Gee, ya’ think? — PID (HHS PRESS RELEASE) — On August 10, 2010, the World Health Organization WHO International Health Regulations IHR Emergency Committee and the WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, declared an end to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. This declaration was based on strong indications that influenza, worldwide, is transitioning toward seasonal patterns [...]

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 15 (PRNewswire) — MacroGenics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treat autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced that the National Institutes of Health NIH has awarded the company three new grants representing total funding of $9.8 million. These grants will help MacroGenics further advance its Dual-Affinity [...]

(PRESS RELEASE | ASPR Press Office) June 14, 2010  — Delivery to the Strategic National Stockpile of the first 1 million doses of the nation’s first smallpox vaccine for certain immune-compromised populations is now complete, the result of a Project BioShield contract. Under this contract the Danish company Bavarian Nordic is manufacturing and delivering 20 [...]

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (CBS) ―It’s the little blue pill that works wonders for the sex life. But does taking Viagra increase the risk of hearing loss? A new study is raising concern about a troubling side effect from Viagra and similar drugs. via Study: Viagra May Be Linked To Hearing Loss – wcbstv.com.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States still has 71 million doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine that have not been used, but it is not yet time to throw them out, the federal government said on Monday. States and other providers should hang on to the vaccine and continue to offer them to people until [...]

(TELEGRAPH) — Professor Stephen Quake, at Stanford University, spent £33,000 having his genetic make up mapped and then analysed for different diseases and sensitivity to medication. The results, which revealed risks of heart disease, diabetes and prostate cancer, could pave the way to similar tests for the general public within the next decade, especially as [...]

VIENNA (AFP) – A new vaccine against Alzheimer’s, developed by the Austrian biotechnology firm Affiris, will soon be tested in six European countries, the company announced Friday.Some 420 patients will be recruited to take part in clinical trials in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Slovakia, Affiris said in a statement. via New Alzheimer [...]

(Australian Broadcasting Corp) — The Western Australian Government has suspended all flu vaccinations for children under five while it investigates a spike in admissions to Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. The Health Minister, Kim Hames, says 45 children have been taken to hospital suffering high temperatures and febrile convulsions after receiving the vaccination. Dr Hames [...]

(USA TODAY) — For Lisbeth Ceriani, news that a judge had invalidated the patent on the gene that almost killed her was a victory. Gene patents, she says, are “turning our bodies into commerce.” via Is it fair to patent genes? ACLU takes on biotech over issue – USATODAY.com.

(Gizmodo) – Forget nanobots. Who needs 'em? Since apparently we can now directly control live bacteria, and make them do our bidding. via Gizmodo.

(CNN) — Federal health authorities recommended Monday that doctors suspend using Rotarix, one of two vaccines licensed in the United States against rotavirus, saying the vaccine is contaminated with material from a pig virus. “There is no evidence at this time that this material poses a safety risk,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret [...]

(PhysOrg.com) – For 60 years, the French village of Pont-Saint-Esprit has been famous for the events of a few days in August, 1951, when dozens of villagers were struck with unexplainable and horrifying hallucinations of fire and snakes and beasts of all kinds. via PhysOrg.com Secondary article on this story can be read via Mail [...]

(ARMY TIMES) — At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug. And many troops are taking more than one kind, mixing several pills in daily “cocktails” — for example, an antidepressant with an antipsychotic to prevent nightmares, plus an anti-epileptic to reduce headaches — despite minimal clinical research testing [...]

(LifeSiteNews.com) — Vaccine manufacturer Merck Frosst Pharmaceutical announced yesterday that they have approval from Health Canada for the use of the human papilloma virus HPV vaccine Gardasil in boys and young men. Gardasil was approved by Health Canada in 2006 for females between the ages of nine and 26, with the goal of preventing cervical [...]