Pacific Healthcare Holdings Ltd (Pacific Healthcare) has opened the Pacific Surgical and Colorectal Centre (PSCC), which specialises in the treatment and management of colorectal cancer and colorectal conditions. Located at the 12th floor of Paragon Shopping Centre, PSCC offers a wide range of services for all colorectal conditions including haemorrhoidal diseases, premalignant polyps and colorectal [...]
A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded computational study analysed genomic expression pattern and drug data to predict new uses for existing medicines. The results of the study were reported in the August online issue of Science Translational Medicine. The scientists extracted data from the NIH National Center’s database which contains the results of genomic studies [...]
Probiotics have shown good evidence of efficacy in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) in clinical trials, but its efficacy in the prevention and treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) remains unclear, concludes a review published recently in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology. Diarrhoea is a common side effect following antibiotic therapy, while CDAD is a severe form [...]
Japanese health regulators are granting marketing approval to several major pharmaceutical products. AstraZeneca (AZ), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Merck and Novartis each got the nod for key drugs that are already marketed elsewhere, but still awaiting launch in Japan. Daiichi Sankyo has signed on to co-promote and distribute Nexium®, a drug indicated for the treatment of erosive [...]
Advanced hepatitis C patients with chronic liver disease may benefit from drinking coffee during treatment, according to a new study in the June issue of Gastroenterology. The study reported that patients who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were two times more likely to respond to peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment than non-drinkers. [...]
Neither vitamin E nor the diabetes drug metformin successfully reduced liver enzymes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children or teens, according to a study published on April 27 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, however, found that in patients with a severe type of fatty liver disease, liver biopsy [...]
A recent study in Boston found that gastroenterologists’ knowledge regarding vaccinating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is poor, and that may be the primary reason why most of them believe that the primary care provider (PCP) should be responsible for vaccinations. The findings of this study were reported in the April online issue of Inflammatory [...]
An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended the approval of Merck’s drug, boceprevir, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The FDA usually clears medicines that win panel support. The recommendation was based on the results from two Phase III clinical trials for boceprevir involving a total of about 1,500 treatment-naïve and previously [...]
Patients who received therapy for cancer during childhood have an increased risk of developing post-therapy gastrointestinal (GI) complications later in life, according to a new study in the May issue of Gastroenterology. The study showed that survivors of childhood cancer have a higher incidence of self-reported GI complaints compared with their siblings. The study assessed [...]