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IRIN examines WHO process of translating research results into policy recommendations

IRIN examines the WHO's regulatory approval process for making evidence-based recommendations, noting, "Governments will generally not implement an intervention without the WHO stamp of approval."

24 May 2012

Political ads stake out presidential candidates' different philosophies on role of government

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's campaign will air a new ad aimed at seniors who are on Medicare and will continue efforts to connect with the women's vote.

24 May 2012

Is access problem preventing generic drug makers' progress?

Some drugmakers assert they are unable to create cheaper generic versions of drugs because their rivals are exploiting a legal loophole. It all comes down to process: To get a generic drug approved for sale, a company has to test a sample of the brand-name version and show regulators that the generic version is essentially identical and as effective.

24 May 2012

Ethiopian government collaborating with USAID, partners to improve access to family planning

In this USAID "IMPACTblog" post, Abiy Shewarega of the USAID | Deliver Project, Ethiopia, describes the Ethiopian Ministry of Health's commitment to improving family planning through programs that, in the past six years, have "seen a rapid increase in contraceptive use and a decline in the average number of births per woman."

24 May 2012

Tenn. doctors, Blue Cross and Blue Shield agree to bundle payments for knee, hip replacements

In other insurance company news, BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois will pay $25M to settle coverage denial claims.

24 May 2012

CMS sticks with Medicare coverage of PSA test

The federal government is not changing coverage plans "at this time." Meanwhile, a number of urologists and other medical specialists raise concerns that new recommendations against prostate cancer screening will hurt men's health.

24 May 2012

Innovation Center to-do list could include Medicaid; PCORI announces grant application deadlines

In a pair of articles, CQ HealthBeat reports on the role the Innovation Center could play in reshaping Medicaid and the latest on the timeline for grants from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

24 May 2012

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee approves FY13 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs on Tuesday approved a $52.1 billion FY 2013 spending bill for state and foreign operations, The Hill's "Global Affairs" blog reports.

24 May 2012

Chronic diseases, bloodstream infections on the rise among HIV+ ICU patients

The expanded use of antiretrovirals, potent drugs used to treat retroviral infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been linked to significant decreases in hospital mortality rates among severely ill HIV-positive (HIV+) patients nationwide, primarily due to a decrease in opportunistic infections, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University.

24 May 2012

Report: Employer-based health insurance shows decline

A new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute finds that employment-based health coverage has taken steps back after a brief uptick.

24 May 2012

State roundup: Labor unions continue Wis. Governor recall push; 'Affordability gap' in Minn.

Democrats and unions hoping to turn Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker out of office over his efforts to tame the power of organized labor are finding it tough going with only two weeks to go before a historic recall election. … Walker pushed through the legislature a law requiring public sector union members to pay part of the cost of health insurance and pensions, limited pay rises, made paying union dues voluntary and forced unions to be recertified every year.

24 May 2012

RARP more costly than RRP in treating prostate cancer

In one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the cost of robotic-assisted, laparoscopic surgery for prostate cancer, researchers at UPMC found that this now-dominant surgical approach is significantly more costly than standard open surgery, despite little scientific evidence of long-term improved patient outcomes.

24 May 2012

Study shows prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda rising, among highest in sub-Saharan Africa

"The prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda has risen from 8.6 percent to 12 percent in the last five years, one of the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recent study," PlusNews reports.

24 May 2012

Acne pills can cause eye infections

Millions of teenagers suffer from acne, and they deal with the embarrassing skin blemishes by taking popular prescription medications such as Accutane or Roaccutane. Now, however, research from Tel Aviv University shows that these pills can also cause eye infections such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) or sties.

24 May 2012

U.N. SG Ban praises commission on life-saving commodities, says more effort needed to improve maternal, child mortality rates

At the opening of the U.N. Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the commission but "said that much remains to be done to save the lives of the 800 women and more than 20,000 children who die every day from preventable causes," the U.N. News Centre reports.

24 May 2012

Omron introduces new wireless sleep monitoring device

ResMed Inc. today announced the launch of the first product in Japan using technology from its recently acquired company, BiancaMed. The product, launched by BiancaMed partner Omron Healthcare, is a new wireless sleep monitoring device.

From ResMed Corp 24 May 2012

Viewpoints: The promise and perils of prostate screening; Presidential candidates shy away from frank discussion of spending

After an exhaustive process, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has announced its final recommendation on PSA-based prostate cancer screening. It finds that the known harms of screening outweigh the potential benefits for men who have no cancer symptoms. It notes that all screening studies have demonstrated considerable harms associated with screening, but only one major study found evidence that screening saves lives -- and that study has some internal inconsistencies.

24 May 2012

Health Care News and Research

IRIN examines WHO process of translating research results into policy recommendations

Political ads stake out presidential candidates' different philosophies on role of government

Is access problem preventing generic drug makers' progress?

Ethiopian government collaborating with USAID, partners to improve access to family planning

Tenn. doctors, Blue Cross and Blue Shield agree to bundle payments for knee, hip replacements

CMS sticks with Medicare coverage of PSA test

Innovation Center to-do list could include Medicaid; PCORI announces grant application deadlines

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee approves FY13 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill

Chronic diseases, bloodstream infections on the rise among HIV+ ICU patients

Report: Employer-based health insurance shows decline

State roundup: Labor unions continue Wis. Governor recall push; 'Affordability gap' in Minn.

RARP more costly than RRP in treating prostate cancer

Study shows prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda rising, among highest in sub-Saharan Africa

Acne pills can cause eye infections

U.N. SG Ban praises commission on life-saving commodities, says more effort needed to improve maternal, child mortality rates

Omron introduces new wireless sleep monitoring device

Viewpoints: The promise and perils of prostate screening; Presidential candidates shy away from frank discussion of spending

Alteplase can benefit stroke patients aged over 80 years according to new studies

Study shows how streamlined patient pathways may improve efficiency of healthcare delivery

First Edition: May 23, 2012

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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