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House lawmaker looks into drug shortages, price markups

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has begun an investigation into 'gray market' drug distributors and how they may be driving up costs and adding to the nation's current shortage of cancer and critical-care products.

7 Oct 2011

Hints of progress emerge from 'super committee' deliberations

A top GOP House lawmaker hopes the deficit-cutting panel will focus entirely on health care costs to reach the $1.2 trillion savings target. Meanwhile, in the background, the Wall Street Journal reports that nearly half of all U.S. households receive government benefits, with about 34% getting means-tested assistance such as Medicaid.

7 Oct 2011

NCKU research team discovers potential target to treat osteoporosis

A National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) research team has discovered that a protein called interleukin (IL)-20 is a key to treating osteoporosis, a disease that lowers a person's bone density.

7 Oct 2011

Scientists discover new metabolic pathway which makes gliomas more aggressive

A research alliance of Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center, jointly with colleagues of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, have discovered a new metabolic pathway which makes malignant brain tumors (gliomas) more aggressive and weakens patients' immune systems.

7 Oct 2011

Teriflunomide drug reduces relapse rate of people with MS

A new oral drug has been shown in a large international clinical trial to significantly reduce the relapse rate of people with multiple sclerosis and to slow the progression of the disease.

7 Oct 2011

NIH/FDA study to monitor and assess impacts of new government tobacco regulations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health today announced a joint, large-scale, national study of tobacco users to monitor and assess the behavioral and health impacts of new government tobacco regulations.

7 Oct 2011

Researchers identify gene responsible for aggressive, bold behavior in zebrafish

A gene responsible for aggressive and bold behavior has been identified in zebrafish by a team from CNRS/Laboratoire Neurobiologie et Développement.

7 Oct 2011

A healthy diet during pregnancy can reduce the risk of birth defects: Study

The researchers say that the birth defects like brain and spine problems, called neural tube defects, as well as cleft lip and cleft palate were less common in mothers who closely followed either a Mediterranean diet or the food guide pyramid.

6 Oct 2011

Blue Shield of California refuses to pay for breast cancer drug Avastin

In a new development, health insurer Blue Shield of California has decided not to pay for Roche Holding's drug Avastin to treat breast cancer after health advisers said it was not safe or clinically beneficial. Blue Shield of California with around 3.3 million members, said in a notice posted on its web site that the drug would no longer be covered as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer beginning October 17. It said exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

4 Oct 2011

FDA grants 510(k) clearance to Carticept Medical's Navigator Delivery System

Carticept Medical, Inc., a developer of innovative products for the treatment of cartilage injuries and osteoarthritis, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to market its Navigator™ Delivery System (Navigator DS) in the United States.

4 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 4, 2011

Today's news highlights include reports that the Supreme Court kicked off its new term by hearing a key Medicaid case that tests whether providers and patients can go to court to challenge decisions by cash-strapped states to reduce Medicaid payments.

4 Oct 2011

Pakistan facing dengue outbreak, humanitarian aid shortages for flood victims

"More than 12,000 have been infected and 125 people have died over the past two months in Pakistan after coming down with dengue fever, a health department spokesman said Friday," CNN reports.

4 Oct 2011

Higher maternal diet quality may reduce risk of birth defects

Healthier dietary choices by pregnant women are associated with reduced risks of birth defects, including neural tube defects and orofacial clefts, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Oct 2011

Familiarity with snack foods changes children's expectations about fullness

New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling.

4 Oct 2011

Congress blocks funding meant for food aid, health care to Palestinian Authority

"Congress has ... blocked $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority [PA] since August, in a move a PA official described as 'collective punishment' for its United Nations bid" for statehood, GlobalPost reports.

4 Oct 2011

Orexigen presents data from Contrave trial at 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., today announced that Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR) data will be presented in one oral and multiple poster presentations at the 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society on October 3, 2011 in Orlando, FL.

4 Oct 2011

CDRH report highlights scientific activities that support medical device industry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) today released a report highlighting scientific activities that support the medical device industry and product development, while maintaining the safety and effectiveness of the products.

4 Oct 2011

Hospitalization for an acute event can lead to long-term institutionalization

Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care.

4 Oct 2011

Perinatal exposure to BPA affects mammary hormone response

A recent study accepted for publication in Molecular Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society, found that perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A (BPA) alters long-term hormone response and breast development in mice that may increase the propensity to develop cancer.

3 Oct 2011

Emergent BioSolutions receives $1.25B contract to supply 44.75M doses of BioThrax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. today announced that, in response to solicitation RFP-2011-N-13414, it has received an award to supply the U.S. government with 44.75 million doses of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) over a period of five years for a total value of up to $1.25 billion.

3 Oct 2011