Patients living with gout have a new option for treatment with the FDA's approval of Zurampic (lesinurad). Gout is a form of arthritis caused by excess uric acid in the body that typically first presents as soreness and swelling in the big toe.

The American Heart Association's (AHA) list of the top 10 research advances of 2015 included a study that showed that cardiac arrest victims experience better outcomes when they are given rescue breaths during CPR -- despite other studies that show outcomes are improved by using continuous chest compressions.

This year saw the sound defeat of legislation from the House and Senate Appropriation Committees to cut or completely eradicate a number of national HIV education, awareness and research programs. Specific programs on the chopping block included the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) STD prevention program.

Funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has facilitated the opening of the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC). The center will be overseen by Easter Seals and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals' Atlantic trial to determine the safety and effectiveness of durvalumab as a late-stage therapy to treat metastatic programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has yielded preliminary results.

A new study indicates that imbalances in GABA brain cell receptor activity may be a cause of autism. The study is the first in which researchers have verified a connection between autism symptoms and brain levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is the neurotransmitter responsible for calming.

Pharmaceutical companies Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany and American-based Pfizer have launched the JAVELIN Ovarian 200 trial, an international phase III study of avelumab, an investigational therapy for platinum-resistant or refractory ovarian cancer.

The American Heart Association has cited injectable PCSK9 inhibitors Praluent (alirocumab) and Repatha (evolocumab) as two of the top 10 research advances of 2015.

British-Swedish pharmacy corporation AstraZeneca has paid $2.5 billion to acquire a majority equity stake in Acerta Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in the Netherlands and the United States. The impetus for the purchase was for AstraZeneca to gain rights to several drugs that are in development.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has green-lighted a human insulin analog that will be used to treat adults and children living with type 1 diabetes and adults living with type 2 diabetes. Basaglar (insulin glargine injection) is a long-acting therapy that can help control blood sugar.

The recent 57th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in Orlando, Florida, announced the results from several drug trials, including one involving acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy Blincyto (blinatumomab), a product of California-based pharmaceutical corporation Amgen.

Cancer research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will get the biggest financial boost from Congress in more than 10 years with the $264 billion bump that is part of the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2016.

Testing has definitively indicated that the benefits of diabetes drugs containing rosiglitazone outweigh the risks -- as such, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted mandates requiring the labeling on these medications to include risk warnings.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America's (PhRMA) website includes a feature called "Ask About Adherence," a blog series spotlighting medical professionals who answer questions concerning medication adherence.

Because of the difficulties veterans, senior citizens and disabled people face while looking for housing, Easter Seals and Freddie Mac have formed a partnership designed to help such people find places to live within their means and communities.

Dr. Robert Cooper is a graduate of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine's Department of Family and Community Medicine inaugural class. He graduated earlier than he might have courtesy of the Family Medicine Accelerated Track program, a three-year curriculum at TTUHSC.

The Food and Drug Administration announced this week that the indefinite deferral for blood donors based on sexual history has been modified. According to the announcement, this is similar to recommendations for what the FDA considers groups that are or were at greater risk for acquiring HIV, which includes those who have recently had a blood transfusion.

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) initiated a review of the eligibility for the continued listing of Response Biomedical in late November. Response’s share price had traded below $0.68 for 30 days, which indicated that its market value had fallen below TSX’s $2 million minimum.

Many patients face difficulties when it comes to understanding medical insurance. When determining if the medications and treatments they need are covered by their insurance, it becomes even more confusing.

Follow-up testing on Empliciti, a therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma that is developed and manufactured by New York pharmaceutical corporation Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., saw improved survival rates for patients.