The manufacturer of an experimental gene therapy drug for inflammatory arthritis said yesterday, Monday 26th November, that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the phase I/II trial of the drug to resume following an investigation into the death of a patient. [click link for full article]

"This could be a step towards eradicating breast cancer. "If we can find a way of preventing the disease in these women it may be applicable for everyone." WOMEN in the North-East are being called on to take part in a breast cancer trial which aims to be the next step in eradicating the disease. via The Journal Newspaper Online

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, announced that its Phase II clinical protocol to study bavituximab in combination with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer has been approved by the Drug Agency of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. [click link for full article]

Background: Epidemiologic studies provide evidence that exercise is associated with reduced risk of colon cancer. Exercise may exert protective effects on the colon by influencing prostaglandin production. We hypothesized that an exercise intervention would decrease prostaglandin E2 concentrations and increase prostaglandin F2 in colon biopsies compared with controls. Methods: A 12-month randomized controlled trial testing the effects of exercise on colon mucosal prostaglandin concentrations was conducted in men (n = 95) and women (n = 89). The exercise intervention included moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity, 60 min/d, 6 days/wk versus controls. Prostaglandin E2 and F2 concentrations were measured in colon biopsies using an enzyme-linked immunoassay at baseline and at 12 months to assess changes in mean concentration for each group. Results: Baseline colon prostaglandin E2 and F2 concentrations were not correlated with age, race, education, family history of colon cancer, previous polyps, body size, diet, smoking, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use, metabolic factors, or sex hormone levels. For both men and women, the exercise and control groups showed no change in mean prostaglandin E2 or F2 between the baseline and 12-month biopsies. There was no difference in mean prostaglandin concentrations between exercisers and controls when exercisers were grouped by level of intervention adherence. Results were not modified by baseline age, body mass index, percentage of body fat, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use, history of adenomatous polyps, or family history of colon cancer. Conclusion: A 12-month moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise intervention did not result in significant changes in colon mucosal prostaglandin concentrations. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(11):2351–6)

A drug addict who robbed a "vulnerable" man by pretending he had a knife is jailed after failing to turn up for trial.

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: PVCT) has obtained approval to begin Phase 2 clinical testing of PH-10, the company's topical drug for dermatology, for the treatment of psoriasis. The study is designed to evaluate efficacy of PH-10 in a total of twenty-five subjects with moderate to severe forms of the disease. [click link for full article]

Northwestern University announced that it has begun enrollment for a national clinical research study for women with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. The Northwestern trial will evaluate the efficacy of Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets in combination with the anticancer drug paclitaxel for metastatic breast cancer. [click link for full article]

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC are participating in an international clinical trial currently underway to study the effectiveness of oral insulin in preventing or delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes in people at risk for the disease. [click link for full article]

Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the first patients have been dosed in a Phase 2b trial of DDP733 (pumosetrag) as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-c). This DDP733 Phase 2b trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study that is enrolling female patients with IBS-c at multiple centers in the U.S. and Canada. [click link for full article]

HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental kind of medication has failed as treatment for the emergency condition known as acute heart failure, a new trial finds.

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