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Medical Device Maker Settles Conflict Inquiry in New Jersey

New York Times, May 7, 2009, By REED ABELSON
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/bu...l?ref=business

The New Jersey attorney general has announced a settlement with a medical device maker accused of failing to disclose financial conflicts of interest among doctors researching its products, and says her office is investigating other similar conflicts in the device industry.
The attorney general’s office said it had issued subpoenas to five major device makers, although it did not publicly identify the companies. “It is outrageous that doctors who are testing, and in many cases, recommending the use of certain high-risk medical devices are being compensated with stock in the very companies that make these devices,” the attorney general, Anne Milgram, said in a statement.


Grace case now in hands of jurors

By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Missoulian, Posted on May 6
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2...bnews/br04.txt

Having absorbed 11 weeks of evidence and heard testimony from scores of witnesses, jurors began deliberations Wednesday evening in the sprawling environmental crimes case of W.R. Grace & Co. Hotly contested by a determined fleet of defense lawyers, the motion-a-day trial plodded along arrhythmically at times, and the presentation of evidence hardly emerged as a single, neat narrative. But on the final day of proceedings, attorneys from both sides endeavored to sum up their cases with lengthy closing arguments. For 10 hours, jurors scribbled on legal pads, listening as prosecutors described an environmental tragedy that has claimed the lives of hundreds of Libby residents, and which continues to sicken community members with asbestos-related disease. Defense lawyers agreed that a tragedy had indeed occurred in Libby, but urged jurors not to confuse tragedy with criminal actions. Moreover, the defense attorneys said government prosecutors had compounded the tragedy through numerous instances of misconduct, and accused them of carrying a “political prosecution” too far.


North Carolina: Local artist with Parkinson's donates painting to raise money for research

By Steve Huffman, Thursday, May 07, 2009 3:00 AM
http://www.salisburypost.com/Area/050709-Ron-Bankett

Ron Bankett said he tries to find a positive in anything that life hands him, a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, included. Bankett has always enjoyed playing golf, and wasn't about to let Parkinson's put a halt to that endeavor. "It's frustrating in that I can't hit the ball as far as I used to," he said. "But it forced me to stay more focused on keeping the ball in the fairway." The diagnosis of Parkinson's also motivated Bankett, 68, to return to one of his earlier loves — painting. The motivation was prompted by Burton Scott, a doctor who treated Bankett at Duke University Medical Center. Following the diagnosis of Parkinson's, Scott suggested that Bankett give painting another shot.


Teva says Parkinson's drug patent extended to 2017

Forbes, Associated Press, 05.06.09, 12:34 PM EDT
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/...ap6386279.html

Drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said Wednesday that one of the patents on Azilect, its Parkinson's disease drug, has been extended by five years into 2017. The Israeli company said the U.S. Patent Office granted the extension. The patent had been scheduled to expire on Feb. 7, 2012, paving the way for competition from low-cost generic versions. The patent is now set to expire Feb. 7, 2017.


TV REVIEW
'Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist'

BY VERNE GAY | May 7, 2009
Webpage Includes Video
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment...,2982508.story

THE SHOW " Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist"
WHEN | WHERE Tonight at 10 on ABC/7
REASON TO WATCH This - presumably - can work as a companion to Fox's best-seller, "Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist," or for anyone who's got a case of the blues. (A full review copy of the program was not available at deadline.)


New Indiana Law Recognizes Parkinson's Disease as Line-of-Duty Disability
Posted: May 6th, 2009 03:22 PM GMT-05:00
SUSAN NICOL KYLE
Officer.Com News
http://www.officer.com/web/online/To...ility-/1$46562
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS personnel in Indiana who contract Parkinson's will now be eligible for enhanced benefits. On Friday, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the law that recognizes Parkinson's as a line-of-duty disability. The measure officially goes into effect July 1, said Gary Coons, a former Indiana firefighter stricken with the disease at 33. "We've been working really hard to get this recognized. I'm very excited that we succeeded," Coons said Tuesday, adding that Indiana is the first to pass such a law.


Deep Brain Stimulation Improves Olfactory Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease Patients Better than Medication

Released: Fri 24-Apr-2009, 13:00 ET
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/551014/

It is estimated that 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are diagnosed each year, adding to the estimated one to 1.5 million Americans who currently have the disease. One early sign of PD is the loss of the sense of smell (dysosmia), which often occurs prior to any abnormal movements. The exact reason for this loss is still under investigation, although it may be due to the loss of the brain cells that are used to sense and/or process odors.



High urate levels may ward off Parkinson's disease

Tue May 5, 2009 11:35pm IST
http://in.reuters.com/article/health...54458120090505

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High levels of urate in the blood appear to protect against the development of Parkinson's disease, a new study shows. Urate, a combination of uric acid and a base substance, is produced naturally in the body. While too much urate can cause problems like gout, it does have powerful antioxidant properties -- and this could protect neurons in the brain against damage. "We found that higher (blood) urate concentration was associated with lower occurrence of Parkinson's disease," the study team reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology. "This association was evident among men and Caucasians but was also suggested for women and African Americans."


Minnesota / Parachuting for Parkinson's

By RENEE RICHARDSON
Senior Reporter
http://brainerddispatch.com/stories/...90505010.shtml

Jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft may seem like a crazy idea, but not for a 77-year-old Nisswa woman. For Ramona "Nonie" Stumvoll, it's not about an adrenaline rush, although she is an adventurer and loves to fly. For her, jumping out of an aircraft is an extraordinary way to draw attention to the plight of people who suffer from Parkinson's disease. Stumvoll's husband, Don, has suffered from the disease for about nine years. Stumvoll said there were all kinds of fundraisers involving walking, running - even plunging. But parachuting wasn't something that typically made the list. She thought about it for a couple of years and then recently mentioned the idea to Dale Walz, former Baxter police captain and former state legislator from Brainerd. Walz was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2004.


Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces $2 Million Funding Commitment to Drive Development of Parkinson's Disease Biomarker Pipeline

Yahoo News, Thu May 7, 1:30 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/2009050...MxMjQxNzIxOTQ2

Initiative is one element of broader strategy to speed biomarkers progress
NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research announced a funding commitment of $2 million for Biomarkers 2009. This fourth round of biomarker funding by MJFF aims to continue stimulating discovery of new disease and drug biomarkers. At the same time, recognizing the critical need for an orchestrated, fieldwide strategy to drive tangible progress, MJFF is putting building blocks in place to launch a comprehensive biomarker discovery and verification effort in coming months.


ACADIA And Biovail Announce Completion Of Enrollment In First Pivotal Phase III Trial With Pimavanserin In Patients With Parkinson's Disease Psychosis

Medical News Today, 07 May 2009
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149266.php

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:ACAD) and Biovail Corporation (NYSE:BVF) (TSX:BVF), announced the completion of enrollment in the first pivotal Phase III clinical trial of pimavanserin in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP). Top-line results from this trial are expected to be announced by the end of the third quarter of 2009.


Elsevier published 6 fake journals

Posted by Bob Grant
[Entry posted at 7th May 2009 04:27 PM GMT]
http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55679/
Scientific publishing giant Elsevier put out a total of six publications between 2000 and 2005 that were sponsored by unnamed pharmaceutical companies and looked like peer reviewed medical journals, but did not disclose sponsorship, the company has admitted. Elsevier is conducting an "internal review" of its publishing practices after allegations came to light that the company produced a pharmaceutical company-funded publication in the early 2000s without disclosing that the "journal" was corporate sponsored.