The Canadian Diabetes Association applauded the Government of Ontario’s commitment to tackle diabetes in Ontario, as outlined in the Speech from the Throne. “The Canadian Diabetes Association is pleased that the Government of Ontario understands the seriousness of diabetes and its complications,” said Karen Philp, Vice President, Public Policy and Government Relations, Canadian Diabetes Association. [click link for full article]

A news agency reported from Kampala, capital city of Uganda, earlier this morning that an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the district of Bundibugyo in the western part of the country had killed 16 people. [click link for full article]

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE:VRX) announced that it has enrolled the first patient in its Phase 2 clinical trial of retigabine for the treatment of pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a painful and common complication of shingles. “We are eager to investigate whether retigabine, our new novel potassium channel opener, will be effective in treating neuropathic pain,” said Timothy C. Tyson, president and chief executive officer. [click link for full article]

OXiGENE, Inc. (NASDAQ: OXGN, XSSE: OXGN), a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases, reported that its lead product candidate, ZYBRESTATTM (combretastatin A4 phosphate / CA4P), demonstrated anti-leukemic effects in preclinical studies published online and ahead of print on November 16, 2007 on the website of the journal BLOOD. [click link for full article]

Oncologists nationwide are increasingly choosing IntelliDose® — the industry’s de facto standard for capturing vital chemotherapy dosage and treatment information — as their primary solution for driving clinical best practice. As these physicians move from paper to electronic processes, they’re driving record growth for IntrinsiQ, LLC and its flagship oncology electronic health record (EHR) software, IntelliDose. [click link for full article]

Not every breakthrough is positive. Of the approximately 1.4 million new cancer patients in the U.S. each year, more than half experience pain associated with their disease. The patient’s level of pain changes throughout the day, with many patients experiencing two kinds of chronic cancer pain: persistent pain and what is known as “breakthrough pain” (BTP). [click link for full article]

A recent pilot study suggests that there are differences in the way ethnic groups cope with cancer, and a researcher at the University of Leicester, funded by the Leicestershire and Rutland charity Hope Against Cancer, is to investigate this further. [click link for full article]

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and Colgate-Palmolive have partnered to create a curriculum on dental plaque biofilm (commonly known as dental plaque), gum inflammation, and treatment options for dental and allied dental programs. The curriculum will provide educators with the latest research in a rapidly evolving field tailored to first-year students in dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting. [click link for full article]

Findings from a new report published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that Erbitux® (cetuximab) in combination with chemotherapy provides pretreated, unresectable patients who have liver metastases with the possibility of cure for their metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).1 These findings demonstrate that pretreated mCRC patients who were previously unresectable can become resectable. [click link for full article]

CIGNA HealthCare is expanding its program to analyze and address potential gaps, omissions and errors in health care in an ongoing effort to improve quality of care and lower costs for its members and their employers. When the expansion is complete on January 1, 2008, the CIGNA Well Informed program will be included as a standard service in all of CIGNA’s medical benefits plans. [click link for full article]