The News Review:

- Suit Says Spinal Disk Maker Falsely Won FDA Approval
- New £2m research centre for hospital
- mnicare Appoints Jeffrey W. Ubben to Board of Directors
- Immune System Reactivated In Adults With HIV: Thymus Producing New T…

Suit Says Spinal Disk Maker Falsely Won FDA Approval
New York Times – Feb 22, 2008
Castleman chief of investigations for the Manhattan district attorney said “We examined the allegations and found they lacked prosecutorial merit as investors recouped their investments and more. Timberlake’s lawsuit also contends that Viscogliosi Brothers “intentionally set up an inherent conflict” in the clinical research by finding surgeons who would invest in Viscogliosi funds that financed the Prodisc and who would serve as researchers. Doctors at about half of the 17 research centers involved in the study stood to profit financially if the Prodisc succeeded according to confidential information from a patient’s lawsuit settled last year. The companies behind the Prodisc have previously said the researchers’ financial interests had no impact on findings of the research which they say have been published in various peer-reviewed medical journals. In Thursday’s statement Viscogliosi Brothers said it is “proud of their achievement in this area and with the technology that has given thousands of patients hope and relief from spinal pain. ” The Prodisc has undergone two separate assessments by the F.

New £2m research centre for hospital
Belfast Newsletter – Feb 22, 2008
The Academic Business Clinical Research Innovation Facility (ABC-RIF) will be the first of its type in Northern Ireland. It will deliver major economic and healthcare benefits by providing locally based health and life sciences companies universADVERTISEMENTity researchers and hospital clinicians with access to state-of-the-art research facilities and clinical data. The centre will also facilitate the rapid development of leading edge products and treatments and increase the numbers of spin-out firms in addition to improving patient care and hospital treatment. An increased number of patent applications joint ventures and R&D licences are expected to result from this. Announcing details of the investment yesterday Economy Minister Nigel Dodds said: “By encouraging collaboration between Western Trust staff at Altnagelvin Hospital and the University of Ulster this project will accelerate the number of commercial opportunities for established firms and new businesses… Gerard Guckian chairman Western Health and Social Care Trust said: “For the first time the Western Trust will have dedicated space devoted to clinical research. “This will allow us to build upon its existing research capacity and to expand the range and volume of research activity within the trust in conjunction with our partners. “Clinical research is important for any healthcare organisation because it increases our understanding of illness and leads to the development of better treatments. “ABC-RIF is a great example of partnership working between the Western Trust the University of Ulster Invest Northern Ireland and Derry City Council. “Contractors are due to be onsite by the end of February 2008 and the building is due to be completed in September 2008. The full article contains 450 words and appears in News Letter newspaper. Page 1 of 1 Last Updated: 22 February 2008 9:08 AM Source: News Letter Location: Belfast Bookmark:.

mnicare Appoints Jeffrey W. Ubben to Board of Directors
Earthtimes – Feb 22, 2008
provider of professional pharmacy related consulting and data management services for skilled nursing assisted living and other institutional healthcare providers as well as for hospice patients in homecare and other settings. mnicare’s pharmacy services also include distribution and patient assistance services for specialty pharmaceuticals. mnicare offers clinical research services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in 30 countries worldwide. For more information visit the company’s Web site at.

Immune System Reactivated In Adults With HIV: Thymus Producing New T…
Science Daily – Science Daily (press release) – Feb 22, 2008
It should be noted that in an accompanying commentary in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Kiki Tesselaar and Frank Miedema at University Medical Center Utrecht The Netherlands warn that the long-term immunological and clinical benefits of growth hormone administration need to be thoroughly determined before this approach can be used more widely in the clinic. ther participants in the research included Erin Filbert Myra Ng Julie Clor and Kai Li of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology; and Diane Schmidt Michael Gotway Niloufar Ameli Lorrie Epling Elizabeth Sinclair Paul Baum Marisela Lua Killian and Peter Bacchetti of UCSF. Research was conducted in the Clinical Research Center at San Francisco General Hospital. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health the Gladstone Institutes Serono Inc. and the UCSF AIDS Research Institute. Journal reference: Growth hormone resurrects adult human thymus during HIV-1 infection Journal of Clinical Investigation.