Acorda Therapeutics to Present at the 31st Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Acorda Therapeutics Inc. today announced that Ron Cohen, M.D., President & CEO, will present at the upcoming 31^st Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA.

About Acorda Therapeutics
Acorda Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with MS, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions.
Acorda markets AMPYRA^® (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg, in the United States as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Buy Glucovance (Glyburide(Glibenclamide)-Metformin) pills online without prescription This was demonstrated by an improvement in walking speed. AMPYRA is marketed outside the United States as FAMPYRA^® (prolonged-release fampridine tablets) by Biogen Idec under a licensing agreement from Acorda. AMPYRA and FAMPYRA are manufactured under license from Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited.
The Company also markets ZANAFLEX CAPSULES^® (tizanidine hydrochloride) and Zanaflex tablets, a short-acting drug for the management of spasticity. Acorda also receives sales royalties on tizanidine hydrochloride capsules, an authorized generic version of ZANAFLEX CAPSULES distributed by Watson Pharmaceutics, Inc. under its agreement with Acorda.
Acorda has an industry-leading pipeline of novel neurological therapies. The Company is developing Diazepam Nasal Spray for treatment of certain epileptic seizures. It is also studying AMPYRA to improve a range of functional impairments caused by MS, as well as its use in other neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy and post-stroke deficits. In addition, Acorda is developing clinical stage compounds AC105 for acute treatment of spinal cord injury and GGF2 for treatment of heart failure. GGF2 is also being investigated in preclinical studies as a treatment for neurological conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injury. Additional development programs include rHIgM22, a remyelinating monoclonal antibody for the treatment of MS, and chondroitinase, an enzyme that encourages nerve plasticity in spinal cord injury.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding management's expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects should be considered forward-looking. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including our ability to successfully market and sell Ampyra in the U.S.; third party payers (including governmental agencies) may not reimburse for the use of Ampyra or our other products at acceptable rates or at all and may impose restrictive prior authorization requirements that limit or block prescriptions; the risk of unfavorable results from future studies of Ampyra or from our other research and development programs, including Diazepam Nasal Spray (“DZNS”) or any other acquired or in-licensed programs; we may not be able to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully market DZNS or other products under development; the occurrence of adverse safety events with our products; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain regulatory approval of or to successfully market Fampyra outside of the U.S. and our dependence on our collaboration partner Biogen Idec in connection therewith; competition, including the impact of generic competition on Zanaflex Capsules revenues; failure to protect our intellectual property, to defend against the intellectual property claims of others or to obtain third party intellectual property licenses needed for the commercialization of our products; failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in adverse action by regulatory agencies; and the ability to obtain additional financing to support our operations. These and other risks are described in greater detail in Acorda Therapeutics' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Acorda Therapeutics may not actually achieve the goals or plans described in its forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and Acorda Therapeutics disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

HHS partners with pharmacies to educate Medicare beneficiaries about new health benefits

Today, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced partnerships with several pharmacies to help customers learn about new Medicare benefits available to them under the Affordable Care Act – the health care law. These partnerships – with CVS Caremark, Walgreens, Thrifty White, Walmart, and Sam’s Club – will provide Medicare beneficiaries a range of educational materials on newly available preventive services, as well as savings on prescription drug spending in the “donut hole” coverage gap. At a CVS in Jacksonville, Secretary Sebelius discussed the new preventive services and received a free blood pressure reading at the CVS MinuteClinic. Buy Alesse (Levonorgestrel Bp + Ethinylestradiol Bp) pills online without prescription

“Our pharmacy partners are helping their customers make informed health care decisions”

“Our pharmacy partners are helping their customers make informed health care decisions,” said Secretary Sebelius. “These partnerships will help people with Medicare learn more about new preventive services such as mammograms, and the new Annual Wellness visit that are available at no charge for everyone with Medicare.”
Some examples of how pharmacy partners are working to increase awareness of preventive services available under Medicare include the following:

• CVS Caremark is distributing material about new preventive services covered at no cost to beneficiaries at its more than 7,300 CVS/pharmacy stores and 600 MinuteClinic locations, through brochures, register receipt messages and online.
• Thrifty White Pharmacy is providing information on preventive services through its 85 locations throughout the Midwest.
• Walgreens is distributing information in nearly 8,000 pharmacies and over 350 Take Care Clinic locations, as well as using in-store announcements and providing this information as part of its Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP.
• HHS is working with Walmart and Sam’s Club to provide healthcare information to their shoppers online.

Cancer Survivors Told To Exercise, Eat Healthily, And Maintain Ideal Bodyweight

If you are a cancer survivor and you want to minimize your risk of that cancer recurring, or another cancer developing, you should eat a healthy diet, do plenty of exercise, and maintain a healthy body weight, says the American Cancer Society in its new guidelines. Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, Director of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the American Cancer Society, and co-author of the guidelines, says most of the recommendations come down to common sense and have been around for many years.

Doyle explained that while working for the American Cancer society, many people have come up to her with questions regarding their present, past and future health.  The three most common questions have been:

• "How can I minimize the chances of my cancer recurring?"
• "How can I minimize my chances of developing some other cancer?"
• "What can I do to help members of my family minimize their chances of developing cancer"

Doyle said that questions 2 and 3 were always easy to deal with. Scientists, doctors and lay people have known for decades that for non-smoking individuals, the best way to minimize cancer risk is to try to maintain a healthy body weight, do exercise (be physically active), follow a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and either consume alcohol in moderation or not at all.

The majority of peer-reviewed published studies have shown that for the majority on non-smoking people, those who follow these recommendations properly have a considerably lower risk of dying early from cancer, heart disease, and most other causes.

How to reduce cancer recurrence risk

Doyle says that advising cancer survivors on how to reduce their risk of developing the cancer again is not so clear. However, it is getting easier as new studies report their findings.

Several studies over the last few years indicate that being physically active, eating healthily and maintaining a healthy body weight also reduce a cancer survivor's risk of recurrence. These lifestyle factors may also raise the chances of disease-free survival after being diagnosed with cancer.

Achieving a health body weight, and maintaining it

The more overweight a cancer survivor is, the higher is his/her risk of recurrence. Survivors of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer have lower survival rates the more overweight they are. Doyle says that for these three cancers, and several others, being overweight is a risk factor. The proportion of patients who are overweight on the day of their cancer diagnosis is much higher than in the rest of the population.

For those diagnosed with cancer, as well as patients who survive the disease, maintaining a healthy body weight is crucial.

You can maintain a healthy weight by:

• Controlling your calorie intake. This means being careful with high-calorie foods


• Consuming fewer high-sugar or high-fat drinks


• Consuming plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fiber


• Making sure you are physically active

Regular physical activity

Several studies and peer-reviewed articles in academic journals have demonstrated that regular physical activity has a considerable impact on the cancer survivors' quality of life. Buy Eulexin tabs online without prescription

More recently, studies have shown that being physically active after being diagnosed with cancer lowers the risk of the disease coming back when the cancer has gone. Studies on patients with ovarian, prostate, colon and breast cancer have convincingly proven this.

Doyle quotes a recent study on breast cancer survivors which showed that those who exercised regularly after diagnosis:

• Had a 34% lower risk of dying from the disease


• A 41% lower risk of dying prematurely form any disease or condition


• A 24% lower risk of the breast cancer coming back

Another study demonstrated that colon cancer survivors who regularly exercise have a significantly lower risk of dying from the disease, and are 50% less likely to experience recurrence of colorectal cancer.

Your diet

Plenty of fruit, vegetables (and wholegrains) are vital for cancer survivors

Some studies, mainly focusing on breast cancer, and more recently prostate and colorectal cancers, have shown that people who eat lots of fruit and veggies, plus whole grains, have better survival rates after diagnosis.

Doyle wrote:

"Similar to what we've seen for cancer prevention, it looks like it's the overall dietary pattern that is important for cancer survivorship -it's not one food, or even one food group, that makes the difference. It's likely the combination of many different nutrients coming from many different foods --working together -- that offers the best protection."

According to the studies, cancer survivors should make sure that their diet is:

• High in whole grains, vegetables and fruit


• Has a higher proportion of fish and poultry than red or processed meats, when considering animal-sourced proteins


• Dairy fat choices should be low-fat ones, rather than high-fat


• Butter and trans fats should be replaced by nuts and olive oil