The first vaccine licensed to complete the rotavirus immunisation series by four months of age
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Rotarix® [Rotavirus Vaccine, live, oral] for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants. Rotarix will offer protection against the most commonly circulating rotavirus types in the U.S. and allow infants to complete the vaccination series by four months of age.
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International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Forms Partnership With the Labs Are Vital(TM)
Clinical laboratory professionals worldwide are coming together in support of an initiative to raise international awareness of the role played by clinical laboratory professionals in health care and their vital contribution to improve patient outcomes. Through a program called Labs Are Vital(TM), sponsored by Abbott (NYSE: ABT), the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and its 76 national societies are working together to elevate the role of laboratory professionals and to address issues facing the profession globally.
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Lipitor Provided an Unexpectedly Potent Heart Benefit
Pfizer announced that Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) 80 mg showed unexpectedly potent reduction in myocardial ischemia (a condition defined by insufficient blood supply and oxygen to the heart) in patients with chronic stable angina (chest pain). These results were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
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Pfizer Successfully Completes Tender Offer for Shares of Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) announced that Explorer Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer, has purchased all of the shares validly tendered and not withdrawn pursuant to its tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ENCY) at a purchase price of $2.35 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon and less any required withholding taxes.
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Rasilez® reduces left ventricular hypertrophy, a powerful predictor of heart disease
Rasilez® (aliskiren), the first-in-class direct renin inhibitor, has shown clinically meaningful reductions in left ventricular hypertrophy, a proven predictor of heart disease, that are comparable to those seen with the current standard-of-care treatment[1].
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Bayer appeals invalidity ruling on its Yasmin® Patent
Bayer filed a Notice of Appeal in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Bayer is appealing from a March 3, 2008 opinion and order in which District Judge Peter G. Sheridan held that certain patent claims of Bayer Schering's U.S. Patent No. 6,787,531 for the company's oral contraceptive Yasmin (drospirenone 3 mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.03mg) were invalid because they would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art.
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