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With campaign season taking off, White House offers Democrats help on selling health law

White House officials prepared a plan Tuesday to help Democrats sell the health reform law during the midterm election season that will focus on early deliverables to win over a skeptical public.

13 May 2010

Transcept Pharmaceuticals reports revenue of $3.13M for first-quarter 2010

Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary products that address important therapeutic needs in the field of neuroscience, today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

13 May 2010

Small businesses look for wellness grants in health reform law

Provisions in the new health reform law offer aid and cash to small businesses that encourage employees to be fitter and healthier, but the plans aren't without their own controversy, CNN Money reports.

13 May 2010

Prescription drug instructions often lost in translation

Chicago Tribune: "Pharmacies that print prescription labels translated into Spanish often issue inaccurate or confusing instructions that could be potentially hazardous to a patient's health, according to a report in the May issue of Pediatrics journal."

13 May 2010

Art therapy benefits children with persistent asthma: Researchers

In the first randomized trial of art therapy for asthma, National Jewish Health researchers found that children with persistent asthma enjoyed decreased anxiety and increased quality of life after seven weekly art-therapy sessions.

13 May 2010

Scientists discover link between offspring lung function and maternal vitamin A supplementation

Vitamin A is critical to maternal health and child survival, yet in most developing countries Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of blindness and increased child mortality. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has long been a leader in vitamin A research, and scientists at the School recently discovered a link between offspring lung function and maternal vitamin A supplementation.

13 May 2010

Pfizer to acquire terguride from Ergonex Pharma GmbH for treatment of PAH

Pfizer Inc. and Ergonex Pharma GmbH announced today that they have entered into an agreement under which Pfizer will acquire terguride, which is in development as a potential treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

13 May 2010

Michelle Obama releases plan to 'reverse childhood obesity'

USA Today: "First lady Michelle Obama unveiled a plan today to 'reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity' and called for help from governments, schools and businesses as well as the families themselves. ... Obama and her aides released a task force report titled Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. The goal, she said, is to 'ensure that our children can have the healthy lives and the bright futures that they deserve'" (Jackson, 5/11)

13 May 2010

Researchers develop new technology to manage prostate cancer treatment

Researchers at Queen's University have developed a new way of performing lab tests that could improve the way doctors manage prostate cancer treatment. It will allow them to identify with unprecedented accuracy losses of a gene called PTEN that is associated with an aggressive group of prostate cancers.

13 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

The Commonwealth's 2006 health care reform was supposed to help address rising health insurance costs for small businesses. It hasn't — and small businesses are paying the price (Jim Stergios and Amy Lischko, 5/12).

13 May 2010

Boston Scientific receives CE Mark approval for TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its corporate partner, Boston Scientific Corporation, has received CE Mark approval for its TAXUS(R) Element(TM) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, Boston Scientific's third-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) technology.

13 May 2010

FDA urges doctors to police drug ads

A new Federal Drug Administration program will urge doctors to blow the whistle on misleading drug advertisements.

13 May 2010

Challenges to health reform face long campaign in many states

Thirty-three states are trying to block the mandate on individual American citizens to purchase health insurance, "as a growing roster of mostly Republican officials have mounted legal and legislative challenges" to this requirement. "This Friday, seven more states will formally join a lawsuit originally filed by Florida and 12 other states in late March.

13 May 2010

Disabled vets strain overburdened VA system

NPR: "The Department of Veterans Affairs is struggling to cope with tens of thousands of veterans filing for disability benefits. Because there are applicants from two current wars — plus a new wave from the first Gulf War and Vietnam — thousands are now stuck in the clogged pipeline." Although there are differing estimates of how many, "everyone agrees that way too many vets are waiting way too long to get benefits.

13 May 2010

HIV caseload increasing among primary care providers

Primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly caring for and treating people living with HIV, according to the HealthHIV State of HIV Primary Care survey released today.

12 May 2010

$High dose Vitamin D linked to high rate of fractures and falls$

High dose Vitamin D linked to high rate of fractures and falls

Many women have been regularly taking vitamin D supplements in the hope that it is good for their bones. However a new study has shown that high doses of this vitamin can actually increase the number of falls and fractures in older women.

12 May 2010

More for mental health and first nurse led clinic

Tuesday’s budget saw the Australian government allocate $7.4 billion for health. Many critics have brought to notice that only $200 million has gone towards mental health. The Rudd government has denied such accusations.

12 May 2010

Medical fraud: 'Unless you're very, very aggressive, you're going to lose a lot of money'

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas reports that "every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services loses an estimated $65 billion to criminals who defraud the health care system, according to Lou Saccoccio, executive director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

12 May 2010

GTC Biotherapeutics reports lower total net loss of $7.7M for first-quarter 2010

GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended April 4, 2010. The total net loss for the first quarter was $7.7 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $10.4 million, or $0.99 per share, for the first quarter of 2009.

12 May 2010

Blog Watch: The question of 'real benefits'

Kaiser Health News listens to the chatter in the blogsophere regarding recent events. "During his weekend address, President Barack Obama said that health reform is already delivering "real benefits" to the American people.

12 May 2010