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Columnist Discusses HIV/AIDS Among Blacks In Washington, D.C.
Columnist George Curry on Tuesday in the Hudson Valley Press discussed how HIV/AIDS is impacting the black community, particularly in Washington, D.C. The piece includes comments from Phill Wilson, CEO of the Black AIDS Institute and C. Virginia Fields, president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, who discuss statistics and recommendations to address HIV/AIDS among the black community, including routine HIV testing. Curry writes, "If C. Virginia Fields and other activists get their wish and have [HIV] testing incorporated into routine health testing, that will place a heavier burden on crowded counseling and treatment facilities. But it"s not an insurmountable burden. The question is: Do we have the national will to take on this epidemic?" (7/29).
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Reproductive Health Bill Could Reduce Maternal Mortality In Philippines
The number of Filipino "women who die yearly due to childbirth and pregnancy complications has doubled in the last four years," and a reproductive health bill opposed by some lawmakers and stalled in Congress could address this rise in maternal mortality, health groups say, ABS-CBN News reports. The bill includes a "range of programs to promote reproductive health through education and access" to family planning methods, according to ABS-CBN News.
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UCB Receives CHMP Positive Opinion On Keppra(R) For Infants And Young Children With Partial-onset Epilepsy
UCB announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending that the European Commission grant marketing authorisation for Keppra® as adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in infants and young children aged one month to under four years.
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Genomic Health's Oncotype DX(R) Colon Cancer Test Predicts Individualized Recurrence Risk For Stage II Colon Cancer Patients

Genomic Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GHDX) announced positive results from the landmark QUASAR validation study, which demonstrated that the Oncotype DX(R) colon cancer test can independently predict individual recurrence risk in stage II colon cancer patients following surgery. Importantly, the Oncotype DX colon cancer Recurrence Score(R) provided additional independent clinical value beyond standard measures. The study showed that the colon cancer Recurrence Score maintained significance (p=0.008), independent of mismatch repair (MMR), also known as MSI (Microsatellite Instability), T-stage, nodes examined, grade and lymphovascular invasion. These findings, which were selected from more than 4,000 accepted abstracts to be featured in the American Society of Clinical Oncology"s (ASCO) advance presscast earlier today, address a large unmet need in the treatment of colon cancer by validating a clinical tool that can significantly improve risk assessment in the treatment planning for stage II colon cancer patients. Genomic Health announced these data in conjunction with ASCO"s advance presscast presentation and subsequent embargo lift of all accepted abstracts today, and looks forward to the full data presentation at ASCO"s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, May 30 at 3 p.m. ET. "These clinical results represent an important advancement in bringing personalized medicine to the tens of thousands of people who suffer from stage II colon cancer, as the availability of precise markers to determine likelihood of recurrence risk are limited in today"s clinical setting," said David Kerr, M.D., DSc, professor of cancer medicine at the University of Oxford. "With these results we have a validated multi-gene test to predict colon cancer recurrence that, when available, will enable physicians to better select patients for aggressive treatment beyond surgery." David Kerr, Richard Gray, Ph.D., professor of medical statistics at the University of Birmingham, and Philip Quirke, B.M., M.D. FRCPath, professor of pathology and tumor biology at the University of Leeds, are the principal investigators of the QUASAR validation study. A second endpoint evaluating a separate score, with a distinct set of genes, designed to predict which patients experience greater proportional benefit of 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5FU/LV) following surgery was not met (p=0.19). "The positive findings from the QUASAR validation study strongly support a new paradigm for assessing recurrence risk in stage II colon cancer, emphasizing the critical role of three measures, Recurrence Score, MMR/MSI and T-stage," said Steve Shak, M.D., chief medical officer of Genomic Health. "We believe the Oncotype DX colon cancer Recurrence Score will provide the greatest clinical utility for treatment selection in the more than 70 percent of patients for whom MMR/MSI and T-stage are uninformative." The Oncotype DX colon cancer Recurrence Score maintained its independent significance in predicting the likelihood of recurrence risk (p=0.008), when analyzed in the presence of all the other factors. T4 stage (p=0.005) and MMR deficiency (pAbout Genomic Health Genomic Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GHDX) is a life science company focused on the development and commercialization of genomic-based clinical laboratory services for cancer that allow physicians and patients to make individualized treatment decisions. In 2004, Genomic Health launched its first test, the Oncotype DX breast cancer test, which has been shown to predict the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence and the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit in a large portion of early-stage breast cancer patients. The company was founded in 2000 and is located in Redwood City, California. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the applicability of clinical study results to actual outcomes; the company"s plans to commercialize a test for colon cancer and the proposed timing of such commercialization; the company"s beliefs regarding the benefits of a test for colon cancer and the belief that Oncotype DX should be integrated into standard breast cancer treatment planning for patients in Japan. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: The risks associated with commercialization of a new test; the risk that the company may not obtain or maintain sufficient levels of reimbursement for its tests; the risks and uncertainties associated with the regulation of its tests; the applicability of clinical study results to actual outcomes; and the other risks set forth in the company"s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company"s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Genomic Health disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. The Genomic Health logo, Oncotype, Oncotype DX and Recurrence Score are trademarks or registered trademarks of Genomic Health, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Genomic Health


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