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Fountain Of Youth? Cutting Calories May Add Years To Your Life
Growing scientific evidence indicates that people who adhere to a special calorie-restricted diet can improve their health and could potentially add years to their lifespan, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS" weekly newsmagazine.

First High-Definition Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Technology Enhances Diagnostic Procedures
Physicians can now provide potentially safer and more accurate diagnostic procedures with the first and only high-definition endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) needle technology. Cook Medical, the only full-line supplier of endoscopic medical devices, has designed a complete line of high-definition EUS biopsy needles that are up to three-times brighter than others on the market. With the addition of the 19 and 25 gage EchoTip® Ultra with High Definition Fine Needle Aspiration (HDFNA™) needles, the EchoTip Ultra HDFNA represents the next level of precision in EUS, an essential diagnostic tool that yields more accurate images of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract than traditional ultrasound and provides minimally invasive access to areas that are traditionally difficult to reach.
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OneTouch(R) Ping™ Glucose Management System Approved By Health Canada
Animas Corporation announcedthe approval of its OneTouch® Ping™ Glucose Management System by Health Canada. OneTouch Ping is the first full-feature insulin pump that wirelessly communicates with a blood glucose meter-remote. Using the OneTouch Ping meter-remote, a person can calculate insulin doses and opt to wirelessly instruct the pump to deliver them without touching the pump at all, giving patients more freedom and flexibility in using their insulin pump.
Cardiovascular

Merck Serono Has Requested Re-examination Of The CHMP Opinion For Erbitux In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, today announced that it has requested re-examination of the negative opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), for the use of Erbitux® (cetuximab) in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for the 1st-line treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Taking the opinion seriously Merck Serono will work closely with the CHMP to unravel the value of Erbitux for patients benefit most. Merck Serono"s decision to request re-examination follows consultation with key stakeholders in the NSCLC treatment community, coupled with its confidence in the clinical data supporting Erbitux in this potential indication. Based on the Phase III study FLEX Erbitux has been acknowledged in the oncology academic community: - The data from the FLEX study were presented in the plenary session during the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) - the worldwide leading cancer congress2 - The Journal of Clinical Oncology named Erbitux as one of the major research advances in this difficult-to-treat cancer3 - Erbitux is already recommended for the 1st-line therapy of NSCLC by US Clinical Practice Guidelines issued by the independent National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)4 - A recent publication in one of the leading medical journals in Europe, The Lancet, concludes that Erbitux "added to platinum-based chemotherapy can be regarded as a new standard 1st-line treatment option for patients with EGFR-expressing advanced non-small cell lung cancer"1 About FLEX In the randomized, multinational, Phase III FLEXa study, the overall survival was significantly prolonged for patients receiving Erbitux in 1st-line therapy. The FLEX study included a patient population (1,125 patients) comprising all histological NSCLC subtypes, who received either standard platinum-based chemotherapy plus Erbitux, or chemotherapy alone. Adding Erbitux to chemotherapy significantly prolonged median overall survival regardless of histology, compared to chemotherapy alone (11.3 vs. 10.1 months, respectively; p=0.04). Across the study population, the addition of Erbitux to platinum-based chemotherapy was tolerated with manageable side effects.1 For such a broad patient population, Erbitux is the first and only new targeted compound in clinical development in more than 10 years to increase overall survival. About lung cancer In Europe, lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer - 20% of all cancer deaths (28% in men and 10% in women).5 NSCLC accounts for approximately 80% of all lung cancer cases.6 At diagnosis, most patients with NSCLC present with advanced, inoperable (unresectable) disease, which is associated with a very poor prognosis.7 The overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is about 10%, compared to 81% for melanoma and 75% for breast cancer.8 Merck submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) to license Erbitux for 1st-line treatment of NSCLC in September 2008. The CHMP opinion was published on the EMEA website on July 24, 2009. Erbitux is currently a 1st-line treatment for both metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in patients with KRAS wild-type tumors and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). aFLEX: First-Line ErbituX in lung cancer References 1. Pirker R, et al. Lancet 2009;373:1525-31. 2. Pirker R, et al. ASCO 2008;Abstract No: 3. 3. Winer E, et al. J Clin Oncol 2009;27:812-26. 4. NCCN. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/nscl.pdf 5. European Lung Foundation. http://www.european-lung-foundation.org/index.php?id=65. 6. D"Addario G & Felip E. Ann Oncol 2008;19(Suppl 2):ii39-40. 7. Bunn PA & Thatcher N. Oncologist 2008;13(Suppl 1):1-4. 8. Sant M, et al. Ann Oncol 2003;14(Suppl 5):v61-118. Merck Serono


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