The parents of a 12-year-old boy who's on life support are appealing the decision of the UK Royal Courts of Justice to remove his oxygen and other life-sustaining treatment. They're taking their case to a Court of Appeal hearing in London on Wednesday.

As CBN News reported earlier this month, Family Division of the High Court Judge Emma Arbuthnot ruled "on the balance of probabilities" Archie Battersbee had already died after doctors told the court "it was highly likely" he was "brain stem dead."

Archie's mother and father, Holly Dance and Paul Battersbee are trying to give their son every chance at life after he was found unconscious on April 7 with a cord around his neck. He reportedly had participated in what is believed to be an online blackout challenge, according to watchdog Christian Concern.

The boy has remained on life support at the Royal London Hospital and has not regained consciousness.

Judge Arbuthnot ordered, "Medical professionals at the Royal London Hospital (1) to cease to ventilate mechanically Archie Battersbee; (2) to extubate Archie Battersbee; (3) to cease the administration of medication to Archie Battersbee, and (4) not to attempt any cardio or pulmonary resuscitation on Archie Battersbee when cardiac output ceases or respiratory effort ceases."

"The steps I have set out above are lawful," the judge contended. But she also gave Archie's mother and father, Holly Dance and Paul Battersbee permission to appeal her ruling.

Arbuthnot said there was a "compelling reason" why appeal judges should consider the case, according to ITV News.

According to Christian Concern, this is believed to be the first time that someone in the UK has been declared 'likely' to be dead based on an MRI test.

At a High Court hearing about Archie's case on June 20, Christian Legal Centre attorney Edward Devereux QC argued that evidence should instead show 'beyond reasonable doubt', as in criminal proceedings, that Archie is dead, rather than using a balance of probabilities test.

Archie's parents have been fighting a legal battle to give their son more time and to allow him to have more medical tests to assess whether his condition improves before making the decision about withdrawing his life support.

In a statement, Archie's mother, Hollie, and sister-in-law, Ella Carter, asked: "If Archie can be pronounced dead via an MRI, which is outside the bounds of the law, then what's going to be next?"

They also thanked everyone for the support the family has received from around the world.

"Archie's words, if he was sitting next to me right now, would be 'it melts my heart' and I'll use those words now, because everyone's support does melt my heart. So, thank you and please continue to support us in this fight," the statement said.

Proof of Life?

Archie's parents say a video of him gripping his mother's fingers is proof that he's still alive and his brain is functioning.

But his doctors believe there's no hope for the boy to recover since they believe his brain stem is dead. Scans reportedly show blood is not flowing to the area, according to Sky News. The stem lies at the base of the brain above the spinal cord. It is responsible for regulating most of the body's automatic functions essential for life. Doctors previously said Archie's stem is 50% damaged and that 10% to 20% of the stem is in necrosis where cells have died and/or are decaying.

***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Lawyers for the Barts Health NHS Trust said that doctors have repeatedly recreated the moment of the boy holding a clinician's hand, but the hospital workers said it was just "friction" not a grip, which the doctors say is consistent with muscle stiffness.

Eminent Pediatric Neurologist Testified About Cases of Persons Diagnosed as 'Brain Dead' Who Later Recovered

Dr. D. Alan Shewmon, M.D., professor emeritus of Neurology and Pediatrics at the University of California, gave expert testimony about numerous documented cases where persons diagnosed as 'brain dead' subsequently recovered.

When asked whether there was sufficient evidence for a reliable diagnosis of death in Archie's case, Shewmon replied, "Absolutely not."

An online petition to the hospital's chief executive officer has been created to ask that legal action be withdrawn in Archie's case. So far, more than 89,000 people have signed it.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up on the boy's behalf. So far, the account has raised 29,042 GBP (or approximately $35,479 in U.S. dollars).

Archie's mom told Christian Concern earlier this month that the judge's ruling that he's "likely" to be dead is not good enough.

"Basing this judgment on an MRI test and that he is 'likely' to be dead, is not good enough. This is believed to be the first time that someone has been declared 'likely' to be dead based on an MRI test," she explained.

"The medical expert opinion presented in Court was clear in that the whole concept of 'brain death' is now discredited, and in any event, Archie cannot be reliably diagnosed as brain-dead," Dance continued.

She reiterated that she does not believe her son has been given enough time to heal.

"I do not believe Archie has been given enough time. From the beginning, I have always thought 'why the rush?' His heart is still beating, he has gripped my hand, and as his mother, I know he is still in there," she noted.

"Until it's God's way, I won't accept he should go. I know of miracles when people have come back from being brain dead," Dance said.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said in a statement that Archie's case has raised "significant moral, legal and medical questions as to when a person is dead."

"Archie's parents believe that the time and manner of his death should be determined by God and claim a right to pray for a miracle until and unless that happens. That belief must be respected. The ideology of 'dignity in death', meaning a planned time of death as fixed and carried out by the doctors, should not be brutally imposed on families who do not believe in it," Williams said.

"We will continue to stand with the family as they appeal the ruling and continue to pray for a miracle," she concluded.

View post:
Parents of 12-Year-Old Boy Praying for a Miracle, Appealing UK Judge's Decision to Remove Life Support - CBN.com

SEATTLE and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACHV), a late-stage pharmaceutical company committed to the global development and commercialization of cytisinicline for smoking cessation and nicotine addiction, today announced it has initiated screening of subjects for the ORCA-V1 Phase 2 clinical trial.

Read more from the original source:
Achieve Life Sciences Announces Initiation of Phase 2 ORCA-V1 Clinical Trial Evaluating Cytisinicline for Nicotine e-cigarette Cessation

exoASO-STAT6 is the third engineered exosome candidate generated from Codiak’s engEx® Platform to enter clinical development

Link:
Codiak Initiates Patient Dosing in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of exoASO™-STAT6 in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Liver Metastases from...

Evaluation completed of first dose level in investigator-sponsored study in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer

See the original post here:
Advaxis Updates on the Phase 1 Clinical Trial of ADXS-504 for the Treatment of Early Prostate Cancer

-- HAV implanted in nearly 500 patients with more than 1,000 patient-years of follow up to date, for treatment of peripheral arterial disease, arteriovenous access for hemodialysis, and trauma –

Read more here:
Humacyte Announces JAMA Surgery Publication Highlighting Potential of Human Acellular Vessel™ (HAV™) to Expand Vascular Trauma Reconstruction and...

Industry veteran brings over two decades of global experience in pharmaceutical, medical devices and biotech industries Industry veteran brings over two decades of global experience in pharmaceutical, medical devices and biotech industries

Originally posted here:
Amolyt Pharma Strengthens Leadership Team with Appointment of Mark Sumeray, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

Positive Data for Istaroxime in Early Cardiogenic Shock

Read the rest here:
Windtree Is Leveraging Positive Istaroxime Early Cardiogenic Shock Results to Proactively Engage in Licensing Discussions and Explore Strategic...

BEDFORD, Mass., June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Homology Medicines, Inc. (Nasdaq: FIXX), a genetic medicines company, announced today participation and presentations at the following conferences:

Link:
Homology Medicines to Present at Upcoming Conferences on its Gene Editing and Gene Therapy Programs for PKU

Read the full announcement in PDF

See the original post here:
Novozymes’ financial calendar 2023

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SciSparc Ltd. (Nasdaq: SPRC) (the "Company" or "SciSparc"), a specialty, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of therapies to treat disorders of the central nervous system, today announced that it has successfully completed the development of its top-tier drug candidate SCI-110 to be used in its upcoming multinational, multicenter, Phase IIb study for Tourette Syndrome ("TS").

The rest is here:
SciSparc Successfully Completed The Development of its Proprietary Drug Candidate SCI-110 for its Upcoming Phase IIb Study In Tourette Syndrome

Completion of enrollment for Phase 3 study targeted within 18-24 months

See original here:
Palisade Bio Initiates Phase 3 Study of LB1148 in Lead Indication for Postoperative Return of Bowel Function

Newly Issued Patent Broadens Medical Uses of Oral APX3330 Therapy in Patients with Diabetes and Extends Expiry Thru 2038

See original here:
Ocuphire Granted New U.S. Patent for Late-Stage Oral Drug Candidate APX3330 for Use in Diabetics and Announces New Peer-Reviewed APX3330 Publication

Orphazyme A/SCompany announcementNo. 33/2022                                                                    www.orphazyme.comCompany Registration No. 32266355

Read the original here:
Resolutions passed at the Annual General Meeting

Study Supports Translation of Potential New Mechanism of Action for Neuropathic Pain and Advancement of LX9211 Development in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

See the original post here:
Lexicon Announces Positive Top-Line Results From Phase 2 Proof-Of-Concept Study Of LX9211 In Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

UNIONDALE, N.Y., June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Angion Biomedica Corp. (NASDAQ:ANGN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel small molecule therapeutics to address fibrotic diseases, today announced the discontinuation of JUNIPER, its Phase 2 dose-finding trial of ANG-3070, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), in patients with primary proteinuric kidney diseases, specifically focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). This trial, which began enrolling patients in December 2021, is being discontinued in the interest of patient safety based upon a reassessment of the risk/benefit profile of ANG-3070 in patients with established serious kidney disease.

Originally posted here:
Angion Announces Discontinuation of Phase 2 Trial of ANG-3070 in Patients with Primary Proteinuric Kidney Disease

-- Recorded Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year Revenue of $31 Million and $120 Million, Respectively ---- Signed $44 Million in Net New Business Orders and Ended the Quarter with a Record High Backlog of $153 Million --

View post:
Avid Bioservices Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2022 and Recent Developments

DUBLIN, Ireland, June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: AVDL), a biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming medicines to transform lives, today announced the steps it is taking to explore every available pathway to accelerate the decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant final approval of its lead drug candidate, FT218, prior to June 2023. Concurrent with this strategy, Avadel has received and agreed upon what is expected to be a final label and is completing the last edits of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”) with FDA and expects to receive tentative approval of FT218.

See the rest here:
Avadel Pharmaceuticals Provides Corporate Update

Meenu Chhabra Karson appointed to Board succeeding Dr. Kenneth Fong as Chair of the Board Meenu Chhabra Karson appointed to Board succeeding Dr. Kenneth Fong as Chair of the Board

Read more from the original source:
Apexigen Announces Board Appointment and New Chair

NEW YORK and MAINZ, GERMANY, JUNE 29, 2022 — Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) today announced a new vaccine supply agreement with the U.S. government to support the continued fight against COVID-19. Under the agreement, the U.S. government will receive 105 million doses (30 µg, 10 µg and 3 µg). This may include adult Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccines, subject to authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The doses are planned to be delivered as soon as late summer 2022 and continue into the fourth quarter of this year.

Originally posted here:
Pfizer and BioNTech Announce New Agreement with U.S. Government to Provide Additional Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine

LA JOLLA, Calif., June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ: MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced a modification to its contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to repurpose MN-166 (ibudilast) as a potential medical countermeasure (MCM) against chlorine gas-induced lung damage such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute lung injury (ALI). The contract was amended to extend the period of performance until March 2023.

Continued here:
MediciNova Announces Extension of BARDA Contract to Develop MN-166 (ibudilast) as a Medical Countermeasure Against Chlorine Gas-induced Lung Injury