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Dutasteride reduces risk of prostate cancer

There is good news for those at high risk for prostate cancer. The drug dutasteride which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline as the drug Avodart, has been found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by a quarter. The drug is at present being used to treat enlarged prostates.

1 Apr 2010

Likely CMS pick Berwick has advised governments around the world

The Boston Globe explores the background of President Barack Obama's likely pick for head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "Governments around the world have long sought Donald Berwick's expertise to help solve stubborn health care problems — from hospital-acquired infections to medication errors."

1 Apr 2010

People in 60s and 70s more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer

People in their 60s and 70s are now over five times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma - the deadliest type of skin cancer - than their parents would have been 30 years ago, reveal new Cancer Research UK statistics1 to launch the 2010 SunSmart campaign today (Thursday).

1 Apr 2010

MDA awards 42 medical researchers and labs over $21M for critical neuromuscular research

Forty-two medical researchers and their labs have been awarded over $21 million by the Muscular Dystrophy Association to continue critical neuromuscular research. Many of the grants are multi-year awards to be dispersed over the next three years.

1 Apr 2010

Small businesses prepare for health reform changes

As business owners across the country consider the newly enacted health overhaul, "they're looking to Massachusetts for harbingers of things to come. Massachusetts' law, which mandates near-universal coverage and requires that businesses with 11 or more workers offer insurance, provided the blueprint for the health law signed by President Barack Obama.

1 Apr 2010

Cardiac CT can help identify and predict at risk heart attack patients

One of the largest research studies into cardiac computed tomography (CT), conducted at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), shows that the high-speed advanced imaging technology can identify and predict patients at risk for heart attack and death.

1 Apr 2010

Health dept. IG says six Medicare Advantage insurers broke rules

Health New Florida: "A multinational company and two members of the Fortune 500 were named among six insurers found in violation of Medicare marketing rules when federal inspectors checked their books and sat in on presentations as 'secret shoppers,' documents show." The three big firms were Aetna, Universal American Corp and Munich American Holding Corp.'s Sterling Insurance.

1 Apr 2010

RPCI selects McKesson to manage its medical billing processes

After a rigorous selection process, one of the nation's largest and most prestigious cancer centers, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, has selected McKesson to manage its medical billing processes. With McKesson's Revenue Management Solutions group taking over patient billing, accounts receivable management, and reporting, the New York-based education and research institute gains a partner that understands the complexities of its business.

1 Apr 2010

Physicians face pressures from increased patient loads, looming payment cuts

Two provisions of the new health overhaul law "may accelerate a trend" of doctors leaving their profession. It points to parts of the legislation that would ask physicians to accept new administrative chores and standards, although some of them might result in better reimbursement rates from insurers and the government.

1 Apr 2010

Breastfeeding benefits expanded to cover mothers: Risk of diabetes reduced

Research has found a new benefit that mothers can obtain by breast feeding – decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Benefits of breastfeeding for the baby have been cited for a long time now. In spite of this knowledge according to The Australian Breastfeeding Association there is a definite gap in awareness regarding health benefits that this simple yet effective practice can offer.

1 Apr 2010

New medicines to fight diseases of particular concern to African Americans

A recent article in The Triangle Tribune pointed to good news for members of the black community, highlighting new medicines in development to fight diseases of particular concern to African Americans.

1 Apr 2010

Maintenance of daily routines associated with reduced rate of insomnia in older adults

A study in the April 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that the maintenance of daily routines was associated with a reduced rate of insomnia and improved quality of sleep in older adults living in a retirement community.

1 Apr 2010

Obama's gamble on a health care overhaul

Bloomberg BusinessWeek examines President Obama's long push for health care reform. "That Obama chose to stake his presidency on the U.S. health overhaul will define his legacy even as he risked the careers of many fellow Democrats in doing so. ... Obama's pursuit of health care reflected his desire to succeed where no other president had, as much as a determination to seize the chance to fix a broken system, according to [former Sen. Tom] Daschle.

1 Apr 2010

Insurers comply with new coverage rules for sick children

Early Tuesday, insurers agreed to new rules for covering sick children, including a ban that will take effect in September on "pre-existing condition exclusions" for children younger than 19.

1 Apr 2010

Orexigen Therapeutics announces submission of Contrave NDA for treatment of obesity

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the Company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Contrave® (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), its investigational drug for the treatment of obesity. The NDA is based on a substantial body of evidence gathered through the Contrave Obesity Research (COR) clinical program, which included over 4,500 patients.

1 Apr 2010

Personalized online resource to help Canadians achieve healthy weight loss

A Heart and Stroke Foundation survey of almost 2,000 Canadians found that 62% reported intentionally losing five or more pounds over the past five years but failed to keep the weight off. And 70% of those who were overweight or obese regained all or even more pounds after their weight-loss efforts.

1 Apr 2010

GeneLink's net sales for fourth-quarter of 2009 increased by 9.7%

GeneLink, Inc., a leading consumer genomics biotech company, today reported financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009.

1 Apr 2010

Court rules against gene patents

The New York Times: A judicial ruling that "threw out parts of two gene patents and called into question thousands more" has biotechnology executives hastening "to reassure their investors that the ruling would not necessarily undermine their businesses, at least in the short run. But the executives themselves were struggling on Tuesday to figure out what the long-term impact would be."

1 Apr 2010

EMBL scientists identify genes involved in human cell division

Name a human gene, and you'll find a movie online showing you what happens to cells when it is switched off. This is the resource that researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and their collaborators in the Mitocheck consortium are making freely available, as the result of a study in which they have identified the genes involved in mitosis - the most common form of cell division - in humans.

1 Apr 2010

A roundup of health overhaul fack-checking

Will all Americans get health coverage as good as lawmakers' insurance under the overhaul, as Democrats pledged? Apparently so. Even though most federal workers will maintain their federally employee's benefits, lawmakers will have to sign up for insurance plans through the new, state-run exchanges offered through the health legislation (Barry, 3/31).

1 Apr 2010