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N.C. Bill Gives Students 'Vital Access' To Accurate Sex Education Instruction, Editorial States
A bill (S. 221) approved by the North Carolina Legislature that would require a public school sex education curriculum covering abstinence, contraception and sexually transmitted infections "will be the most comprehensive and science-based approach the state has used" for sex education, a Charlotte Observer editorial states, adding that Gov. Bev Perdue (D) "should sign it." The bill would require all public school districts in the state to teach a curriculum that focuses on abstinence but also includes information on preventing pregnancy and STIs. Parents would be able to have their children removed from the comprehensive portions of instruction. According to the editorial, the measure "still gives parents a choice in deciding what kind of sex education their children will receive." The editorial adds, "It also finally provides a curriculum that gives N.C. students vital access to age-appropriate, science-based information critical to their health, safety and well-being," which is "the kind of information that can help them make smart choices in serious situations."Parents are "often the best people for kids to turn to for advice and information" on sex, but "not all children have parents who can provide it, or are even willing to," and "not all children [who] go to their parents adhere to their advice," the editorial states. It continues, "The schools provide another avenue to get this critical advice and information -- and state lawmakers are right to make it available." According to the Observer, North Carolina has the ninth-highest teenage pregnancy rate in the U.S., and about "20,000 teenagers will get pregnant in North Carolina this year." A "comprehensive, science-based education program can help reduce the number of unintended teen pregnancies" and help reduce the spread of STIs, the editorial says. It concludes, "By reaching agreement on this matter, state lawmakers have given the children of this state vital tools to safeguard their health and welfare. ... Perdue should sign this bill and make it law" (Charlotte Observer, 6/26).
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Environmental Cues Control Reproductive Timing And Longevity, University Of Minnesota Study Shows
When humans and animals delay reproduction because food or other res are scarce, they may live longer to increase the impact of reproduction, according to a new study by University of Minnesota researchers published in the June 25 issue of PLoS (Public Library of Science) One.
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First 16-Patient, Multicenter 'Domino Donor' Kidney Transplant Lead By Johns Hopkins
Surgical teams at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit successfully completed the first eight-way, multihospital, domino kidney transplant. The transplant involved eight donors -3 men and 5 women along with eight organ recipients - 3 men and 5 women. "All Johns Hopkins patients are in good condition and are recovering as anticipated," according to Robert A. Montgomery, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center.
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Ferring Pharmaceuticals Announces Trade Name FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix For Injection) For Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment

Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the trade name FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix for injection) for its prostate cancer treatment previously marketed under the generic name degarelix. FIRMAGON is a new injectable gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist indicated for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Since initial market introduction under the generic name degarelix, FIRMAGON has been used by more than 3,000 patients to fight their prostate cancer. "This treatment was in development by Ferring Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and Europe for more than a decade," said Wayne Anderson, President and CEO of Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA. "We launched degarelix prior to receiving approval for its brand name in order to bring the medical community an effective alternative in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer without delay. We plan to continue our research in the area of urology and we expect to introduce additional treatment advances in the future." FIRMAGON provides fast, long-term suppression of testosterone, a hormone that stimulates prostate cancer growth.(1-3) Phase III pivotal studies showed that FIRMAGON is as effective as leuprolide (Lupron Depot(R))* in reducing and sustaining castrate levels of testosterone.(1,2) Suppression of testosterone to castrate levels occurred significantly faster in patients receiving FIRMAGON than in those receiving leuprolide.(1,2) At Day 3 of treatment, the FIRMAGON group achieved a 90 percent decrease in median testosterone levels compared with the leuprolide group, which experienced a 65 percent increase in median testosterone levels, a statistically significant result. FIRMAGON was as effective as leuprolide in suppressing testosterone levels from Day 28 to the end of the study (Day 364), with 97.2 percent of the FIRMAGON patients maintaining medical castrate levels compared with 96.4 percent for leuprolide. In addition, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were lowered by 64 percent two weeks after administration of FIRMAGON, 85 percent after one month, 95 percent after three months, and remained suppressed throughout the one year of treatment.(1,2) These PSA results should be interpreted with caution because of the heterogeneity of the patient population studied. No evidence has shown that the rapidity of PSA decline is related to a clinical benefit. About FIRMAGON FIRMAGON is an injectable gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. As a receptor antagonist, FIRMAGON reversibly binds to the GnRH receptors in the pituitary gland, immediately suppressing the secretion of the luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and subsequently, testosterone levels.(4) FIRMAGON also reduces levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Unlike luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, such as leuprolide, an established treatment for prostate cancer, FIRMAGON does not induce an initial testosterone surge. FIRMAGON is administered monthly by subcutaneous injection. The starting dose is 240 mg, followed by monthly maintenance doses of 80 mg. FIRMAGON is available for order through traditional and specialty pharmacy distributors. The average monthly cost of one year of FIRMAGON treatment is comparable to other hormone treatments for prostate cancer. The most commonly observed adverse reactions during FIRMAGON therapy included injection site reactions (e.g. pain, erythema, swelling or induration), hot flashes, increased weight, fatigue, and increases in serum levels of transaminases and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Ninety-nine percent of these observed adverse reactions were Grade 1 or 2 (mild to moderate). Specifically relating to the injection site adverse reactions, most were transient, of mild to moderate intensity, occurred primarily with the starting dose and led to few discontinuations (About Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a subsidiary of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a privately owned, international pharmaceutical company. Ferring Pharmaceuticals offers a line of infertility, urology, and orthopaedic products in the U.S. market. They include: BRAVELLE(R) (urofollitropin for injection, purified), MENOPUR(R) and REPRONEX(R) (menotropins for injection, USP), NOVAREL(R) (chorionic gonadotropin for injection, USP), ENDOMETRIN(R) (progesterone) Vaginal Insert, 100 mg, FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix for injection), PROSED(R) DS (methenamine, phenyl salicylate, methylene blue, benzoic acid, hyoscyamine sulfate), DESMOPRESSIN, and EUFLEXXA(R) (1% sodium hyaluronate). Ferring Pharmaceuticals specializes in the research, development and commercialization of compounds in general and pediatric endocrinology, urology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, obstetrics/gynecology, and infertility. About Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a subsidiary of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a privately owned, international pharmaceutical company. Ferring Pharmaceuticals offers a line of infertility, urology, and orthopaedic products in the U.S. market. They include: BRAVELLE(R) (urofollitropin for injection, purified), MENOPUR(R) and REPRONEX(R) (menotropins for injection, USP), NOVAREL(R) (chorionic gonadotropin for injection, USP), ENDOMETRIN(R) (progesterone) Vaginal Insert, 100 mg, FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix for injection), PROSED(R) DS (methenamine, phenyl salicylate, methylene blue, benzoic acid, hyoscyamine sulfate), DESMOPRESSIN, and EUFLEXXA(R) (1% sodium hyaluronate). Ferring Pharmaceuticals specializes in the research, development and commercialization of compounds in general and pediatric endocrinology, urology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, obstetrics/gynecology, and infertility. Lupron Depot(R) (leuprolide acetate for depot suspension) is a registered trademark of TAP Pharmaceuticals Inc. References (1) Degarelix [prescribing information]. Parsippany, NJ: Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.; December 2008. (2) Klotz L, Boccon-Gibod L, Shore ND, et al. The efficacy and safety of degarelix: a 12-month comparative, randomized, open-label, parallel-group phase III study in patients with prostate cancer. BJU Int. 2008;102(11):1531-1538. (3) Van Poppel H, Tombal B, de la Rosette JJ, Persson B-E, Jensen J-K, Olesen TK. Degarelix: a novel gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor blocker -- results from a 1-yr, multicentre, randomised phase 2 dosage-finding study in the treatment of prostate cancer. Eur Urol. 2008;54(4):805-813. (4) Doehn C. Immunotherapy of Prostate Cancer. Eur Urol. (2006);53-4:681-683. Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc


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