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Study demonstrates need for understanding societal, economic impact of growing medicalization

Menopause. Normal pregnancy. Infertility. ADHD. Erectile dysfunction. Over the last several decades, these conditions have come to be defined and treated as medical problems. They've been "medicalized." In the first study of its kind in the current issue of Social Science and Medicine, Brandeis researchers used national data to estimate the costs of these and a handful of other common conditions on escalating U.S. healthcare spending.

19 May 2010

i3 completes acquisition of ChinaGate

i3, a global life sciences services company and subsidiary of Ingenix, has acquired ChinaGate, a contract research organization that provides product-development regulatory services for pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies looking to enter and access the Chinese market.

19 May 2010

Experts accelerate discovery and development of new TB drugs: Lancet article

According to a paper published today in the Lancet, there is unprecedented progress in the development of the global tuberculosis drug pipeline with 10 drug candidates currently in clinical development. The paper was written by a team of renowned international experts led by Zhenkun Ma, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer for the TB Alliance, a not-for-profit organization accelerating the discovery and development of new TB drugs.

19 May 2010

TPP raises £9.6M to develop early-stage pre-clinical drug candidates

TPP Global Development, an innovative drug development company, announced today it has raised £9.6m which will be used to execute the Company's strategy to develop early-stage pre-clinical drug candidates.

19 May 2010

Unhealthy coping behaviors lead to higher rates of physical health problems, earlier mortality

When people are under chronic stress, they tend to smoke, drink, use drugs and overeat to help cope with stress. These behaviors trigger a biological cascade that helps prevent depression, but they also contribute to a host of physical problems that eventually contribute to early death.

19 May 2010

PET scanning provides great insight into immune response

A commonly used probe for Positron Emission Tomography scanning and a new probe developed by researchers at UCLA reveal different functions in diverse cells of the immune system, providing a non-invasive and much clearer picture of an immune response in action.

19 May 2010

Psychological scientists review latest research on food cravings

Swimsuit season is almost upon us. For most of us, the countdown has begun to lazy days lounging by the pool and relaxing on the beach. However, for some of us, the focus is not so much on sunglasses and beach balls, but how to quickly shed those final five or ten pounds in order to look good poolside. It is no secret that dieting can be challenging and food cravings can make it even more difficult.

19 May 2010

CBIT therapy helps Tourette Syndrome children manage tics

A comprehensive behavioral therapy is effective in helping children with Tourette Syndrome manage their tics, according to a study published in the May 19, 2010 special issue of the Journal of the American Medication Association (JAMA), which was dedicated to addressing mental health disorders. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) and involved several leading universities working in partnership with the national Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc (TSA).

19 May 2010

Researchers identify cancer gene that could help fight paediatric glioma

Researchers have identified an important cancer gene that could lead to more effective drugs being developed to fight paediatric high grade glioma, a disease which currently has a poor prognosis.

19 May 2010

New multi-center follow-up study of NX-1207 for treatment of BPH to be completed

Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation announced today that the Company is nearing completion of a new multi-center U.S. long-term follow-up study of NX-1207, its investigational drug for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

19 May 2010

AP examines HIV microbicides, prep research

"Try after try to make vaginal creams that could repel the AIDS virus have failed. Now researchers are testing if a drug used to treat HIV infection finally might give women a tool to prevent it - by infusing the medicine into vaginal gels and contraceptive-style rings," the Associated Press reports in a piece that examines researchers' latest efforts to create effective HIV microbicides, ahead of the biennial International Microbicides Conference next weekend.

19 May 2010

WHO Director-General pushes for sustained commitment to MDGs at World Health Assembly

During her opening address to the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan called for increased global efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports. Chan also set-up several global health challenges to be addressed during the five-day meeting, according to the news service.

19 May 2010

Opinions: Gender-based violence and HIV; AIDS vaccine; Global NTDs; Responses to NYT HIV/AIDS articles

"Gender-based violence is a world-wide pandemic and directly affects the spread of HIV/AIDS. Fear of violence limits the ability of women and girls to choose their partners; to find out about a partner's HIV status or disclose their own; and to get medical or counseling services," according to a U.S. government editorial in VOA News.

19 May 2010

BMJ News examines how drug resistance, access undermine malaria fight in Uganda, Cambodia

BMJ News looks at how lack of access to drugs and resistance are undermining the fight against malaria.

19 May 2010

PCMA releases statement on AARP's report on price increase in brand name prescriptions

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association released the following statement on a new report from AARP that found that the price of brand name prescriptions most widely used by Medicare beneficiaries increased by 9.7 percent in the 12 months ending with March 2010 and was much higher than the rate of increase observed during any of the prior eight years

19 May 2010

Health law already affecting consumers, insurers, brokers

The New York Times profiles one man's current insurance dilemma, one which is not likely to happen in the future under the new health law: "Ever since Thomas DeLorenzo was accepted to three law schools outside his home state of California, he has spent entire days on the phone with health insurers in other states, compiling information that he enters on a giant spreadsheet." DeLorenzo, "who has AIDS, will lose his health coverage in California if he moves out of state.

19 May 2010

Researchers discover biological pathway signature of ccRCC

By examining expression of every human gene in clear cell renal cell carcinoma compared to normal kidney cells, researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have discovered gene signatures they say explain much of the biology of this common and difficult-to-treat kidney cancer.

19 May 2010

AARP: Cost of brand name drugs rose 9.7% last year

"The AARP says that manufacturer prices for brand-name prescription drugs commonly used by people on Medicare rose 9.7% for the year ending in March — the biggest annual jump since the group started tracking prices in 2002," The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports.

19 May 2010

To sell plan, White House officials focus on four key aspects of health reform

White House officials eager to sell the most popular aspects of the health reform law are focusing on four areas to gain votes and popularity for key lawmakers ahead of November's midterm elections.

19 May 2010

30 percent risk of heart attack in Australians over 55

According to a new study researchers have warned that at least one in five Australians over the age of 55 have a 30 percent chance of suffering a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke in the next five years.

18 May 2010