FDA approves transthyretin amyloidosis therapy of Akcea, Ionis

Patients with an orphan, hereditary disease that is transthyretin amyloidosis with a second new treatment option are available after the Food and Drug Administration approved Akcea Therapeutics and Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ Tegsedi.  As Tegsedi is approved, Akcea squarely faces competition with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, which got an approval from the FDA formerly for its drug Onpattro. Both therapies target RNA, degrading the genetic instructions that are responsible for the production of a misfolded protein, which builds up in the organs of patients with the disease.

Prenatal inflammation is a probable answer to why some infants are more prone to neonatal sepsis

Millions of infants are born before term and suffer high risks of short- and long-term complications that include sepsis, severe gut inflammation, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The American Journal of Pathology shows in the report regarding a link between prenatal inflammation and postnatal immune status and organ function in preterm pigs, giving cues that early intervention (like antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs) might be justified for infants born preterm with signs of inflammation of fetal membranes.

Merck receives extended approval of Gardasil

The Food and Drug Administration has extended the approval of Gardasil 9 vaccine of Merck & Co. It is a boost for the company and adults, who are looking to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The vaccine covers people of ages between 27 and 45 years. Gardasil-9 covers nine different subtypes of HPV and is now available for use in in the U.S. in males and females aged between nine and 26 years.

Experts apprise of serious harm to UK cancer research

Cancer experts apprise of Brexit seriously harming UK cancer research and could prompt a manpower crisis that will ensue repercussions to the health of the citizens. Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with King’s College London and the University of Leeds have shown the positive benefit that researchers from other European Union (EU) countries presently have on cancer research in the UK. The Lancet Oncology, the study, which was recently published in the premier cancer journal, showed that there have been growing number of scientific papers on cancer published by research teams that include at least one non-UK EU born member of staff.