Many drugs which are prescribed to children have not been adequately studied in the paediatric population. Pharmaceutical companies are now required to produce medicines specifically aimed at 0-17 year olds which has resulted in an increase in paediatric clinical trials. Trials in children are tightly regulated and have both operational and ethical challenges which need to be overcome.

The British appetite for zombies is becoming a growing trend. From computer games and films to organised zombie walks though Britain's cities, the proliferation of zombies seems to be everywhere. Yet, this high interest in zombies enables researchers to link zombie-like behaviours to current models of public attitudes and actions.

Researcher Dr Nick Pearce will present findings from his new study of Britain's zombie phenomenon at an event organised as part of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Festival of Social Science 2011. The event will be an interactive talk on the metaphor of the zombie in everyday life, followed by a screening of the first ever zombie film, White Zombie (1932).

The second annual New Paradigms conference is taking place January 11-12, 2012 at the Marine's Memorial Club and Hotel in San Francisco. This event, produced by The Conference Forum, is designed to help emerging biotechs identify alternative sources of capital and provide insights from experienced executives on partnering strategies; and to help emerging biotechs/pharmas with strategies to manage the current regulatory environment, drive value with biomarkers, execute innovative trials that drive better outcomes and use social media to secure funding. The program is being held in close proximity to the JP Morgan Heathcare conference; approximately 250 people are expected to attend New Paradigms this year.

New Pharmacovigilance legislation that was adopted by the European Union in December 2010 is coming to full application in July 2012. This new legislation promises a lot of changes that should increase patient safety and decrease industry spendings by almost 150 million Euros.



The 2nd Annual Pharmacovigilance & Risk Management Strategies meeting organized by Fleming Europe brings to Rome a Member of the European Parliament responsible for the new PV legislation, 10 major Pharma companies (such as Sanofi-Aventis, Genzyme, BMS, Abbott, Novartis, etc.) and other key Pharma players. They are coming to share the first hand experience on successful implementation of the new PV rules.

Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) announced that positive results from the company's Phase 2 clinical study of NKTR-102 in patients with metastatic breast cancer were presented at the ASCO 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium in San Francisco, California. NKTR-102 is a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor designed using Nektar's proprietary polymer conjugate technology, and is being developed in multiple tumor settings.

A large proportion of teenagers regularly and frequently take some form of medication without receiving targeted information about the risks and benefits, according to a review of current research, to be presented at the annual congress of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) tomorrow (Tuesday).

Dr Priya Bahri will tell delegates that 35% of boys and 45% of girls in Europe and the USA take painkillers for headaches every month. In addition, they take a variety of other medicines for things like stomach aches, sleeping disorders, nervousness, asthma, infectious diseases and for pregnancy prevention. "Most teenagers take their medicines appropriately, but there is evidence of accidental or intentional inappropriate use or misuse," she says.

This year we have a range of industry experts speaking including representatives from Baxter Healthcare, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Bayer Vital, AstraZeneca, Sanofi Pasteur, Abbott, F.Hoffmann-La Roche, Pfizer and many more.

The latest technologies and techniques being used to treat soldiers on the front line will be explored at Defence IQ's Battlefield Healthcare conference, taking place 21st-23rd November in Munich, Germany.

The event allows healthcare professionals from all over Europe to explore recent lessons learned from trauma combat care, as well as the ways in which new innovations and procedures are helping to treat common soldier injuries, including haemorrhaging, currently the leading cause of combat preventable deaths.

Target Meeting specializes in organizing 1st world cardiovascular, diabetes, and obesity online conference, which will be held on September 22-24, 2011. It will be a money saving, science making, and interesting online conference without travel. This conference provides brilliant opportunities for doctors, researchers, and patients around the world to follow latest discoveries and network with international experts.