The Wall Street Journal on Saturday examined how Massachusetts health care legislation signed by Gov. Mitt Romney (R) earlier this year “is drawing attention from politicians in other states,” who “say they are inspired by the bipartisan nature of the…
Washington Post Examines Concerns Over Potential Misuse Of Prescription Drugs Caused By Advertisements
The Washington Post on Tuesday examined concerns raised by critics about prescription drug advertisements “taking something that is within normal bounds and labeling it a disease needing pharmaceutical treatment.” The Post profiles recent GlaxoSmithKline ads for Requip, a medication approved…
Vermont Governor Signs Compromise Health Care Reform Legislation
Vermont Gov. James Douglas (R) on Thursday signed two bills into law that establish a new state-funded insurance program for the uninsured and require employers to pay assessments if they do not offer health care coverage to their workers, the…
Beating Bad Breath
If you’re bothered by bad breath, simple measures often can help. Bad breath often stems from food particles in the mouth, from dry mouth, or from a health problem. The June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers tips to…
Pennsylvania Managed Care Companies Push For Higher Medicaid Reimbursements
Insurance companies operating managed care plans under Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program are objecting to a proposed payment increase that they say is too low to keep up with growing medical expenses, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gov. Ed Rendell’s (D) fiscal year…
San Francisco Chronicle Examines Use Of Pill-Splitting Programs By Health Insurers
The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday examined how several large insurers are “encouraging patients to save money by splitting their pills in half.” Consumers can save on copayments by cutting pills in half because pharmaceutical companies typically charge the same…
Some Patient Groups Have Financial Ties To Pharmaceutical Companies
The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday examined how “many patient groups and drug companies maintain close, multimillion-dollar relationships while disclosing limited or no details about the ties.” According to the Inquirer, “such coziness raises questions about the impartiality of groups that…
Canadian Health Minister Clement Notes Progress At G8 Health Ministers Meeting
Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement was pleased with the outcome of discussions at the first-ever meeting of G8 Health Ministers in Moscow. Ministers renewed their international commitment to combat avian influenza and prevent and prepare for a possible human pandemic…
Foundation Trust Network Responds To New Wave Of FT Authorisations, UK
Sue Slipman, Director of the Foundation Trust Network said: “The authorisation of the first wave of mental health foundation trusts is great news. “It marks a new era for mental health which, for the first time, will have its funding…
Abbott’s HUMIRA(R) (Adalimumab) Receives Positive Opinion From European Medicines Agency For The Treatment Of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Abbott today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), granted a positive opinion recommending approval of HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) for the treatment of severe active ankylosing spondylitis. The…
1,000 New York City Doctors Will Get Electronic Health Records Systems
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden today fulfilled a pledge from the Mayor’s campaign and State of the City by announcing that the City has appropriated $27 million to help…
Abbott’s New Tablet Formulation Of Kaletra(R) (Lopinavir/Ritonavir) Receives Positive Opinion From The European Medicines Agency
Abbott announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of a new, more convenient tablet formulation of its protease inhibitor…
Pharmacokinetic Data For Nastech’s Intranasal Parathyroid Hormone (PTH1-34) Demonstrated Similar Profile To Approved Injectable Product
Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc. (Nasdaq: NSTK) presents data today from a Phase I pharmacokinetic study of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH1-34) nasal spray demonstrating a similar pharmacokinetic profile to the approved subcutaneous product, Forteo(R) (teriparatide). The data are being presented at the…
Clinical Utility Of Two Novel Genes That Can Identify Patients At Higher Risk For Early Breast Cancer Recurrence
AviaraDx, Inc., formerly known as Arcturus Bioscience, Inc., a leader in molecular cancer profiling, announced today that a study, conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, demonstrated the clinical utility of two novel genes that can identify patients at higher risk…
Positive Phase II Results With Orally Active GnRH Receptor Antagonist In Endometriosis – Neurocrine Biosciences Inc
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX) today announced positive results of its ‘proof of concept’, safety, efficacy and dose-finding Phase II clinical trial using its proprietary, orally-active small molecule Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist (NBI-56418). The 3-month data comes from a…
Herb Tested To Stop Breast Cancer Patients’ Hot Flushes And Night Sweats
Researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, are testing a secret herb in a bid to stop the severe hot flushes that besiege breast cancer patients on hormone treatment. Professor Alex Molassiotis, of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social…
New Research Identifies Specific Teenage And Young Adult Cancers And Points To Possible Causes
An analysis of new data by a leading cancer researcher has revealed specific cancers that are most likely to affect teenagers and young adults, and it points to infections, adolescent growth spurts, and hormones as being among the possible causes.…
Lack Of Specialist Training For Nurses Is Failing Adolescent Cancer Patients, UK
Teenagers and young adults with cancer are not always cared for appropriately because a lack of specialist training for nurses means that staff are not necessarily equipped to recognise and meet the unique needs of this age group, according to…
Helping Mentally Retarded Children And Adolescents: Support From Families And Health Care Professionals Have Significant Impact
The costs associated with mental retardation (MR) for persons born in 2000 will total over 51 billion dollars. While direct health and educational costs are significant, lifetime indirect costs due to productivity losses are much greater. Better efforts to understand…
New Gene That Causes Spread Of Cancer Identified, University Of Liverpool
Professor Philip Rudland, Dr Guozheng Wang and Dr Roger Barraclough from the University’s Cancer and Polio Research Fund Laboratories have discovered an additional member of the S100 family of protein genes – S100P – that causes the spread of cancerous…
Making Drugs From Bugs To Fight Super-bugs Such As MRSA
Antibiotic resistance is a major problem worldwide and there is an urgent need for new antibiotics to be developed. Potential new drugs are usually made in the lab which is complicated and time-consuming. An international team of scientists are using…
Scientists To Tackle Illness With ‘silver Bullet’
It has been known for some time that silver is highly toxic to a wide range of bacteria, and silver-based compounds have been used extensively in bactericidal applications. This property of silver has caused great interest especially as new resistant…
AHCA Letter Urges House To Follow Senate Lead In Rejecting Medicare, Medicaid Cuts, USA
In a letter sent to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and members of the House Budget Committee, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) today urged the House to follow the U.S. Senate’s lead in rejecting Medicare and…
Impact On Patients Of NHS Dentistry Changes Must Be Thoroughly Reviewed, Dentists Tell PM, UK
Comments by the Prime Minister about the new contract for dentists have prompted a strong warning from the profession’s leadership about the future of NHS dentistry. Susie Sanderson, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Executive Committee, has written to Tony…
Private Psychiatrists Key To Better Mental Health Care, Australian Medical Association
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Vice President, Dr Choong-Siew Yong, today strongly defended private psychiatrists against claims of being ‘failures’ under Medicare, saying they provide the specialised expertise that builds quality into the mental health system and holds it together. Dr…
AHCA & NCAL Backing U.S. Rep. Peter King’s Effort To Ensure Nation’s Most Vulnerable Seniors Protected During DRA Implementation Period
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center For Assisted Living (NCAL) today praised the effort by U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) to protect the nation’s most vulnerable frail, elderly and disabled seniors as the Centers for Medicare…
Some Health Insurance Agents Might Be Violating Medicare Rules By Aggressively Marketing Fee-for-Service Plans
Health care advocates say that some insurance agents might have violated Medicare rules by soliciting fee-for-service plans to businesses door-to-door and that some agents are targeting beneficiaries with cognitive problems or limited English skills, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. According…
Longer Surgery, Greater Risks
Under the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2005 to 2011, more than 1.4 million patients undergoing surgery at US hospitals were observed to see if lengthier surgery durations would affect the risk of developing a…
New Methodology Using GPS And PDA Technology Results In Better, Faster Data For Malaria Programs
A paper being released in the August issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene illustrates how technology can improve knowledge needed to help prevent malaria, one of the world’s leading fatal infectious diseases. A team of researchers…