Adaptimmune raises $104 million to develop immune-system cancer drugs

Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2014


Adaptimmune raises $104 million to develop immune-system cancer drugs

LONDON (Reuters) - British biotechnology company Adaptimmune has raised $104 million in venture capital to fund its work in developing a new range of drugs based on immune-system cells. The Oxford-based private company plans to use the money to advance its programs to clinical trials against multiple types of cancer, it said on Thursday. The oversubscribed funding round was one of the past decade's biggest for an early stage biotech project, illustrating the growing interest in the potential of harnessing the power of the body's own immune system to fight tumors. ...

In Abenomics' shadow, Japanese women fight 'maternity harassment'

Sayaka Osakabe, founder of "Matahara net," poses for a picture in her house in KawasakiBy Ayai Tomisawa and Ritsuko Ando TOKYO - When Sayaka Osakabe returned to work after a second miscarriage, one of the first questions her boss asked was whether she was having sex again. Despite laws guaranteeing equal opportunity and a near parity of sexes attending university, Japanese women have yet to gain an equal footing in the workplace. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has talked up the role of women in his push to revive a weak economy, pledging they would occupy 30 percent of all leadership positions by 2020, but Osakabe and others say the reality for regular female workers is bleak. ...



Ebola -- A Fragile Health Care System's Ripple Effects

Ebola -- A Fragile Health Care System's Ripple EffectsFour years ago I traveled over a deeply washed away and rutted dirt track to visit villages in the northern Liberian jungle, in what is now the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak. I focused on a network of small health clinics, which were dealing with the scourges of war and the impact of gender-based violence. Once the emergency of war eased,...



Former ambassador to India to lead U.S. Ebola effort in Africa

US ambassador to India Nancy addresses media before she presented EOD 9 suits, Helmets and Disruptors to Mumbai Police at a function in the U.S. embassy in New DelhiNEW YORK (Reuters) - The State Department on Wednesday named Nancy Powell, the former U.S. ambassador to India, to coordinate Washington's response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The epidemic has already killed more than 2,000 people - more than the combined total of all previous Ebola outbreaks - more of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where it has overwhelmed fragile health services. U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the Ebola outbreak a national security priority and said he would send 3,000 U.S. troops to the affected region. ...



Illinois top court to review Philip Morris verdict

By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - The Illinois Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear Philip Morris USA's appeal of a $10.1 billion verdict accusing the Altria Group Inc unit of misleading consumers about the risks of smoking "light" cigarettes. Philip Morris, which makes Marlboro cigarettes, is seeking to overturn an intermediate state appeals court's April 30 reinstatement of the award, which had been imposed by a trial judge in 2003 and overturned two years later. The award has been on hold during the current appeal. A decision is not expected for at least several months. ...

Shire to pay $56.5 million to settle improper marketing probe

A sign sits in front of Shire's manufacturing facility in Lexington, Massachusetts(Reuters) - Shire Plc, which is in the process of being acquired by AbbVie Inc, has agreed to pay $56.5 million to resolve allegations of making false claims in the marketing of its ADHD drug Adderall XR and other medicines, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday. The settlement involved charges that Ireland-based Shire, between January 2004 and December 2007, promoted its extended release Adderall with claims of superiority over rival medicines that were not supported by clinical data, the Justice Department said. ...



FDA issues warning letters on Ebola treatment claims

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Washington state pot law author proposes testing sewage to gauge use

By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - The main author of a Washington state law that legalized recreational marijuana said on Wednesday that testing sewage for the active ingredient in pot could give municipalities a broader and more reliable picture of drug use than traditional surveys. Alison Holcomb, who is also an American Civil Liberties Union attorney, said wastewater analysis for psychoactive THC could provide policymakers crucial data at a time of sweeping shifts in marijuana policy in U.S. states and cities. ...

The Middle Way

The Middle WayPhilosophers and thinkers have been telling us for centuries how important moderation is. Aristotle told us, "All things in moderation." Buddha preached of living the middle way, between the extremes. Mark Twain famously quipped, "Everything in moderation, including moderation." Although, if reaching our highest potential actually comes...



Domestic violence common among same-sex partners: review

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Domestic violence occurs as much and possibly more among same-sex couples as among opposite-sex couples, according to a fresh look at past research. The study team can’t say why domestic violence may be more common among same-sex couples, but they suggest it may result from the added stress of being a sexual minority. “There are vulnerabilities that come with being in a homosexual relationship,” Richard Carroll told Reuters Health. ...

Anti-addiction groups call for new FDA chief

FILE - FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg poses for a portrait before a newsmaker interview at the Associated Press in Washington, in this May 30, 2014 file photo. In a letter released Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014 anti-addiction activists are calling for the Food and Drug Administration's top official to step down, saying the agency's policies have contributed to a national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-addiction activists are calling for the Food and Drug Administration's top official to step down, saying the agency's policies have contributed to a national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse.



The F-Words

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Adaptimmune raises $104 million to develop immune-system cancer drugs

LONDON (Reuters) - British biotechnology company Adaptimmune has raised $104 million in venture capital to fund its work in developing a new range of drugs based on immune-system cells. The Oxford-based private company plans to use the money to advance its programs to clinical trials against multiple types of cancer, it said on Thursday. The oversubscribed funding round was one of the past decade's biggest for an early stage biotech project, illustrating the growing interest in the potential of harnessing the power of the body's own immune system to fight tumors. ...

Jacksonville's Baptist Health to become part of MD Anderson Cancer Center Network

Jacksonville's Baptist Health announced Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent to become the third member of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Network. The Anderson Cancer Center, located in Houston, has been ranked number one in cancer care in 10 of the last 12 years in U.S. News and World Report's "Best Hospitals" survey. It's mission statement is to eliminate cancer.

Anti-addiction groups call for new FDA chief

FILE - FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg poses for a portrait before a newsmaker interview at the Associated Press in Washington, in this May 30, 2014 file photo. In a letter released Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014 anti-addiction activists are calling for the Food and Drug Administration's top official to step down, saying the agency's policies have contributed to a national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-addiction activists are calling for the Food and Drug Administration's top official to step down, saying the agency's policies have contributed to a national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse.



Your medical record is worth more to hackers than your credit card

Illustration file picture shows a man typing on a computer keyboard in WarsawBy Caroline Humer and Jim Finkle NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) - Your medical information is worth 10 times more than your credit card number on the black market. Last month, the FBI warned healthcare providers to guard against cyber attacks after one of the largest U.S. hospital operators, Community Health Systems Inc, said Chinese hackers had broken into its computer network and stolen the personal information of 4.5 million patients. Security experts say cyber criminals are increasingly targeting the $3 trillion U.S. ...



Generic discount drug programs getting wider use

Pharmaceutical tablets and capsules in blister packs are arranged on table in illustration picture in LjubljanaBy Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Nearly a quarter of those eligible for programs offering discounts on generic medications are using the benefits, according to a new study. That’s up from less than 4 percent in 2007, a year after the programs were launched, and more minorities are taking advantage of the discounts now than at the start, researchers found. ...



Medical 'wasteland' in Iraqi warzones: MSF

Iraqi people take water from a humanitarian aid convoy in Amerli on September 1, 2014Geneva (AFP) - Medical services in Iraq's conflict zones have collapsed, leaving millions of people in a health "wasteland", as the spectre of epidemics stalks the country, aid charity MSF warned on Wednesday.



Adaptimmune raises $104 million to develop immune-system cancer drugs

LONDON (Reuters) - British biotechnology company Adaptimmune has raised $104 million in venture capital to fund its work in developing a new range of drugs based on immune-system cells. The Oxford-based private company plans to use the money to advance its programs to clinical trials against multiple types of cancer, it said on Thursday. The oversubscribed funding round was one of the past decade's biggest for an early stage biotech project, illustrating the growing interest in the potential of harnessing the power of the body's own immune system to fight tumors. ...

Allowing blood donations from gay men could help save over a million lives - U.S. study

A gay couple holds hands during a rally in support of the United States Supreme Court decision on marriage rights in San DiegoBy Jennifer Chaussee SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - (This story from Sept. 19 has been refiled to correct stated position of medical groups in paragraph 6) Lifting a ban on blood donations from gay men would increase the amount of available blood by hundreds of thousands of pints (liters) each year and save more than a million lives a year, a California study showed on Friday. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration has banned gay men from donating blood since 1983, when it was discovered that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was being transmitted through transfusions. ...







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