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70% Of Brits Do Not Practice 'Safe Sun'
With the heat wave hitting all corners of the UK this week, millions of adults will be flocking to the seaside in search of sun, sea, sand and a much needed snooze. Unfortunately many are likely to end up needing medical treatment for severe burning, prickly heat or heatstroke. As seven out of ten Brits will not be practicing "safe sun" and will foolhardily be going without wearing any sun cream.
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U.N. Reports $4.8B 'Record' Aid Funding Shortfall
The U.N. on Tuesday said "it is running a record funding-shortfall of $4.8 billion for its aid operations in 16 crisis-ridden countries" and has received "less than half of the $9.5 billion it needs to carry out it humanitarian operations this year," VOA News reports (Schlein, 7/21).
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Rep. Stupak Signals Willingness To Compromise On Abortion Coverage In Health Reform Legislation
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) on Monday said that he and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) are negotiating to resolve the concerns of antiabortion-rights Democrats who want to exclude abortion coverage from the House health reform bill (HR 3200), Dow Jones reports. Stupak said that the compromise would affect how state abortion laws are handled under the bill (Yoest, Dow Jones, 7/20.). According to the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Stupak did not give details on the negotiations, and aides said that no final deal has been reached (Werner, AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/21).Stupak said that he and Waxman"s staff discussed the compromise over the weekend. According to Stupak, a compromise could be voted on this week as an amendment during the committee"s markup of the bill. According to Dow Jones, Stupak holds a key vote on the health bill, which faces opposition from some other conservative Democrats on the panel over costs. His comments on Monday suggest "an easing of tensions" between antiabortion-right Democrats and supporters of the bill, Dow Jones reports. Stupak and 19 other House Democrats last week sent a letter to party leaders stating that they "cannot support a health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health plan." They also stated that they want to ensure that a health benefits advisory council created under the bill "cannot recommend abortion services be included under covered benefits or as part of a benefits package." The advisory council would make recommendations to the HHS secretary, who would make final determinations on what public and private plans would be required to cover in a health insurance exchange. Stupak said that the two sides are "working in good faith" and that other members of the committee should not push their own abortion-related amendments (Dow Jones, 7/20). On Monday, committee voted 20-35 to reject an amendment, offered by Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.), that would have eliminated a provision requiring states to adhere to minimum benefits requirements that employer-sponsored insurance must include. Deal said that states could be required to cover abortion or "out of mainstream" services. Stupak responded, "I hope we"re not going to start using reproductive rights as a red herring on every amendment that comes up." Panel Approves Sex Education AmendmentThe panel voted 33-23 to approve an amendment that would authorize $250 million through 2014 for "evidence-based" sex education programs for teenagers. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who offered the amendment, said that abstinence-only programs would not be excluded if they are proven effective. Following debate on Capps" amendment, Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) offered an amendment that would reauthorize the Title V abstinence-only sex education program. Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said that Title V "has been a failure," adding that 25 states refused to accept the money through the program because it is ineffective. Terry"s amendment was rejected 26-29.The committee also voted 36-23 to adopt an amendment that would provide $150 million in grants through 2014 to state and local governments and not-for-profits for educating residents in "medically underserved" areas on various topics, including sexual behavior (Wayne, CQ Today, 7/21).
Oncology

Arete Therapeutics Presents Positive Clinical And Preclinical Data For AR9281

Arete Therapeutics Inc. announced the presentation of three posters that validate the mechanistic activity and therapeutic potential of the company"s lead drug candidate, AR9281, an orally-administered soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor that is in a Phase II clinical program for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. sEH is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of arachidonic acid, a key signaling molecule implicated in diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disorders. Presented at the 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) the data demonstrate that AR9281 exerts sEH mechanism-based improvement in glucose tolerance in preclinical models of type 2 diabetes. In addition, clinical data demonstrate a linear relationship between AR9281 exposure and blood sEH activity. "Taken together, these data showing AR9281"s safety and attractive pharmaceutic properties in normal healthy volunteers and strong evidence of its efficacy in animal models of type 2 diabetes support the further development of this novel drug candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes," said James A. Sabry, MD, PhD, Arete"s President and Chief Executive Officer. "We anticipate that the results from our ongoing phase IIa clinical program in pre-diabetic patients will establish proof of concept that sEH inhibition modulates glucose metabolism or blood pressure in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and hypertension to further corroborate the clinical importance of this novel therapeutic approach." Three Posters Presented at ADA The data presented by Arete scientists and colleagues are described as follows. -- "AR9281, a Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitor - Efficacy in a DIO Mouse Model plus Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Mice and Men" (Whitcomb, R, Chen, D, Wang, J, Anandan, S-K, Gless, R and Webb, H). This poster describes the direct correlation between the concentration of AR9281 in blood and the activity of its target, sEH, in both mice and humans. The data further demonstrate that AR9281 improves glucose metabolism in rodent models of type 2 diabetes. -- "A Novel Inhibitor of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase, AR9281, Improves Glucose Homeostasis in Diet-Induced Obese Mice" (Wong, K, Zhang, L-N, Vincelette, J, Chen, D, Mehra, U, Cheng, Y, Gless, R, Anandan, S-K, Webb, H). Data presented in this poster show that in diet-induced obese mice, AR9281 inhibits sEH and improves glucose tolerance in a highly-dose dependent manner. Improvement of glucose tolerance by AR9281 is not observed in sEH knock-out mice indicating that the action of AR9281 is sEH mechanism-based. These positive effects are associated with reductions in plasma insulin, IL-6, an inflammatory molecule elevated in people with type 2 diabetes, and resistin, a hormone that plays a role in predisposing obese individuals to diabetes. -- "Improvement of Glucose Homeostasis by AR9281, a Novel Inhibitor of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase, in Diet-Induced Obese Mice Does Not Depend on Active Nitric Oxide Synthase" (Vincelette, J, Chen, D, Mehra, U, Cheng, Y, Gless, R, Anandan, S-K, MacIntyre, E and Wang, J). Data presented in this poster show the correlation between treatment with AR9281 and the lowering of the glucose levels after an oral glucose tolerance test and demonstrate that these effects are not inhibited by concurrent treatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester), thus furthering the understanding of the mechanism of action of this novel drug candidate. AR9281 Phase II Program Underway Arete is conducting a Phase IIa multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of AR9281 in pre-diabetic patients with impaired glucose tolerance, mild obesity and mild to moderate hypertension. All 150 enrolled patients will be treatment-naive for type 2 diabetes medications. The trial is evaluating two schedules of AR9281 and placebo using a parallel design to determine the feasibility of twice-a-day dosing. Each patient receives 28 days of treatment. Endpoints for the trial include safety, tolerability, reduction of blood pressure and various measures of glucose and lipid metabolism, with results expected in the first quarter of 2010. The Phase I clinical program for AR9281, consisting of two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, demonstrated that AR9281 was safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers. The studies met all safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic endpoints. In addition, AR9281 has shown favorable results in various published and proprietary in vitro and in vivo assays for potency, selectivity, efficacy, ADME, toxicity and safety. About AR9281 AR9281, an orally-administered soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor, operates within the third branch of the arachidonic acid pathway and represents a novel and potentially more effective approach to treating type 2 diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disease. The first two branches of this critical regulatory pathway have been targeted by several commercially successful marketed anti-inflammatory drugs including Aspirin(R) (acetylsalicylic acid), Motrin(R) (ibuprofen), Singulair(R) (montelukast) and Celebrex(R) (celecoxib). AR9281 has demonstrated an excellent safety profile and activity in multiple animal models of type 2 diabetes, and has the advantage of inhibiting a novel drug target that differentiates it from currently marketed diabetes medications. With this promising drug profile, AR9281 has the potential to provide safe and effective therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes either as monotherapy or in combination with existing treatment regimens. About Arete Therapeutics Inc. Arete Therapeutics is a privately-held biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel drugs to treat type 2 diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disorders. It is the world"s leading company focused on sEH, an important enzyme for the metabolism of arachidonic acid that plays an essential role in metabolic, inflammatory and cardiovascular physiology. The Company has raised a total of over $51 million in Series A financing led by Frazier Healthcare Ventures, Alta Partners, Three Arch Partners, Burrill & Company and Altitude Life Science Ventures. Arete Therapeutics Inc


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