St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients who completed kindergarten during their treatment for pediatric cancers celebrated at a graduation ceremony.
For the 10th straight year, St. Jude honored 14 patients from around the United States who completed kindergarten while battling life-threatening illnesses like leukemia and brain tumors. Dozens of families and St. Jude doctors, nurses, and staff cheered for the young students, who completed kindergarten in the St. Jude School Program by Chili’s.
Each year, the school program commemorates students who have completed kindergarten coursework with a special ceremony. The children present a song for the families and St. Jude staff, receive their diplomas and celebrate the milestone with their fellow students.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7924755-st-jude-celebrates-kindergarten-graduation/
Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today is introducing the Halcyon™ system, an entirely new device for cancer treatment. Engineered to revolutionize clinical workflow, Halcyon simplifies and enhances virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). This new treatment system is designed to expand the availability of high quality cancer care globally and help save the lives of millions more cancer patients.
“The global cancer challenge is enormous,” said Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. “It is expected that there will be 24.6 million cancer cases diagnosed annually by 2030, and there is an acute shortage of equipment and trained clinicians. With the innovations in this new technology platform, the system will deliver high quality Halcyon treatments that empower clinicians to care for many more patients. At Varian we are very excited with the introduction of Halcyon to be taking another big step toward advancing cost-effective cancer care worldwide.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8065951-varian-medical-systems-halcyon-cancer-treatment/
Today, the newly-developed Body Volume Indicator (BVI)™ was revealed as a modern day measure of body composition and weight distribution following a 10-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic experts who led extensive research on fat distribution, the importance of fat assessment and the limitations of the current standard of Body Mass Index (BMI). In conjunction with the development of BVI, BVI America LLC, a subsidiary of 3D measurement pioneer Select Research, announced the launch of the revolutionary BVI Pro tablet application, which will provide an easily accessible and affordable means for the professional community to use the new BVI measurement in everyday clinical use to assess health risks.
The potential benefits of using Body Volume as a new indicator of risks were presented on April 27 by Mayo Clinic researchers, BVI America and the University of Westminster. It draws on 10 years of rigorous research, testing and validation using several potential Body Volume indices. Now BVI, calculated as a ratio between total volume and abdominal volume, can be used as a supplement to the current measurement standard of BMI, which is based solely on height and weight. BVI is considered to be a more precise means of estimating weight distribution and the fat around the organs, which is not visible to the human eye and can lead to serious health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The medical and professional community at large is invited to contribute to the continued development of BVI by downloading and using the BVI Pro tablet application with their patients and clients; anonymous data collected will be analyzed by Mayo Clinic, whose research and validation of BVI will continue.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8093051-bvi-america-body-volume-app-health-fitness/
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and the American Diabetes Association today revealed common challenges affecting the millions of Americans living with type 2 diabetes as part of the program America’s Diabetes Challenge: Get to Your Goals. Last year, award-winning artist Tim McGraw, renowned actress S. Epatha Merkerson and Chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz called on patients and their loved ones to share their stories – from inspirational successes to daily struggles. Thousands of people from across the country responded, and revealed common challenges like eating healthy, exercising, sticking to a treatment plan and coping with the disease.
“Type 2 diabetes has affected my family, friends and fans, so I’ve learned it can be challenging to manage. It was great to hear from so many people, and I’m impressed by everyone’s dedication to their health,” said McGraw. “The stories we received shed an important light on the similar hardships people in the community face as they work toward achieving their blood sugar goals.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7988751-merck-americas-diabetes-challenge-tim-mcgraw-s-epatha-merkerson-chef-leticia-moreinos-schwartz/
Global biotherapeutics leader CSL Behring today announced that results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) from the COMPACT study, a pivotal Phase III study evaluating the safety and efficacy of CSL830 (a novel, investigational, self-administered, subcutaneous C1-Esterase Inhibitor [C1-INH] Human replacement therapy) for the prevention of HAE attacks. The study met its primary efficacy endpoint, significantly reducing the time-normalized number of HAE attacks. In addition, the study met its secondary endpoints, including the responder rate (patients who had at least a 50% reduction in their attack rate) and the number of rescue medication uses. If approved by the FDA, CSL830 would be the first and only subcutaneous preventative therapy for HAE.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8056151-csl-behring-subcutaneous-c1-esterase-inhibitor-hae-patients/
Kaléo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, today announced the AUVI-Q® (epinephrine injection, USP) Auto-injector will be available by prescription starting February 14th, and announced AUVI-Q AffordAbility, a first-of-its-kind access program for AUVI-Q. Through this new program, patients with commercial insurance, even those with high-deductible plans, will have an out-of-pocket cost of $0. For patients who do not have government or commercial insurance, and have a household income of less than $100,000, AUVI-Q will be available free of charge. In addition, the cash price for AUVI-Q is $360 and will be available to those patients without government or commercial insurance. Each AUVI-Q prescription includes two Auto-injectors and one Trainer for AUVI-Q.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7981051-auvi-q-epinephrine-auto-injector-access-and-availability-launch/
LUNGevity, the nation’s leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization today launched a new mobile application designed to make understanding and living with lung cancer less daunting and considerably more manageable. The new Lung Cancer Navigator mobile app provides lung cancer patients with access to the latest medical and treatment information related to their specific lung cancer diagnosis, and serves as a convenient hub for organizing customized care and support networks, asking questions, describing and tracking symptoms, and managing multiple medications.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7865551-lungevity-lung-cancer-navigator-app/
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced it has committed $40.3 million in new research investments to advance the most promising blood cancer science at leading academic and medical centers around the world, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston; Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York; MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Fondazione Centro San Raffaele in Milan; and South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute in Adelaide.
This $40.3 million investment, comprised of 75 new research grants in LLS’s portfolio of 300 projects, will fund a diverse array of research to find better treatments and cures for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554855-lls-invests-millions-new-research-treatment-cures/
Ethicon* joins world-renowned experts in bariatric surgery to share the latest breakthroughs in science and innovation that are advancing surgery in the fight against obesity and metabolic diseases during ObesityWeek 2016, the combined annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society (TOS). Ethicon will highlight the growing body of research and evidence on the benefits of bariatric surgery, a new sleeve gastrectomy training module on the Touch Surgery app, and its comprehensive portfolio of bariatric surgery products aimed to improve patient outcomes.
“Ethicon’s mission is to lead the way in resolving the burden of obesity for both patients and healthcare systems by expanding access to care and demonstrating the critical value of treatment through research and evidence, while also enabling new technologies,” said Dr. Elliott Fegelman, Therapeutic Area Expert, Metabolics, Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7965651-ethicon-bariatric-surgery-access-obesity-week-2016/
Studies show that more than two-thirds of aesthetically-oriented consumers are bothered by submental fullness, or “double chin.” And with social media profile images becoming more important than ever, there is interest in looking one’s best.
Submental fullness due to fat beneath the chin can impact a broad range of both men and women and because the condition can be genetic and resistant to diet and exercise. But there’s KYBELLA®, the first and only FDA-approved injectable treatment that is available by prescription only, that has been proven to improve the appearance of moderate to severe fat beneath the chin by physically destroying fat cells in the treatment area. In two pivotal clinical studies for KYBELLA®, reductions in submental fat volume were observed more frequently in the KYBELLA® treated group of 514 patients compared to the placebo group (508 patients) as measured by both clinician and patient ratings. In addition, visual and emotional impacts of submental fat (happy, bothered, self-conscious, embarrassed, looking older or overweight) were evaluated using a 6-question survey and 79% of 1 and 2-grade composite responders reported satisfaction after 12 weeks post final treatment compared with 33.6% of patients who received placebo.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7962051-kybella-injectable-double-chin-treatment-campaign/
Going on the offensive against one of the most daunting challenges in cancer, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced the launch of a groundbreaking, collaborative clinical trial for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly disease which has seen few improvements in treatments in more than 40 years.
Beat AML was announced yesterday by Vice President Biden, along with many new, Moonshot inspired initiatives across industry, non-profit and government.
AML is the most lethal of the blood cancers, which together are the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.; AML is responsible for more than 10,000 deaths each year. Despite advances in treating other blood cancers, the standard of treatment for AML – a combination of toxic chemotherapies – has remained the same for more than 40 years. Overall prognosis remains poor, with a five-year survival rate below 20 percent for patients over age 60.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554854-lls-beat-aml-acute-myeloid-leukemia/
Nearly 12 million men in the U.S. suffer from symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate that can cause issues such as frequent and weak urinary streams and sleep deprivation from getting up repeatedly during the night to urinate. Since traditional BPH therapies such as daily medications and more invasive or surgical procedures often result in unwanted side effects and complications, more than 54 percent of men who would benefit from treating their BPH choose not to do anything1. With today’s national introduction of the FDA-cleared Rezūm® System, NxThera provides urologists and their patients suffering from symptomatic BPH with a new, safe and effective minimally-invasive, office-based treatment option which improves quality of life and preserves sexual function2 – one of the main reasons many men choose to forego medications or more invasive procedures.
“Men suffering from BPH are constantly evaluating the trade-offs between maintaining their current declined quality of life or treating their BPH symptoms and possibly incurring long term side effects,” said Dr. Kia Michel, M.D., a urologist at Comprehensive Urology in Los Angeles who recently performed the procedure as part of a nationally televised segment on prostate health. “Of all the minimally-invasive BPH treatments I’ve performed, Rezūm is the most effective and most versatile treatment available to patients – and the results have been excellent.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7933151-nxthera-rezum-therapy/
