The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and the University of Saskatchewan have opened the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), one of the world’s most advanced containment facilities. InterVac’s state of-the-art vaccine development will help to address global health issues by contributing to the next generation of innovative vaccines. It will also keep Canada at the forefront of innovative science by training scientists and students from around the world and build upon our national legacy in vaccine development that stretches over a century.

(handymanconnection.com)

Clinpro 5000 1.1% Sodium Fluoride Anti-Cavity Toothpaste (NPN 80012416) is now available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores nationwide, in addition to the product’s previous availability through dental professionals. Clinpro 5000 features an advanced formula containing fluoride, calcium, and phosphate, which are components naturally found in saliva. “At 3M ESPE, we’re proud to have offered Clinpro 5000 toothpaste to dental professionals since May 2010,” said Lisa Citton-Battel, Business Manager with 3M ESPE. “Now, patients can further benefit from the many enhancements this toothpaste provides since it’s readily available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada.” Some of the many benefits of using Clinpro 5000 anti-cavity toothpaste include: strengthened teeth, reversed signs of early lesions, increased fluoride delivery to teeth, and gentle cleaning and whitening. For more information, visit www.3MESPE.ca.

More than one in 10 parents use an “alternative” vaccination schedule for their young children, including refusing vaccines altogether, according to a new cross-sectional, internet-based survey of a nationally representative sample of parents (n = 748) of children six months to six years of age. The study found that of the 13% of parents who reported following an alternative vaccination schedule, most refused only certain vaccines (53%) and/or delayed some vaccines until the child was older (55%) but 2% of parents refused any vaccination altogether. Even among parents who did follow the recommended schedule, about one-quarter said they thought that delaying vaccines would be safer or that the expert-backed schedule was not the best one to follow (Pediatrics. 2011 Oct 3. PMID: PMID: 21969290). The study’s lead author, Dr. Amanda Dempsey, said “It’s really quite worrisome to me. Vaccine refusal and delay is not likely to go away anytime soon, and is likely to get significantly worse over time. We may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg right now.”

A survey of Canadian pharmacists conducted last year revealed that drug shortages are becoming more common. More than 90% of respondents said they experienced trouble tracking down a medication in the previous week and almost all respondents said they had seen deterioration in the previous year. To address this serious issue, pharmaceutical companies have agreed to pool information on drug shortages and pending shortages, and then post the details on two existing public websites. They also pledged to build a more comprehensive one-stop website that will become a permanent, reliable source of information about drug shortages, as long as Health Canada helps with funding.

On August 29, 2011 the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) was part of an exciting announcement involving an ambitious partnership between the Ontario government, University of Waterloo, Conestoga College, and the Schlegel Villages to develop a centre of excellence for research, training, and innovation in senior health care. The new centre will be located at the University of Waterloo, including a 192-bed Long Term Care (LTC) home, a specialized building for staff and students to work and learn with residents and staff from the adjacent LTC home. Future developments include assisted living and independent living for seniors as well as a primary care health centre to create a full continuum of care.

Medistik, the sports medicine pain relief stick, has announced that it will be available in participating stores at Source for Sports across Canada. “We are excited to have Source for Sports offering our products,” says Ruza Jelinkova, managing director for Medistik. “Source for Sports is a leading Canadian retailer and gives us access to a broader group of people that will benefit from the use of our product. We have had great success with the growth of MEDISTIKTM due to its higher levels of active ingredients compared to other leading sport analgesics.” Medistik is used to provide pain relief for stiff and sore muscles, tendinitis, and arthritic pain. It provides athletes faster recovery, quicker return to training and better performance. Medistik is free of banned substances as defined by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports and the World Anti-Doping Association.

Bastyr University announced that its new campus will be located in San Diego, California with plans for the first class to begin in Fall 2012.”We are thrilled to secure a location for our Southern California campus,” said Bastyr University President Daniel K. Church, PhD. “To become the first regionally accredited naturopathic medical institution in California is a tremendous honor and we look forward to providing the same quality education as our Kenmore, Washington, campus does.” San Diego was selected because of its strategic proximity to a significant number of prospective students, faculty, and patients in Southern California who are interested in the natural health arts and sciences. The Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree program will be offered when the school first opens and other degree programs are expected to be offered in the future.

Canada unveiled some of the world’s largest and most graphic anti-smoking labels on the grounds that smokers were starting to ignore existing warnings on cigarette packs. Some of the labels include pictures of a woman dying of lung cancer in a hospital bed, a man with a hole in this throat after surgery for smoking-related larynx cancer, and a close-up shot of a diseased and cancerous tongue. “We want to make the images larger and more noticeable and more understandable … The images are pretty gross. They can be a little bit scary as well, but that is the reality of smoking,” said federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. “Over time, people get used to seeing the old pictures so we want to grab people’s attention once again,” she said. Existing anti-smoking labels cover 50% of a pack but the new labels will have to cover 75% of the front and back of each pack of cigarettes and small cigars. Tobacco manufacturers and importers will have until March 21, 2012 to switch over to the new labels and retailers must only carry packs with the bigger warnings by June 19, 2012.

Carlson Laboratories is one of the recipients of Better Nutrition Magazine’s 4th Annual Best of Supplements Awards for their newest formulation, Nutra-Support Energy, which contains a special blend of vitamins, omega-3s, and other nutrients intended to boost energy levels naturally. Winning products were chosen based on a wide range of qualifications, including quality and type of ingredients, product uniqueness in the marketplace, popularity of product, reader feedback on products and reviews, as well as expert feedback on products.

An experimental vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been reported to decrease the risk of malaria by half in African children aged five to 17-months old in final-stage trial data of a major clinical trial. Researchers who analyzed data from the first 6000 children in this ongoing trial found that after 12 months of follow-up, three doses of RTS,S (or Mosquirix) reduced the risk of children experiencing clinical malaria and severe malaria by 56% and 47%, respectively. Results in babies aged six to 12 weeks are expected within a year and, if all goes well, GSK believes the vaccine could reach the market in 2015. While hailing an unprecedented achievement, experts stress that the vaccine is no quick fix for eradicating malaria. The new vaccine is less effective against malaria than other vaccines are against common infections such as polio and measles. “We would have wished that we could wipe it out, but I think this is going to contribute to the control of malaria rather than wiping it out,” said Tsiri Agbenyega, a principal investigator in the RTS,S trials in Ghana.