Topic:
Infectious Diseases
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Pfizer lays out MRSA vaccine battle plan
Reuters has looked inside the Pfizer lab tasked with developing a vaccine for the drug-resistant superbug MRSA.
Old whooping cough vax linked with better protection
Any medication involves a balancing of risk and benefit. In areas where there is an unmet need, a little more risk might be acceptable. But the waters get muddy when two treatments, one offering better results but greater risks, are available for patients.
Human-to-human coronavirus spread looks likely
The coronavirus that has killed 18 people appears capable of human-to-human transmission, the WHO reports.
Indian rotavirus vax set to undercut GSK and Merck
Having committed to offering its rotavirus vaccine--Rotavac--for $1 a dose in 2011, Indian vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech has now presented positive Phase III data that compares favorably to currently available rotavirus vaccines.
GSK anonymously listens to online vax talk, then mines data for nuggets
GlaxoSmithKline has used a text analytics model to analyze public discussion boards in an attempt to assess patient sentiment about vaccines and glean insights into why vaccine fears persist despite clinical evidence of their safety.
Takeda takes on Sanofi with $250M dengue buyout
In 1977, dengue fever experts predicted a vaccine could be ready in 10 years. That prediction proved wildly optimistic, leaving the 2.5 billion people at risk from dengue fever without protection. Sanofi is at the forefront of dengue vaccine research but now faces a challenger from Japan.
GSK, Sanofi vaccines proving effective in measles outbreak
The vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) has proven an effective tool in the past. In 2008, a U.K. study found one dose protects 95% of people against measles, with the follow-up shot immunizing most of the remaining 5%. Now similar data is emerging from Wales.
U.K. vaccine expansion a boon for GSK and Merck
Sales of GlaxoSmithKline's rotavirus vaccine Rotarix and Merck's shingles vaccine Zostavax will be buoyed by their inclusion on the U.K. national immunization schedule.
Possible measles-related death in Wales as outbreak spreads
The measles outbreak in Wales has now infected almost 900 people--with 121 cases coming in the past week--and may have caused its first death.
China's response to H7N9 earns WHO praise
While Chinese officials faced some criticism for a perceived delay in announcing last month's H7N9 outbreak, positive sentiments from global health officials have far outweighed the negative comments, in sharp contrast to the SARS outbreak a decade ago.
