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Meningitis outbreak could prompt call for executive jail time

A tough prosecutor and high public scrutiny could mean jail time for executives of the New England Compounding Center -- the pharmacy at the center of the deadly meningitis outbreak. In the meantime, the pharmacy's lawyers counter that the executives had no direct hand in the illnesses.

22 Nov 2012

UNICEF releases demographic report on Universal Children's Day

On Universal Children's Day, November 20, "UNICEF issued a new research paper highlighting global demographic shifts forecast for the coming generation of children that present major challenges to policy makers and planners," according to a UNICEF press release.

22 Nov 2012

UNAIDS report indicates end to AIDS possible but challenges remain

UNAIDS' World AIDS Day report: Results, released on Tuesday, said the goal of eventually ending the global AIDS epidemic "is more than merely visionary" and "is entirely feasible," primarily because of "historic success" in scaling up HIV programs and improving access to antiretroviral drugs to treat and prevent HIV, Reuters reports.

22 Nov 2012

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi accepts role as UNAIDS ambassador

"Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has accepted a new role with UNAIDS to advance efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination against those affected by the epidemic," the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Nov 2012

Study finds 40% of surgery complications occur when patients are home

Meanwhile, in other hospital news, Bloomberg looks at the increasing number of emergency departments that offer online reservations.

22 Nov 2012

AVAC, amfAR release first progress report on Action Agenda to End AIDS

AVAC and amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, on Tuesday released the first in a series of quarterly reports following up on the release of the Action Agenda to End AIDS, which was launched in July at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), according to a joint press release.

22 Nov 2012

WHO member states must develop, adopt treaty to combat substandard, fake medicines

"This week delegates from about 100 member countries of the World Health Organization are meeting in Buenos Aires with the aim of strengthening defenses against substandard and fraudulent medicines," Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa and Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, write in a New York Times opinion piece.

22 Nov 2012

Incoming Global Fund head Mark Dybul says organization has 'strong forward trajectory'

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Board recently made several decisions that will affect the future of the organization, including appointing former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Mark Dybul as executive director and adopting a new funding model, Nature reports in an article examining the history and future of the Fund.

22 Nov 2012

Dropping of cold chain requirement for meningitis vaccine will improve access, IRIN reports

IRIN examines how the WHO's recent declaration that the MenAfriVac meningitis A vaccine can be transported or stored for up to four days without refrigeration will affect immunization campaigns in Africa's meningitis belt, which runs from Senegal to Ethiopia.

22 Nov 2012

State roundup: Calif. schedules health care special session; Fla. to boost Medicaid payment rates

California's legislative special session on health care won't take place until January, according to officials at the California Health and Human Services agency. ... The session was expected to be convened in December. The special session will be held concurrently with the regular legislative session that begins Jan. 7.

22 Nov 2012

New rules for 'Obamacare' implementation released - scrutinized by insurers, employers, states, consumers

The Obama administration released new health care regulations Tuesday that preclude insurers from adjusting premiums based on pre-existing or chronic health conditions, tell states what benefits must be included in health exchange plans, and allow employers to reward employees who work to remain healthy.

22 Nov 2012

Collaborative guidebook helps improve health of Hispanic populations

A collaborative guidebook involving Kansas State University researchers is helping individuals, families and communities improve the health of Hispanic populations.

22 Nov 2012

Study demonstrates memory-enhancing effects of low-level light therapy

It's called the "Silver Tsunami" - the swelling number of baby boomers surpassing age 65. As medical advancements extend their lives, they're expected to live well into their 80s and 90s - outlasting any generation in American history.

22 Nov 2012

Reckitt Benckiser to acquire Schiff

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC today announces it has signed a definitive merger agreement with Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. a leading provider of branded vitamins, nutrition supplements and nutrition bars in the United States and elsewhere. The Board of Directors of Schiff has approved the transaction and will recommend that its stockholders tender their shares into Reckitt Benckiser's previously announced cash tender offer of $42.00 per share, valuing Schiff at $1.4 billion.

21 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Protecting us from counterfeit medicines; Governors making excuses on insurance exchanges?; Simpson-Bowles and the health law

HHS has made it clear that after federally operated exchanges are up and running, states may eventually take over operations. This seems like wasted effort. States have the information they need to move on insurance exchanges. Governors who care about fiscal responsibility, strong state government and the basic welfare of their residents would do well to get with the program.

21 Nov 2012

Health care executives accused of insider-trading scheme

Secrets passed at recreational basketball games, code words and calls on a pay phone outside a Virginia K-Mart marked what prosecutors say was a five-year insider-trading scheme fueled by corporate secrets leaked by health care executives. Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have accused six men -- including former executives at pharmaceutical company Celgene Corp. and medical-technology firm Stryker Corp. and some of their high-school friends -- of passing corporate secrets about their companies and using that information to make profitable trades.

21 Nov 2012

Pregnant women with mental health disorders face too many barriers to stop smoking

Pregnant women with mental health disorders are facing too many barriers to help them quit smoking during pregnancy despite their willingness to accept support, finds a new study published today (21 November) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

21 Nov 2012

French oil company funding rotavirus research in Congo

"Medical researchers in the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) have been empowered to set their own research priorities through a funding mechanism backed by a French oil company, according to scientists speaking at the second European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), in South Africa this month," SciDev.Net reports.

21 Nov 2012

Unjustified repeat tests common among Medicare patients

Dartmouth researchers found that up to half of older adults who had a heart, lung, stomach or bladder test had the same procedure repeated within three years despite guidelines against routine testing, leading to unnecessary costs.

21 Nov 2012

Forty percent of vets have little understanding of benefits due them

More than half of America's veterans say they have little or no understanding of the benefits due them, despite efforts over recent years to match returning soldiers with the help and services they need. An analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs survey data found that younger veterans – those who served in the post-9/11 war period – are better versed in their benefits.

21 Nov 2012