-
Drug Companies Urged to Conserve Antibiotics to Fight Resistance
A new report recommends that pharmaceutical companies take a different approach to combating resistance to antibiotic drugs. An article published today in the journal Health Affairs suggests physicians, hospitals, and drug makers coordinate their practices to extend the effective lifetimes of antibiotics. The paper, by Aaron S. Kesselheim of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard…
-
Computer-Vision System Unveiled for Auto Collision Avoidance
Mobileye N.V., a developer of vision-based collision prevention systems in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, released its Mobileye C2-270 system featuring the EyeQ2 vision chip that detects pedestrians, vehicles, bicycles, and lane markings. The company says this device can saves lives by alerting and prompting drivers in the critical seconds before a collision occurs. The company says…
-
Chinese Patents, R&D Funds Climb in 2010
The Xinhua news agency reports that the number of patents and research and development funding by China’s largest companies have climbed so far in 2010, according to data released by the China Enterprise Confederation (CEC). The CEC says China’s top 500 companies held 169,000 patents in 2010, up 13.3 percent from last year. Some 41…
-
Light reporting on Monday
( SU7AJNCPJXKQ ) Monday, 6 September, is the Labor Day holiday in the U.S., and with the markets and most businesses closed, there will likely be little news to report. But we will keep our eyes open for any developments outside the U.S. worth reporting.
-
Small Business Grant Given for Cancer Drug Delivery System
Celsion Corp., a biotechnology drug development company in Columbia, Maryland, has received a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health. This funding will help the company develop its heat-activated liposomal — encapsulated cellular membrane sac — technology in combination with carboplatin, a frequently used oncology drug for…
-
Prof Creates High-Value Chemicals from Biomass
An Iowa State University researcher in Ames, Iowa has discovered a method for producing chemicals such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol from biomass rather than petroleum. Both chemicals are used in a variety of commercial and industrial products. Walter Trahanovsky, an Iowa State professor of chemistry was looking to produce sugar derivatives from cellulose…
-
European Approval Sought for Daily HIV Treatment
Gilead Sciences Inc. of Foster City, California is seeking approval to market a combination of its Truvada drug with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals’ TMC278 as a single-dose daily treatment for HIV infection. If approved, the new single-tablet regimen would be only the second product that contains a complete antiretroviral treatment regimen in a single once-daily tablet, according…
-
Treasury Dept: Commercial Credit Standards Tightening
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, reports today that its annual survey of banks’ credit underwriting standards — guidelines for issuing loans — found that commercial credit standards remained tight for the 12-month period ending on 31 March 2010. Credit standards for small…
-
Platelet Transfusion System Trial Shows Favorable Results
Cerus Corporation in Concord, California says a multi-year trial of its INTERCEPT-treated platelet components conducted at the Red Cross Blood Center in Basel, Switzerland had a successful outcome. The INTERCEPT Blood System is a treatment designed to protect against transfusion-transmitted diseases. The open label study — where patients and researchers know which drug is being…
-
Small Businesses To Benefit This Year from Health Care Act
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund in New York, N.Y. says that small businesses will be eligible for tax credits under the 2010 health care reform bill (Affordable Care Act or ACA) beginning in 2010. The credits are designed to offset health insurance premium costs and help small businesses afford and maintain health insurance…