the G-FINDER report on the Policy Cures website:
http://www.policycures.org/downloads/g-finder_2010.pdf.

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Better Vision with Natural Herbs

Eyesight RX, natural eye formula developed by Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., is a revolutionary new vision support formula that may improve color perception, clarity of vision, day and night vision, distance vision, and the pleasure of looking at artwork, plants, nature. Eyesight Rx vision support supplies antioxidants to the tissues in the eye, including lutein, zeaxanthin, other carotenoids, and dozens of beneficial compounds that support and improve eye health.

About Advance Physician Formulas – Advance Physician Formulas, www.physicianformulas.com, provides science-based natural formulas developed by a medical doctor, top quality supplements with the highest grade raw material ingredients, along with reliable, honest, and friendly service.

About Ray Sahelian, M.D. – Dr. Sahelian has been writing about nutritional supplements for the over 20 years. His informative nutritional website, www.raysahelian.com is the highest visited site for vitamin news. Any information about vitamins typed in Google will bring up his website under the regular organic searches. Dr. Sahelian has written over 10 books about vitamins and nutritional supplements and sold over one million copies. His top two books, Mind Boosters and Natural Sex Boosters have helped thousands of people.

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