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Sanofi Pasteur commences phase II clinical study of vaccine for Clostridium difficile infection prevention

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that it has started its phase II clinical study of a vaccine for primary prevention of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The trial starting in the United States is focused on evaluating prevention of the first episode of CDI in at-risk individuals, which includes adults with imminent hospitalization or current or impending residence in a long-term care or rehabilitation facility.

30 Nov 2010

Washington Post examines development experts' reactions to draft QDDR

The Washington Post examines development experts' "mixed reactions" to the recent roll out of the State Department's draft Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), which would give USAID "a bigger role in running President [Barack] Obama's two main foreign aid initiatives - health and agriculture."

30 Nov 2010

Texas gives disability oversight to quasi-government authorities; Colorado rural ambulance services face crisis

Texas Tribune: "For years, the state paid private providers who care for people with disabilities to help the clients decide how many services they need and how intensive they should be. But an 11th-hour change state lawmakers inserted into the budget last session stripped the private providers of this case management responsibility, giving it instead to local, quasi-governmental Mental Retardation Authorities, who administer publicly funded services to people with disabilities.

30 Nov 2010

African Ministerial Conference concludes with health priority commitment

Health and environment ministers from at least 46 African countries concluded the Second Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa in Luanda, Angola on Friday, "with the adoption of the 'Luanda Commitment,' which lists the continent's health and environment top priorities in the years ahead," PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

30 Nov 2010

GAVI says pentavalent vaccine price to fall, but $3.7B still needed to vaccinate children in developing countries

The average price of a vaccine that protects children against five diseases is expected to "drop to $2.58 next year compared to the current average price of $2.97," the GAVI Alliance said Friday, Reuters reports. The group credits the expected price decline, which "represents a decrease of 30 percent over the last seven years," in part to an "increased demand for the pentavalent, or five-in-one vaccine," according to the news service (Kelland, 11/26).

30 Nov 2010

Haiti requires additional trained nurses, doctors to address cholera epidemic, U.N. official says

Haiti needs about 1,000 additional trained nurses and at least 100 more physicians to control the cholera epidemic, Valerie Amos, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said during a recent visit to the capital of Port-au-Prince, Reuters reports.

30 Nov 2010

To reduce spread of HIV/AIDS, IFRC calls for more focus on IDU programs

Ahead of World AIDS Day, the International Federation of the Red Cross on Friday released a report (.pdf) calling for governments around the world to do more to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among populations of injecting drug users (IDUs), the Associated Press reports (Heilprin, 11/25).

30 Nov 2010

Support elusive for debt panel as Wednesday deadline nears

The chairmen of a bipartisan panel appointed by President Barack Obama are altering an early draft of recommendations to reduce the nation's debt, in hopes of attracting broader support, The Wall Street Journal reports. Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican (former) Sen. Alan Simpson "need 14 of the 18 members of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to support their proposal in order to issue a formal recommendation, which could then be voted on by Congress before the end of the year.

30 Nov 2010

Medicare advantage enrollees will see more changes to plans

Medicare Advantage enrollees should make a habit of evaluating their options each year. Though experts say that beneficiaries won't be seeing a lot of changes this time and what changes there are will mostly be for the better it is a good idea for people to go through this annual drill before enrollment ends Dec. 31, just to make sure their plan choice remains a good one.

30 Nov 2010

Tricare may raise fees; VA Medical Center uses telemedicine to trim costs

"Of nearly 4.5 million military retirees and their families, about three-quarters are estimated to have access to health insurance through a civilian employer or group. But more than two million of them stay on Tricare," the military's lifetime health insurance program, The New York Times reports. Enrollment in Tricare, which costs less than what many private employers ask for in premiums, is expected to grow "as the costs of private health care continue to climb."

29 Nov 2010

Majority of African nations to miss MDG target on water, sanitation, UNEP says

The majority of African nations will fail to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets related to water and sanitation, the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) said Friday, Agence France-Presse reports.

29 Nov 2010

Groups sharpen distinctions on health reform repeal as court cases continue

With Republicans set to take control of Ohio and the U.S. House of Representatives, patient advocates say they are worried about the future of health-care reform.

29 Nov 2010

Sun protection education to begin early

In a bid to prevent skin cancer the June E. Nylon Cancer Center has received a grant from the Ronald McDonald House Charities in the amount of $1,590 to fund treatments for sun damage among for students in the Sioux City Community Schools and also provide sunscreens to them.

29 Nov 2010

State lawmakers consider Medicaid changes

The Houston Chronicle: "Some Republicans who talk about Texas potentially opting out of Medicaid are quick to say the changes wouldn't throw people out on the street — but not House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts." Pitts didn't advocate the Medicaid change but "gave a stark answer when an audience member asked about an ill friend who is on Medicaid."

29 Nov 2010

ACO's raise hope but also questions

The Wall Street Journal: "Spurred by incentives in the federal health-overhaul law, hospitals and doctors around the country are beginning to create new entities that aim to provide more efficient health care," called ACO's. "But these efforts are already raising questions about whether they can truly save money, or if they might actually drive costs higher. In Arizona, Tucson Medical Center is forming a company that the hospital will own jointly with local physicians' practices.

29 Nov 2010

KHN column: Replace the tattered Medicaid long-term care safety net

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: "Medicaid, the state-federal health program that also pays for nearly half of all long-term care services for the frail elderly and younger people with disabilities, is in big trouble" (11/29).

29 Nov 2010

Political cartoon: 'Attack Dog or Lapdog?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Attack Dog Or Lapdog?" by Monte Wolverton.

29 Nov 2010

Genesis deploys BIO-key's finger-based biometric identification solutions

BIO-key International, Inc., a leader in finger-based biometric identification solutions, announced the successful deployment by Genesis HealthCare System, based in Zanesville, Ohio, of BIO-key's biometric identification for staff to quickly, conveniently and securely establish their identity when ordering, verifying or administering medications as required by Ohio law.

29 Nov 2010

Lilly selects Veeva CRM for global deployments

Veeva Systems announced today that its Veeva CRM® suite of applications has been chosen by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company for major global deployments.

29 Nov 2010

Cardinal Health acquires Zuellig Pharma China for $470 million

Cardinal Health today announced the completion of a $470 million acquisition of privately held Zuellig Pharma China, a leading health care distribution business in China, known locally as Yong Yu, and the largest pharmaceutical importer in the country. The transaction extends Cardinal Health's distribution and services presence into one of the world's fastest growing health care markets and provides a platform to drive long-term growth.

29 Nov 2010