HATFIELD, England, July 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- First region in the world to approve this new class of treatment for partial epilepsy The European Commission (EC) has issued Marketing Authorisation Approval for the use of Fycompa(R) (perampanel) as an adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures, with or without secondarily generalised seizures, in people with epilepsy aged 12 years and older.[1] With the ECs approval, the European Union is the first region in the world to approve Eisais perampanel. Discovered and developed by Eisai in Europe and Japan, perampanel is currently the only approved anti-epileptic drug (AED) to selectively target AMPA receptors, which play a central role in seizure generation and spread.[2] Epileptic seizures are primarily mediated by the neurotransmitter glutamate.[3] As an AMPA receptor antagonist, perampanel selectively targets the transmission of seizures by blocking the effects of glutamate. This mechanism of action, which is different to that of current AEDs, means that perampanel is the first approved AED in this new class of treatment.[4, 5] Perampanel is the first treatment to exhibit clinical efficacy in Phase III clinical trials against partial-onset seizures by selectively (non-competitively) blocking postsynaptic AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory neurotransmission.[6, 7] The worldwide supply of perampanel will be packaged and … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequenom, Inc. (SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today reported revenue of $18.3 million for the second quarter of 2012, an increase of 23% from revenue of $14.9 million in the first quarter of 2012 and a 38% increase compared to revenue of $13.3 million for the second quarter of 2011. Second quarter 2012 revenues from the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM) diagnostic services operating segment grew more than 400%, while revenues from the genetic analysis operating segment decreased 14% in the second quarter of 2012 as compared to the prior year period. "We have continued to see strong increases in the uptake of the MaterniT21 PLUS laboratory developed test (LDT) and Sequenom CMM has now analyzed more than 20,000 test samples since the product was launched in October of last year. We have been able to effectively meet this increasing demand by expanding our operational capacity so that we can continue to meet the needs of our physician customers and their patients in a prompt and timely manner," said Harry Hixson, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Sequenom. "We believe that our operational model, additional efforts … Continue reading →

Published on 27 July 2012 Hits: 301 Written by Rogelio Limpin And Neil Alcober, Correspondents A day after leaving the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, former President Gloria Arroyo went to a wellness center in Tagaytay City in Cavite Province for alternative healing sessions. Mrs. Arroyo arrived at the Green and Young Wellness Center at around 9 a.m. A staff of the facility said that the former leader looked frail and was being attended to by two nurses. He added that Mrs. Arroyo was given intravenous fluids to address her dehydration. The former leader will stay at the center until Sunday. The source said that the former president will also undergo stem cell therapy but he did not say if the procedure will be performed in the Tagaytay facility or in a hospital. The owner of the center, Antonia Park, is an oncologist who specializes in the use of herbal medicine. Rep. Diosdado Dato Arroyo of Camarines Sur said that his mother was advised by her sister Cielo to try alternative healing treatments. Mrs. Arroyos spokesman Elena Bautista-Horn said that the former presidents condition is still life-threatening. She added that Mrs. Arroyo has lost 20 pounds since her detention last year. … Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo might undergo stem cell therapy to improve her health, according to the alternative medicine facility in Tagaytay City that the Pampanga lawmaker visited Thursday. Arroyo came to the facility complaining of difficulty in swallowing because of a bulge in her throat, according to a statement from the Green 8 Young Health & Wellness Center. Her voice has also changed and she is losing weight because she can't swallow solid food. She also has angina, the center said. Arroyo also complained of continuing neck and back pain. "Our center is accepting her for possible stem cell therapy," the alternative medicine facility said. "The stem cell therapy is... strongly considered." It said the Arroyo can undergo such therapy in the Tagaytay center while her physical therapy will continue at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center 4 times a week. The Pampanga lawmaker is seeking treatment at the center through her sister, Cielo Macapagal-Salgado. The center said Salgado was previously diagnosed with a cancerous lump in her breast. "She consulted several doctors and was subsequently subjected to a myrad of treatment procedures. These, however, did not produce the desired results. When she came to our center she … Continue reading →

3:40 p.m. PDT, July 26, 2012 SAN DIEGO -- Researchers from San Diego State University's Heart Institute rejuvenated damaged cardiac tissue removed from older heart-failure patients, using modified stem cells, the university announced Thursday. University officials said the research could eventually lead to new treatments for heart-failure patients. "Since patients with heart failure are normally elderly, their cardiac stem cells aren't very healthy,'' said Sadia Mohsin, a post-doctoral research scholar and one of the study's authors. "We modified these biopsied stem cells and made them healthier. It's like turning back the clock so these cells can thrive again.'' Researchers used stem cells modified with a protein called PIM-1 to increase the activity of the enzyme telomerase, which can lengthen telomeres. Telomeres --- DNA sequences on the ends of chromosomes -- keep the chromosomes from losing DNA base pairs during cellular replication but lose base pairs themselves during the process. If telomeres become too short, the chromosome can't replicate. According to Moshin, modifying aged cardiac cells added to the cells' ability to regenerate damaged heart muscle. "This is an especially exciting finding for heart failure patients,'' Moshin said in a statement. "Right now we can only offer medication, heart transplantation or … Continue reading →