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Democratic lawmakers ask hepatitis C drugmaker to justify price

A new drug to treat hepatitis C that costs $1,000 a pill has caused rising concern among insurers and state Medicaid programs. It has now also spurred interest from Democratic congressmen whose queries about the drug prompted a sell-off in biotechnology stocks on Friday. Three Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have demanded that Gilead Sciences, the developer, justify the price of its drug, which is called Sovaldi (Pollack, 3/21).

25 Mar 2014

Supreme Court to hear health law contraceptive case on Tuesday

At issue is whether for-profit companies, such as Hobby Lobby, are entitled to the same religious protections as individuals or religious organizations.

25 Mar 2014

$Fracture liaison services effective in identifying, treating older adults who suffer fragility fracture$

Fracture liaison services effective in identifying, treating older adults who suffer fragility fracture

Studies have shown that anyone age 50 or older who suffers a fragility fracture - a bone break sustained in a fall from a standing height or less - is two to five times more likely to experience a second fracture than someone who hasn't had one. The odds that a person who's suffered two such fractures will have a third are even higher.

25 Mar 2014

Viewpoints on challenge to contraceptive coverage mandate

This week, the owners of two secular, for-profit corporations will ask the Supreme Court to take a radical turn and allow them to impose their religious views on their employees - by refusing to permit them contraceptive coverage as required under the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court has consistently resisted claims for religious exemptions from laws that are neutral and apply broadly when the exemptions would significantly harm other people, as this one would. To approve it would flout the First Amendment, which forbids government from favoring one religion over another - or over nonbelievers (3/22).

25 Mar 2014

Even while traveling overseas, Obamas are plugging health enrollment

With just a week to go before the sign-up deadline, the Washington Post looks at the White House's systematic effort to get more people signed up for insurance.

25 Mar 2014

Study: Menstrual abnormalities in women with PCOS is strongest predictor for mental health issues

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone imbalance that causes infertility, obesity, and excessive facial hair in women, can also lead to severe mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

25 Mar 2014

Enrollment push is tough in Mississippi

Politico reports on efforts to sign people up for health care as Humana sends a lime green bus through some of the state's poorest areas. Other outlets look at enrollment campaigns in Maine, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon and Colorado.

25 Mar 2014

Effort to fix SGR formula snagged over cost

Prospects are growing dim that Congress will permanently fix Medicare's outdated payment formula this year because lawmakers have been unable to agree on a way to pay for it.

25 Mar 2014

Va. lawmakers back to Richmond, Medicaid expansion hangs in the balance

Vice President Joseph Biden believes that GOP officials in every state will have to accept the expansion. And Florida's Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, said he's talked with federal officials about a plan to go around the GOP-controlled state legislature.

25 Mar 2014

Nasal spray holds promise as potential alternative therapeutic approach for depression

A nasal spray that delivers a peptide to treat depression holds promise as a potential alternative therapeutic approach, research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.

25 Mar 2014

Homeless people who have suffered TBI are more likely to visit Emergency Department

Homeless and vulnerably housed people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury at some point in their life are more likely to visit an Emergency Department, be arrested or incarcerated, or be victims of physical assault, new research has found.

24 Mar 2014

Certain drugs in Obamacare plans carry hefty pricetags

Insurers selling Obamacare plans have set drug prices according to a tiered system that in some cases requires consumers to pay as much as 50 percent of the cost, The Associated Press writes.

24 Mar 2014

First Edition: March 24, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine the final week for health law enrollment, the Supreme Court case this week about the law's contraceptive mandate and the fourth anniversary of the enactment of the controversial overhaul.

24 Mar 2014

Tuberculosis control needs a complete and patient-centric solution

Whether it is mobile phone service or vacation travel, good businesses know that success depends on providing a complete and customer-centric solution. Should patients with tuberculosis not be offered a complete solution that is patient-centered? After all, millions are affected and a large market at the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) remains unserved.

24 Mar 2014

New method can identify cancer's visible precursors with 97% certainty

Pancreatic cancer is often detected at a late stage, which results in poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Researchers at The University od Gothenburg, Sweden, have now developed a method which identifies the cancer's visible precursors with 97% certainty. The method, which is expected to aid in the early discovery of the cancer as well as minimize the risk of unnecessary surgery, may be introduced in patient care within five years.

24 Mar 2014

Drugs fail to "wake up" dormant reservoirs of HIV inside immune system T cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report that compounds they hoped would "wake up" dormant reservoirs of HIV inside immune system T cells - a strategy designed to reverse latency and make the cells vulnerable to destruction - have failed to do so in laboratory tests of such white blood cells taken directly from patients infected with HIV.

24 Mar 2014

Otsuka obtains regulatory approval in Japan for pharmacological treatment of ADPKD

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced it has become the first company in the world to obtain regulatory approval for a pharmacological treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Samsca (generic name: tolvaptan) has been approved in Japan in 7.5-mg and 15-mg tablet forms for extended use for the additional indication of ADPKD. Also, the new dosage form of 30-mg Samsca tablets has received approval for the indication of ADPKD.

24 Mar 2014

Gov. Kitzhaber sweeps out Cover Oregon leadership, promises reforms

An analysis of the state marketplace by First Data released Thursday found serious problems with management and communications.

24 Mar 2014

Pelosi on Obamacare anniversary: The law is 'a winner' for Democrats

The house minority leader marks the anniversary of the law's passage by expressing confidence that the law will help Democratic candidates this fall.

24 Mar 2014

State highlights: Ark. court reverses $1.2B Medicaid drug judgment; Fla. officials overhauling child welfare agency

The Arkansas Supreme Court reversed a $1.2 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson on Thursday, finding that the state attorney general erred by suing under a law that applied to health care facilities, not drug companies. The judgment, one of the largest in history for a state fraud case, was imposed in 2012 after a jury concluded that Johnson & Johnson had improperly marketed and concealed the risks of Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug (Thomas, 3/2).

24 Mar 2014