Aba Roads Worse than HELL

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Soldiers kill 150 Boko Haram members during attack on Konduga

 

At least 150 Boko Haram members were killed yesterday September 12th after the Nigerian Military repeled after an attempted attack by the sect members on Konduga, a village said to be about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri in Borno State, in the early hours of yesterday.

According to a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by Col. T. Antigha of the Army Public Relations, the battle with sect members lasted three hour and four soldiers were injured during the attack.  "At about 5.30 am today (Friday), Boko Haram terrorists launched a massive attack on Konduga town, about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri. After about three hours of fierce fighting, Nigerian troops routed the Boko Haram fighting force of over a hundred terrorists. Further to the staggering loss of men, Boko Haram also suffered extensive losses in equipment. Four Nigerian soldiers were wounded in action. The entire area is still being combed for terrorists who may have escaped with bullet wounds. Morale of troops remains very high.” the statement reads.

Many people are reported to have died with several others injured after a 5-storey building located inside the headquarters of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun, Lagos collapsed around 2pm this afternoon. Many worshipers who lived inside the church building were among those who died while some are believed to still be trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building. Four ambulance buses have arrived the scene to take the injured to the hospital while the dead ones are being evacuated to the mortuary. Details later... Update: There are reports that as many as 50 people died this afternoon when the building collapsed. The building is also said to be is reserved for foreigners visiting the church for spiritual help.

 

Many people are reported to have died with several others injured after a 5-storey building located inside the headquarters of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun, Lagos collapsed around 2pm this afternoon.

Many worshipers who lived inside the church building were among those who died while some are believed to still be trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building.

Four ambulance buses have arrived the scene to take the injured to the hospital while the dead ones are being evacuated to the mortuary.  Details later...

Update: There are reports that as many as 50 people died this afternoon when the building collapsed. The building is also said to be is reserved for foreigners visiting the church for spiritual help.

FDA Approves Combination Adjunct therapy for Chronic Weight management in Obese Adults

FDA Approves Combination Adjunct Therapy for Chronic Weight Management in Obese Adults

Katie Eder,
Published Online: Thursday, September 11, 2014
   
The FDA has approved naltrexone hydrochloride and bupropion hydrochloride (Contrave) extended-release tablets as an adjunct to reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in obese adults.

According to the drug’s developer, Orexigen Therapeutics, and distributor, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, the cardiometabolic product is indicated for use in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27 who have at least 1 weight-related condition, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidemia.

“Some individuals seeking to manage their weight may require a treatment plan that includes more than lifestyle modification with diet and exercise,” said Ken Fujioka, MD, director of the Center for Weight Management in the Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Scripps Clinic, in a joint press release from Orexigen and Takeda. “In my clinic, I often treat patients who fit these criteria, and now, with the approval of Contrave, I am excited to have a new treatment option to consider for my patients.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults in the United States are obese.

“Obesity continues to be a major public health concern,” said Jean-Marc Guettier, MD, director of the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in an FDA press release. “When used as directed in combination with a healthy lifestyle that includes a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, Contrave provides another treatment option for chronic weight management for people who are obese or are overweight and have at least 1 weight-related health condition.”

Contrave is comprised of 2 FDA-approved drugs, naltrexone and bupropion, in an extended-release formulation. As stand-alone therapies, naltrexone is indicated to treat alcohol and opioid dependence, while bupropion is indicated to treat depression and seasonal affective disorder, as well as to aid smoking cessation treatment.

The effectiveness of the 2 drugs combined was evaluated in multiple clinical trials that included approximately 4,500 obese and overweight patients with and without significant weight-related conditions treated for 1 year. In the trials, all patients received lifestyle modification consisting of a reduced-calorie diet and regular physical activity.

Results from 1 clinical trial showed that 42% of patients without diabetes who were treated with Contrave lost at least 5% of their body weight, compared to 17% of those treated with placebo. Similarly, results from another clinical trial that enrolled patients with type 2 diabetes found 36% of those treated with Contrave lost at least 5% of their body weight, compared to 18% of the placebo group.

Across the trials, the most common adverse reactions reported with Contrave treatment were nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, dry mouth, and diarrhea.

The FDA warned that the drug can cause seizures, raise blood pressure, and increase heart rate, so it is contraindicated in patients who have seizure disorders or uncontrolled hypertension. Because Contrave contains bupropion, it should not be taken with other medications containing bupropion, the FDA said. Additionally, the drug should not be used in patients who have eating disorders, are using opioids or treatments for opioid dependence, or are undergoing an abrupt discontinuation of alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and antiepileptic drugs.

As part of the drug’s approval, Takeda and Orexigen have agreed to fulfill several post-marketing requirements, which include conducting studies to assess the safety and efficacy of Contrave for weight management in obese pediatric patients, and to evaluate the effects of long-term Contrave treatment on the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events in overweight and obese







Culled from pharmacytimes.

Experimental Vaccine Protects Primates Infected with Ebola by Davy Jones

While the US government has promised to send military resources to fight the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa, an experimental vaccine has exhibited promising results in protecting primates from the disease.

In a study published online September 7, 2014, in Nature Medicine, researchers evaluated the efficacy of a vaccine that acts similarly to an experimental treatment co-developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which recently began human testing, as well as another drug in development by Johnson & Johnson that is projected to begin clinical testing in early 2015.

For the study, researchers evaluated the efficacy of the ChAd3 Ebola vaccine in eliciting rapid protection in monkeys. The drug was found to protect all 4 macaque monkeys 5 weeks after inoculation with high levels of the Ebola virus.

The 4 monkeys were inoculated initially with the ChAd3 vaccine, and then again 2 months later with a booster vaccine that contained viral gene segments of Ebola incorporated into a different vector.
The researchers were able to demonstrate durable protection from a prime-boost regimen after all 4 primates were fully protected from infection with high doses of the virus 10 months after initial inoculation.

The candidate drug is based on an attenuated strain of a chimpanzee cold virus, which is used as a carrier to deliver benign genetic material derived from a strain of the Ebola virus. The material contained in the vaccine does not cause an infection; rather, it delivers viral genetic material to human cells without further replication, allowing the recipient’s cells to express a protein that generates an immune response.

The Phase 1 trials for the drug are anticipated to conclude by the end of the year, while deployment of the drug could be fast-tracked if the vaccine is determined to be safe and immunogenic, the NIH said.

Meanwhile, in light of a death toll that has climbed above 2000 and nearly 4000 confirmed and suspected cases in West Africa, US President Barack Obama said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press that the country will step up relief efforts for the region, including military equipment and support for international health care workers.

Without support, Obama noted, the virus could mutate to become more transmissible, which could represent a serious health threat to the United States and the rest of the world.

“We’re going to have to get US military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world,” Obama said in a report published in the Washington Post.

The announcement followed a dire warning last week from Doctors Without Borders that the window to stop the virus from becoming a global biological disaster is rapidly closing.

“The clock is ticking and Ebola is winning,” said Doctors Without Borders International President Joanne Liu, MD, in a press release. “The time for meetings and planning is over. It is now time to act. Every day of inaction means more deaths and the slow collapse of societies.” Experimental Vaccine Protects Primates Infected with Ebola








culled from pharmacytimes