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Federal Government seizes prescription and OTC drug products from Tri-Med Labs

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals seized articles of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug products from Tri-Med Laboratories Inc. in Somerset, N.J. earlier this month. The seizure warrant, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and unsealed this week, shows the drugs are unapproved and adulterated new drugs.

28 Oct 2010

Cholera outbreak in Haiti shows 'slight slowing,' but experts say interventions should continue

Nearly 300 people have died from cholera and 3,612 have been diagnosed with the disease in Haiti's week-old epidemic, Reuters reports, citing numbers from Haitian health authorities.

28 Oct 2010

Gov. candidates in Florida, Minnesota offer few details on health care

News outlets report that gubernatorial candidates in Florida and Minnesota are offering little details about their plans for health spending.

28 Oct 2010

Flu deaths analyzed for future lessons

A new report has looked at all of England’s swine flu deaths in children under 18 during the 2009 pandemic. Researchers found that there was a higher risk of dying from the influenza A H1N1 strain of flu among certain groups of children, such as those with pre-existing conditions and those of a Pakistani or Bangladeshi background. However it was unclear why.

27 Oct 2010

Five ways to prevent bowel cancer: Study

According to the latest research five simple lifestyle changes could cut the risk of bowel cancer by 23%. The Danish study enrolled 57,053 adults aged 50 to 64 without cancer between 1993 and 1997. They were followed up closely for 10 years. Results showed that people who followed public health recommendations (not smoking, a healthier diet, etc.) for each of these areas had a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer during this time.

27 Oct 2010

Prevention, oral health literacy, rebuilding public health infrastructure are key to improving nation's oral health

The American Dental Association (ADA) said today that it welcomes an organization of the stature of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to join the fight to improve the nation's oral health.

27 Oct 2010

WHO regulation on human toxicity helps in reducing acute pesticide poisoning

Current WHO pesticide classifications are based on toxicity in rats but basing regulation on human toxicity will make pesticide poisoning less hazardous and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths globally without compromising agricultural needs. These are the key findings from a study by Andrew Dawson (South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka) and colleagues published in this week's PLoS Medicine.

27 Oct 2010

Halting mosquito surveillance can increase management costs of epidemics 300 times

Cutting surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases would likely translate into an exponential increase in both the number of human cases and the health costs when a disease outbreak occurs, according to an analysis by Emory University.

27 Oct 2010

Study finds prevalence of cognitive impairment in older adults with severe sepsis

Older adults who survived severe sepsis were more likely to develop substantial cognitive impairment and functional disability, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Oct 2010

CHI releases new white paper on 510(k) review process

California Healthcare Institute today announced the release of a new white paper titled "Upcoming Changes to the 510(k) Process: New Approval Pathways and the Impact on Medical Device Development and Innovation." CHI is a non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization, representing leading California academic institutions, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical firms.

27 Oct 2010

USAID announces LAUNCH: Health innovators

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, NIKE, Inc. and the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce those selected to participate in the LAUNCH: Health Forum. The innovators selected will participate in an event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida October 30-31, followed immediately by the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on November 1.

27 Oct 2010

Older adults with severe sepsis at higher risk for cognitive impairment

Older adults who survive severe sepsis are at higher risk for long-term cognitive impairment and physical limitations than those hospitalized for other reasons, according to researchers from the University of Michigan Health System.

27 Oct 2010

Some Hill races could hinge on seniors anger over Medicare

Reporting for Kaiser Health News in collaboration with USA Today, Marilyn Werber Serafini writes: "As emotions run high over the law, anger and fear about its impact on Medicare — whether founded or not — could be a deciding factor in some particularly close congressional races, especially in areas where there are large numbers of seniors, say political analysts such as Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.

27 Oct 2010

Lifestyle intervention programs result in significant weight loss for overweight and severly obese adults

Lifestyle interventions, including physical activity and structured weight loss programs, can result in significant weight loss for overweight, obese and severely obese adults, according to two reports that were posted online October 9 by JAMA. The studies and accompanying editorials were made available early online to coincide with the presentation of these papers at the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Obesity Society. The articles appear in the October 27 print issue of JAMA.

27 Oct 2010

Political picture still dreary for some Dems who backed health reform

National Journal: "Just over half of Americans likely to vote in next week's midterms want the next Congress to repeal this year's health care overhaul if Republicans gain power on Capitol Hill, according to a new poll, a dramatic rebuke to a sitting president and freshly minted statute.

27 Oct 2010

Adherence to lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of colorectal cancer by 23%

Almost a quarter of colorectal (bowel) cancer cases could be prevented if people followed healthy lifestyle advice in five areas including diet and exercise, says a new study published on bmj.com today.

27 Oct 2010

Reuters examines how harm reduction policies in Switzerland could serve as model for reducing spread of HIV/AIDS among IDUs

Switzerland's innovative policy of providing drug addicts with free methadone and clean needles has greatly reduced deaths while cutting crime rates and should serve as a global model, health experts said on Monday, Reuters reports in an article that examines the outcomes of drug policy reform in the country

27 Oct 2010

Pharmaceutical industry pays billions in fraud settlements; Walgreen selling PBM Co.

Bloomberg: "Walgreen Co., the largest U.S. drug-store chain, is looking to sell its pharmacy-benefits management business and has hired an adviser to run an auction, said three people with knowledge of the matter. The sale of the PBM unit, which Walgreen started in 1995, may fetch $500 million to $1 billion. … Medco Health Solutions Inc., Express Scripts Inc. and CVS Caremark Corp., the three largest PBMs in the U.S., are among the companies that have expressed interest, the people said.

27 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 26, 2010

In today's headlines, more reports from the campaign trail -- highlighting how tempers and politics continue to flare around health overhaul issues.

26 Oct 2010

India's Trade Minister says EU will take steps to prevent seizure of generic medicines

"India believes a row with the European Union over seizures of generic drugs will be settled without litigation, Trade Minister Anand Sharma said on Wednesday," Reuters reports (Lynn, 10/20).

26 Oct 2010

Public Health News and Research

Federal Government seizes prescription and OTC drug products from Tri-Med Labs

Cholera outbreak in Haiti shows 'slight slowing,' but experts say interventions should continue

Gov. candidates in Florida, Minnesota offer few details on health care

Flu deaths analyzed for future lessons

Five ways to prevent bowel cancer: Study

Prevention, oral health literacy, rebuilding public health infrastructure are key to improving nation's oral health

WHO regulation on human toxicity helps in reducing acute pesticide poisoning

Halting mosquito surveillance can increase management costs of epidemics 300 times

Study finds prevalence of cognitive impairment in older adults with severe sepsis

CHI releases new white paper on 510(k) review process

USAID announces LAUNCH: Health innovators

Older adults with severe sepsis at higher risk for cognitive impairment

Some Hill races could hinge on seniors anger over Medicare

Lifestyle intervention programs result in significant weight loss for overweight and severly obese adults

Political picture still dreary for some Dems who backed health reform

Adherence to lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of colorectal cancer by 23%

Reuters examines how harm reduction policies in Switzerland could serve as model for reducing spread of HIV/AIDS among IDUs

Pharmaceutical industry pays billions in fraud settlements; Walgreen selling PBM Co.

First Edition: October 26, 2010

India's Trade Minister says EU will take steps to prevent seizure of generic medicines

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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