Chronic News and Research

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Canadian researchers explore parameters to define and assess chronic pain in infants

A team of Canadian researchers probed 45 pediatric clinicians to learn about possible indicators that could help identify infants with chronic pain and provide guidance on how to differentiate chronic pain from lingering pain caused by medical procedures.

17 Dec 2009

Interactive conference session focuses on strengths and weaknesses of new trends in drug benefit plan design

Benefits executives from Caterpillar, Inc., Procter & Gamble, and Delta Air Lines are among the employers who will share innovative approaches to plan design at the 2010 Drug Benefit Conference sponsored by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI).

17 Dec 2009

New application developed by AIM increases health plan staff productivity

A new application developed by American Imaging Management® (AIM) to manage the clinical review of specialty pharmaceuticals has increased health plan staff productivity and the number of drugs reviewed while reducing costs.

17 Dec 2009

New learning collaborative for healthcare organizations

HealthSciences Institute will sponsor a new learning collaborative for health care professionals, teams and organizations who serve individuals at risk of, or affected by, chronic diseases in employer, health plan, medical home and other provider settings.

17 Dec 2009

ODAC to conduct public advisory meeting to review ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals’ NDA for Omapro

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will conduct a public advisory meeting on 10 February 2010 to review the Company’s NDA for Omapro™ (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) for injection.

17 Dec 2009

HFU increases mortality among diabetics, says report

Cardium Therapeutics today reported on recent clinical findings published in the December issue of Diabetes Care showing an increase in mortality in diabetic patients with a history of foot ulcer (HFU) compared with diabetic patients without HFU and with non-diabetic patients.

17 Dec 2009

Researchers identify genetic markers to help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics

Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

17 Dec 2009

Pistachios can decrease inflammation and cardiovascular disease

New research published online, December 10, 2009 indicates that bioactive compounds in pistachios, and molecules present in pistachios, have anti-inflammatory properties.

17 Dec 2009

Ethicon and Acclarent announce definitive merger agreement

Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company and a worldwide leader in surgical care, and Acclarent, Inc., a privately held medical technology company dedicated to designing, developing and commercializing devices that address conditions affecting the ear, nose and throat (ENT), today announced a definitive merger agreement whereby Ethicon will acquire Acclarent in an all-cash transaction for approximately $785 million net of estimated cash on hand at time of closing.

17 Dec 2009

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announces $27 million to help older individuals with chronic conditions

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the availability of $27 million to help older individuals with chronic conditions to improve their health and reduce their use of costly medical care.

17 Dec 2009

Roche's P2X3 receptor program for chronic pain licensed to Afferent Pharmaceuticals

Roche announced today it has licensed its P2X3 receptor program aimed at developing first-in-class treatments for chronic pain to Afferent Pharmaceuticals. Afferent was co-founded by Anthony Ford, Ph.D., Pappas Ventures, and Third Rock Ventures, and is focused on developing compounds that treat chronic pain by targeting a novel biological pathway.

16 Dec 2009

HealthInsight and HealthMedia join to deliver Internet-based Digital Coaching solutions

HealthInsight, provider of the only value-based health care administration platform, today announced a partnership with HealthMedia, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, to deliver Internet-based Digital Coaching™ solutions focused on lifestyle and behavioral change.

16 Dec 2009

Pharmacy directors willing to cover tanezumab at lower prices

HealthLeaders-InterStudy and Fingertip Formulary find that 70 percent of surveyed pharmacy directors expect to cover Pfizer's tanezumab if it is approved for the treatment of chronic pain. Tanezumab, which is expected to be the first biologic approved for chronic pain and is administered intravenously under medical supervision, will likely be covered as a medical benefit rather than a pharmacy benefit according to surveyed pharmacy directors.

16 Dec 2009

H1N1 outbreak reveals existing gaps in nation's public health emergency preparedness

The seventh annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, released today by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), found that the H1N1 flu outbreak has exposed serious underlying gaps in the nation's ability to respond to public health emergencies and that the economic crisis is straining an already fragile public health system.

16 Dec 2009

Pillo1 for chronic neck and back pain

At a time when Americans spend over $50 billion on ways to alleviate neck and back pain, Dr. Raymond Hall is theorizing a painful connection between conventional pillows and neck issues and created a revolutionary solution called Pillo1 (www.pillo1.com) to address the problem.

16 Dec 2009

Human Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda points to infected livestock movements

The northwards spread of human Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda is likely due to the movement of infected livestock, according to new findings from an interdisciplinary research group including members from the Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh; the Ministry of Health, Uganda; and the Universities of Oxford and Southampton.

16 Dec 2009

CDHPs deliver quality and accessible health coverage at lower costs

As overall medical costs continue to increase by double digits annually, medical costs for individuals in account-based consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) went down 26% over four years, while levels of care for their preventive medicine, chronic disease management and evidence-based treatments were higher than their counterparts in traditional PPO and HMO health plans, according to a new multi-year study of health care claims experience of 655,000 CIGNA customers.

16 Dec 2009

New top-line results for patient preference study evaluating Kristalose for Oral Solution announced

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CPIX) today announced new top-line results for a patient preference study evaluating Kristalose (lactulose) for Oral Solution, a prescription laxative packaged as a crystalline powder, compared to similar products in liquid forms.

16 Dec 2009

Study suggests physical activity influences depression and fatigue by increasing self-efficacy

Physical activity is known to reduce depression and fatigue in people struggling with chronic illness. A new study indicates that this effect stems from an individual's sense of mastery over - or belief in his or her ability to achieve - certain physical goals.

16 Dec 2009

MU researcher says older American women face unique barriers in healthcare

For Americans living in rural areas, obtaining and maintaining health care can be challenging. Aside from common barriers, including shortages of care providers and facilities, older women face additional challenges, according to Kay Libbus, a public health researcher at the University of Missouri. Libbus says that women ages 50-65 living in rural areas are at-risk for inadequate health care coverage and limited access to health information.

16 Dec 2009

Chronic News and Research

Canadian researchers explore parameters to define and assess chronic pain in infants

Interactive conference session focuses on strengths and weaknesses of new trends in drug benefit plan design

New application developed by AIM increases health plan staff productivity

New learning collaborative for healthcare organizations

ODAC to conduct public advisory meeting to review ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals’ NDA for Omapro

HFU increases mortality among diabetics, says report

Researchers identify genetic markers to help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics

Pistachios can decrease inflammation and cardiovascular disease

Ethicon and Acclarent announce definitive merger agreement

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announces $27 million to help older individuals with chronic conditions

Roche's P2X3 receptor program for chronic pain licensed to Afferent Pharmaceuticals

HealthInsight and HealthMedia join to deliver Internet-based Digital Coaching solutions

Pharmacy directors willing to cover tanezumab at lower prices

H1N1 outbreak reveals existing gaps in nation's public health emergency preparedness

Pillo1 for chronic neck and back pain

Human Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda points to infected livestock movements

CDHPs deliver quality and accessible health coverage at lower costs

New top-line results for patient preference study evaluating Kristalose for Oral Solution announced

Study suggests physical activity influences depression and fatigue by increasing self-efficacy

MU researcher says older American women face unique barriers in healthcare

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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