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Grenadian Prime Minister calls for continued investment in Caribbean HIV/AIDS programs

During the 9th annual general meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership on HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) - which kicked off this week in St. George's, Grenada - Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas called on leaders in the Caribbean to maintain their commitment to HIV/AIDS in the face of the global recession, CMC/Jamaica Observer reports.

31 Oct 2009

FDA approves an expanded indication for BYETTA injection

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expanded indication for BYETTA® (exenatide) injection. BYETTA is now approved for use as a stand-alone medication (monotherapy) along with diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

31 Oct 2009

Research suggests the possibility of an effective treatment for Hendra virus infections in humans

A scientific team from CSIRO and the US has demonstrated that administering human monoclonal antibodies after exposure to Nipah virus, which is closely related to Hendra virus, protected animals from challenge in a disease model.

31 Oct 2009

Data from multiple clinical and preclinical studies evaluating Hematide announced

Affymax, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Global Research & Development Center, Inc., today announced data from multiple clinical and preclinical studies evaluating Hematide, including preliminary results of a Phase 2 trial which demonstrated that Hematide increased hemoglobin levels in a group of anemic hemodialysis (HD) patients.

31 Oct 2009

As House bill continues to stir reaction, focus turns to costs, potential amendments

Lawmakers and various groups continue to react to the House health bill, which was released Thursday and may significantly increase federal spending on health care.

31 Oct 2009

Administration officially ends HIV travel ban

The Washington Post reports: "President Obama called the 22-year ban on travel and immigration by HIV-positive individuals a decision 'rooted in fear rather than fact' and announced the end of the rule-making process lifting the ban.

31 Oct 2009

Advocates call for increased U.S. investment in global health

A report released Thursday (.pdf) by a group of global health advocates outlines ways the U.S. can work toward increasing access to health care throughout the world, Inter Press Service reports. They call "for doubling U.S. aid to global health projects from the current level of nearly eight billion dollars a year to 16 billion by 2011," followed by "annual increase[s] leading to a six-year total investment of 95 billion dollars."

30 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"Action always leads to reaction, a fundamental law of nature," write the authors of an introduction appearing in a Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) supplemental issue that focuses on global health systems.

30 Oct 2009

New York Times examines debate over U.S. global health spending priorities

The New York Times examines the "debate over whether the United States and other rich nations spend too much on AIDS, which requires lifelong medications, compared with diarrhea and the other leading killer of children, pneumonia, both of which can be treated inexpensively."

30 Oct 2009

ABC News reports on U.S. food aid policy

ABC News examines U.S. food aid policy, which "requires that food aid money be spent on food grown in the U.S., at least half of it must be packed in the U.S. and most of it must be transported in U.S. ships." But "critics are complaining that" these policies are "exacerbating the cycle of starvation."

30 Oct 2009

Study: Lack of insurance may have caused 17,000 child deaths over 20 years

"An estimated 17,000 children in the United States might have died unnecessarily over nearly two decades because they didn't have health insurance, according to a report from researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore," reports U.S. News and World Report.

30 Oct 2009

Senators jostle for position on health reform provisions

CongressDaily reports that the "only public insurance option proposal Senate Majority Leader (Harry) Reid included in his healthcare overhaul bill this week appears simply to be a starting point that will be sliced and diced before reform is said and done."

30 Oct 2009

Senate confirms Benjamin as surgeon general

The Senate confirmed Alabama doctor Regina Benjamin as surgeon general Thursday night. Her confirmation, which was approved with a voice vote, comes at a critical time as the nation deals with a swine flu emergency.

30 Oct 2009

Wellness programs can be costly, but have proven successful at one corporation

Wellness and prevention programs, part of the health care legislation moving through Congress, are not easy to implement but at least one corporation says they are cost-effective.

30 Oct 2009

Health industry stakeholders focus on pain, not gain

Businesses, including medical device makers, insurers and pharmaceutical companies are bracing for tax and fee provisions in the House health care reform bill.

30 Oct 2009

Obama woos small business to support health reform

Obama told small business owners Thursday that Democrats' health reform plans would mean million of their peers would get new tax credits to help pay for insurance and that the smallest firms could save around 25 percent on insurance costs through new exchanges, BusinessWeek reports. In addition to the president's speech to business people in Washington, the White House published a report pitching those and other benefits. It places the number of businesses in line for tax credits at 3.6 million (Tozzi, 10/29).

30 Oct 2009

House Democrats hail, grumble about health reform bill

News outlets detailed the House health care reform bill and reaction from members. The Congressional Budget Office estimated its net cost to be $894 billion over 10 years.

30 Oct 2009

NIH awards Charles Drew University $9.8M to reduce cancer health disparities in underserved populations

Charles Drew University has been awarded $9.8 million from three major national funders to support the university's long-term, UCLA partnership aimed at reducing the risk of cancer among minorities in poor and disadvantaged communities.

30 Oct 2009

State watch: Virginia's pharmacy for mentally ill, Michigan dental care lawsuit, Rhode Island insurers

In today's state watch, Virginia plans to close a pharmacy for the mentally ill, Medicaid patients in Michigan are suing over dental care and Rhode Island reports that insurers remain relatively healthy.

30 Oct 2009

House GOP's "Better ideas" remain under wraps

"House Republicans said the newly released Democratic health care reform bill would create an expensive government-run heath care system paid for by those who could least afford it, but they declined to say whether they would introduce a conference alternative," Roll Call reports.

30 Oct 2009