Topical Treatment For Cold Sores Achieves Efficacy Of Oral Drugs; Represents Paradigm Shift In The Treatment Of Skin Infections

Scientists at NanoBio Corporation have demonstrated for the first time in humans that a novel topical treatment for cold sores (herpes labialis), NB-001, speeds healing of lesions as effectively as the leading oral systemic drugs but without safety or toxicity concerns. The new data provide the first proof of principle that a topical agent can attain equivalent efficacy rates to oral systemic drugs, according to the NanoBio scientists. More at...

According to an article published in the October 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, people who were hospitalized with pneumonia were less likely to die within 90 days afterward if they took cholesterol-lowering statins before hospitalization. In the last ten years, the United States and Europe have seen a 20 to 50% increase in pneumonia hospitalization rates. In addition, some 10 to 15% of pneumonia patients die from the disease. More at...

Northern Antibiotics Ltd., the developer of novel polymyxin derivatives for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, revealed animal efficacy and pharmacokinetic data from their NAB compounds at the 48th Annual ICAAC/IDSA 46th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Northern Antibiotics has developed two series of novel polymyxin (NAB) compounds (Vaara M. et al., 2008, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. More at...

With many strains of bacteria now immune to multiple classes of antibiotics, the needs for creating new germ fighters are enormous. Pioneering biotechnology companies are developing products that take the wiliness of bacterial superbugs into account, effectively performing an end-run around conventional antibiotics. More at...

Household surfaces play a key role in the spread of the cold virus according to a new study carried out by the University of Virginia, USA. Each week during winter, a fifth of the UK population suffers from a cold and while infection can be spread by airborne droplets when a sufferer coughs or sneezes, the study highlights the importance of home hygiene during the cold and flu season. More at...

Swedish researchers report in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases that there is an increase in the risk of developing arthritis in early adulthood if a child has a serious infection during the first year of his or her life. Cecilia Carlens (Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, Stockholm, Sweden) and colleagues studied data from national registers on over 3,500 people born between 1973 and 2002. More at...