Nearly three out of four patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) consider feeling unwell to be a normal part of life, while gastroenterologists estimate this to be true for only 37 percent of their UC patients, according to results from a nationwide series of surveys presented today at the 2007 Crohn's & Colitis Foundation’s 6th Annual Advances in the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases conference.

Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, has launched its new intellectual property research and analysis solution, Thomson Innovation.

The non-profit eHealth Initiative Foundation (eHI) announced today the formation of an innovative research program designed to improve drug safety for patients. The eHI Connecting Communities for Drug Safety Collaboration is a public-private sector effort designed to test new approaches and develop replicable tools for assessing both the risks and the benefits of new drug treatments through the use of health information technology.

The European Commission, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have adopted a common application form for sponsors seeking orphan designation of medicines in the European Union (EU) and US. This initiative is aimed at simplifying the process of obtaining orphan status for medicines intended for rare diseases in both jurisdictions.

French researchers have identified a protein that influences the body's sensitivity to leptin, the hormone that controls our body weight by letting us know when we have had enough to eat. The work, which is published online by the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could lead to the development of new treatments for obesity.

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced results of a national survey where 60 percent of 121 mothers reported their 6 to 12 year old child's once-daily Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication stopped working before 6 p.m. The survey findings report the perceptions of 500 parents of children with ADHD regarding the duration of effectiveness of their child's once-daily stimulant or non-stimulant ADHD medication and were presented yesterday at the 2007 Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) Annual Conference.

Holidays often induce stress, but caring for children with diabetes this time of year can mean an additional layer of pressure. Parents and caregivers can visit a webiste to participate in live Web chats with diabetes specialists for expert advice on how to best manage a child's diabetes during the holidays, find social support and receive a free download of the 'Diabetes Fit Food' booklet for tips on healthy eating.