Miscellaneous News

RSS

Bristol-Myers Squibb final settlement with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Bristol-Myers Squibb has confirmed that it has reached a final settlement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), concluding an investigation concerning wholesaler inventory and accounting matters that began in April 2002.

5 Aug 2004

17.6 million American adults (8.5 percent) meet standard diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder

An estimated 17.6 million American adults (8.5 percent) meet standard diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder and approximately 4.2 million (2 percent) meet criteria for a drug use disorder.

5 Aug 2004

Alcohol ignition lock is being piloted

Convicted drink-drivers will be prevented from using their cars if they have consumed alcohol, in a pilot of new technology launched today.

5 Aug 2004

ASTRO and ACS join to promote cancer survivorship

As part of an initiative to give back to the cancer communities in the cities visited during its annual scientific meetings, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is partnering with the Atlanta chapter of the American Cancer Society to raise awareness of cancer survivorship.

5 Aug 2004

Key group of hospital doctors is working far above European limits on hours

There are around 12,500 staff and associate specialist (SAS) doctors in the NHS in the UK. They are distinct from junior doctors and consultants.* The BMA survey of over 2500 SAS doctors reveals that those on full-time contracts work on average 73 hours a week, far in excess of the European Working Time Directive limit of 48 hours.

5 Aug 2004

Heavy drinking by college students poses many serious dangers

As American college students gear up to head back to campus later this month, they'll look forward to all the usual college traditions: football games, late-night discussions, and pizza with new friends after classes.

3 Aug 2004

Public meeting to discuss development of standards for drug classes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will host a public meeting to discuss development of standards for drug classes and categories under the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

3 Aug 2004

Nearly a third of Americans consume more than the FDA-recommended two drinks a day

In the last two decades, treatment professionals have realized that reaching these potential alcohol abusers is important. The August issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter examines brief interventions for this large segment of the population.

3 Aug 2004

45% of specialists admit having made a recent medical error

Otolaryngologist Dr. David Roberson has first-hand experience with medical errors. He remembers one near-miss in a patient about to receive a cochlear implant – and says it typifies the kinds of mistakes he and his colleagues have turned up in a national survey.

3 Aug 2004

Health web sites providing bogus information to peddle alternative medicinal treatments

Researchers from the University of Exeter in England have found that cancer patients are being mislead by many popular health web sites providing bogus information to peddle alternative medicinal treatments.

3 Aug 2004

3.01 million workless households in the UK in spring 2004

There were 1.86 million children living in workless households, down 31,000 (1.7 per cent) from the previous year and down 296,000 (13.7 per cent) from five years earlier.

3 Aug 2004

Basketball and cycling rank highest in U.S. recreational injuries

Basketball, cycling, football and soccer will be on the minds of millions of Americans as they watch the Summer Olympic games, but Loyola University Health System’s Dr. Pietro Tonino is cautioning the public that these sports are the ones that have the most injuries.

3 Aug 2004

The NHS is effectively being privatised

The NHS is effectively being privatised – broken up into hundreds of competing companies with an independent regulator overseeing the system according to Professor Allyson Pollock of UCL's School of Public Policy.

3 Aug 2004

$19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced more than $19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity to serve 270,000 more rural and inner-city Americans, including many without health insurance.

3 Aug 2004

10 Best Cities for African Americans to live, work, and play

This month, in its July 2004 issue, Black Enterprise magazine released the 10 Best Cities for African Americans to live, work, and play. There is a striking resemblance between the 2004 listing and the 2001 ranking. Readers once again selected Washington, DC, as the second best city for African Americans.

3 Aug 2004

Recommendation against the use of chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance assays

A new technology assessment from the American Society of Clinical Oncology states that the use of chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance assays (CSRAs) to select chemotherapeutic agents for cancer patients should not be undertaken outside of the clinical trial setting.

3 Aug 2004

One-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine

More than one-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine such as herbal supplements and other therapies, showed in a nationwide survey by NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine published in May 2004.

2 Aug 2004

BMA Wales disappointed in the breakdown of negotiations with the welsh assembly government on the future of community hospitals

In a letter to the Minister for Health and Social Services Jane Hutt, Dr Andrew Dearden - the chairman the BMA's GP Committee for Wales - has expressed his bitter disappointment in the breakdown of negotiations between the BMA and the Welsh Assembly Government on the future of community hospitals in Wales

2 Aug 2004

Injuries kill more Washingtonians under the age of 45 than all diseases combined

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for younger people in Washington and are largely preventable. During the summer months, there are more deaths and hospitalizations due to injury.

2 Aug 2004

Australia’s first breastfeeding friendly university

The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) accredited UQ as a breastfeeding friendly organisation after reviewing its breastfeeding facilities and policies.

2 Aug 2004