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Stafford Hospital inquiry looks into “human rights” violations in care

A public inquiry into conditions and care at Stafford hospital in Stafford, England heard that the hospital was violating basic human rights of the patients. The counsel for Cure the NHS, a campaign group set up by relatives of some of the people who died at the hospital after receiving inadequate treatment established the fact that the standard of care constituted inhuman and degrading treatment at the facility.

10 Nov 2010

Supreme Court rejects early request to review health overhaul

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a long-shot request for a review of the Obama administration's health-care overhaul before the matter has been fully litigated. The high court's rejection of the health-care challenge, brought by a conservative legal group in California, wasn't a surprise. …The high court almost never hears cases before they have been fully litigated in the lower courts, and it hadn't asked the Obama administration to file legal papers responding to the appeal."

10 Nov 2010

Undergraduate students win Gates Foundation grant for low-cost ultrasound system

A team of University of Washington undergraduate students was among 65 research groups that today learned they had won one of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grants.

10 Nov 2010

CMS to review cancer vaccine, analysis shows high Medicare drug spending not correlated with better care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are conducting an unusual review to determine whether the government should pay for an expensive new vaccine for treating prostate cancer, rekindling debate over whether some therapies are too costly.

9 Nov 2010

Tips to reduce risk of injury in Alzheimer's patients

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease can be overwhelming. In fact, according to the Alzheimer's Association, there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's and as many as 10 million family caregivers.

8 Nov 2010

How much did health care votes cause democratic defeats?

In the end, it may have mattered less whether vulnerable Democratic incumbents voted for or against the health care law than that they simply had a D by their names, The New York Times reports.

8 Nov 2010

Veterans deserve best health care coverage

The nation pauses to honor its veterans on November 11 for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Naturally, we want our veterans to be taken care of, especially when it comes to their health. Those who have served their country through the United States military have several options when it comes to their health care coverage.

3 Nov 2010

Arthritis Foundation urges FDA to expeditiously create regulatory pathway for biosimilars

Arthritis Foundation patient advocate, Jan Wyatt, PhD, will provide oral testimony on behalf of the approximately 4 million Americans with inflammatory arthritis at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing today. The hearing will focus on issues and challenges associated with an approval pathway for biologic products that are highly similar "biosimilar" or interchangeable with FDA-licensed products.

3 Nov 2010

Amgen outlines key recommendations for implementing approval pathway for biosimilars

Amgen Senior Vice President of Research and Development Joe Miletich, M.D., Ph.D., will urge members of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel charged with implementing a pathway for biosimilars to establish approval standards that ensure patient safety and follow a science-based approach.

3 Nov 2010

CVS Caremark supports FDA pathway for approval of biogeneric options

CVS Caremark reiterated the company's support that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implement regulations necessary to approve biogeneric drugs under the Affordable Care Act. The company's Senior Vice President of Specialty Pharmacy Operations, Scott Reid, testified before the FDA today during a public hearing to address the development of an approval pathway for biosimilar and interchangeable biological products held at the agency's headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

3 Nov 2010

NeurAxon’s NXN-188 compound effective for acute migraine treatment

NeurAxon, Inc., announced today Phase 2 clinical study results for NXN-188, a novel, first-in-class treatment with the potential to raise the current standard of care in acute migraine.

1 Nov 2010

Merck reports $342 million net income for 2010 third quarter

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the third quarter of $0.85, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, restructuring costs, merger-related expenses and a $950 million legal reserve.

29 Oct 2010

IntriCon third quarter net sales increases 14% to $14.7 million

IntriCon Corporation a designer, developer, manufacturer and distributor of body-worn medical devices, today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

Latuda tablets receive FDA approval for treatment of adults with schizophrenia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Latuda (lurasidone HCl) tablets for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia.

29 Oct 2010

Health department officer admits taking bribes

The Western Australia Corruption and Crime Commission is now inquiring into the case of a senior public servant who admitted to using his position in the Health Department to personally gain around a million dollars in money and gifts between 2004 and 2009.

28 Oct 2010

Mass. hospitals turn away mentally ill kids, Anthem braces for rate hearings, other state news

The Boston Globe reports that children with mental illnesses are "increasingly being turned away from some Massachusetts hospitals' psychiatric wards, a problem the hospital industry acknowledges and blames on insufficient insurance payments to cover treatment of such sick children. … Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, the state's health and human services secretary, said yesterday that hospitals licensed to treat mentally ill children must provide that care if they have sufficient staffing and beds, regardless of the reimbursement rates" (Lazar, 10/27).

28 Oct 2010