The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today(December 22, 2014) granted accelerated approval to Opdivo (nivolumab), a new treatment for patients with unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) or metastatic (advanced) melanoma who no longer respond to other drugs.
Melanoma is often diagnosed late in people with darker skin and hence has higher malignancy.
Opdivo works by inhibiting the PD-1 protein on cells, which blocks the body’s immune system from attacking melanoma tumors.…
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government has ordered a cut of nearly 20 percent in its 2014/15 healthcare budget due to fiscal strains, putting at risk key disease control initiatives in a country whose public spending on health is already among the lowest in the world. Two health ministry officials told Reuters on Tuesday that more than 60 billion rupees, or $948 million, has been slashed from their budget allocation of around $5 billion for the financial year ending on March 31. India spends…
An “alarming” number of pre-school children are being prescribed drugs to treat hyperactivity – contrary to medical guidelines that say they should not be used on children under six – because overstretched health workers go straight to medication rather than offering psychological interventions. More than a fifth of educational psychologists say they know of preschool children who are being given medication such as Ritalin even though the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (…
Researchers report on a revolutionary new procedure that uses 3-D printing and the body’s stem cells to regenerate knee meniscus, a tissue lining that acts as a natural cushion between the femur and tibia. People with damaged menisci develop arthritis and are forced to limit their activity. The procedure, published online Dec. 10 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, has proved successful in sheep at Cornell University six months after surgery, though the researchers will monitor the…
Scientists to launch £5m study that explores links between immune disorders and mental illness – and could lead to new treatments “Yet they became depressed as soon as they were given interferon and it triggered inflammation. This suggests strongly that the immune system talks to the brain in some way and that inflammation in the body can cause depression. It is possible that the reverse is true and that the brain somehow affects the immune system but that link requires further research.” …
It is important that the physician is kept updated about the natural remedies a diabetic is trying out. When managing blood sugar levels becomes a daily battle that tests one’s will and wits, a little help on the side certainly helps. Herbs, spices, botanicals, Chinese herbs, fish oil therapy, chromium picolinate — the list can be endless, not to mention the innumerable diabetes “supplements” available over the counter. Complementary and alternative medicines for diabetes are immensely…
Alzheimer's Australia together with Opaque Multimedia has created a virtual dementia experience to educate people on what it's like to live with dementia. The multi-sensory gamification simulation uses light, sound, colour, and visual content as well as kinetic senses to project images across the room to re-create experiences that dementia suffers often face, such as perceiving a dark mat on a light floor as a black hole. "Dementia is a disease that is often very difficult to explain about what…
Parents in California who have children who get chronic ear infections will soon have a more convenient way to get their kids care. San Francisco-based CellScope, a Khosla Ventures-backed Rock Health alum, has begun taking preorders for its FDA registered smartphone-enabled otoscope,called Oto Home. “[While there is a physician version of the Oto,] our primary focus is on the consumer market and the Oto Home system,” Amy Sheng, the co-founder of CellScope told…
Indian drugmaker Cadila Healthcare Ltd said on Tuesday it launched in India the first biosimilar version of the anti-inflammatory medicine adalimumab, the world's top-selling drug, at a fifth of its U.S. price. Adalimumab was approved globally in 2002 and has been the most preferred drug for patients suffering from auto immune disorders. The drug's branded version is sold under the name Humira by U.S. firm AbbVie Inc, and costs $1,000 for a vial in the United States. Humira…
