A study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, Madison has concluded that wheezing illness in childhood caused by rhinovirus is associated with the development of asthma. The doctors reported that almost 90% of kids who suffered from wheezing related to rhinovirus at 3 years of age developed asthma by the age of 6 years. Also, episodes of rhinovirus wheezing may help in revealing children who are predisposed to the disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the approval to Lev Pharmaceuticals, Inc’s Cinryze™ (C1 inhibitor [human]) for preventing angioedema attacks in patients suffering from hereditary angio-edema (HAE). Cinryze is expected to be commercially available for prophylaxis against HAE later this year. It should be noted that Cinryze is the first and the only therapy approved by FDA for routine prophylaxis against attacks caused by the deficiency of C1 inhibitor. The approval will benefit the people suffering from the painful swelling.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s Reyataz (atazanavir) capsule (300 mg) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in combination with ritonavir (100 mg) to treat HIV-1 infection. On the basis of results of the year-long trial which show that atazanavir was as effective as lopinavir along with ritonavir in achieving virologic response  in adult patients who received tenofovir and emtricitabine (300 mg/200 mg once daily) therapy simultaneously.

A recent research carried out jointly by scientists from the universities of Bristol and Harvard has shown the way in which immune system can detect and destroy the bacterium, pneumococcus. It paves the way for the development of a novel vaccine for the prevention of diseases like meningitis and pneumonia that are found in both children and adults. Many infections start because of the carriage of this bug in the nose.  The existing vaccines for these diseases are not suitable for use in poorer countries as they are too expensive. Immune cells called TH17 cells have been identified as beneficial in killing this bug.

A new survey published in the June 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases shows that drugs commonly prescribed for patients suffering from immunological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease may carry risks of serious infections. Among these drugs are agents that inhibit tumor necrosis factor-á (TNF), a cytokine receptor involved in cellular communication. Although patients using these immune-modulating therapies are known to susceptible to tuberculosis, the new survey indicates that there is probably greater risk for other serious infections, such as histoplasmosis, nontuberculosis mycobacterial infections and Staphylococcus aureus in these patients.

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Therakos Inc, a pioneer for more than 20 years in immune cell therapy, has announced the receipt of a CE Mark in Europe for its THERAKOS(TM) CELLEX(TM) Photopheresis System. The THERAKOS CELLEX Photopheresis System is used for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases, such as acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The product offers state-of-the-art technology in a single, integrated, closed system device that allows a sole operator to customize a patient’s treatment and immediately adjust parameters to respond to changes in the patient’s condition.

The results from AMAG Pharmaceuticals’ four different Phase III trials for its ferumoxytol product demonstrated high efficacy and safety, with substantially higher mean increase in hemoglobin from base line to day 35. The overall adverse event rate was lower for patients on ferumoxytol, an IV iron replacement therapy, than for those on placebo.