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Ill effects of methamphetamine

On the street it's known as meth, speed, ice, chalk, crank, fire, glass or crystal. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that wreaks havoc on the entire body, including the user's oral health. Approximately 10 million Americans have tried methamphetamine, while more than 1.4 million are habitual users.

17 Aug 2010

Global vaccine sales up 16% in 2009, report says

Global vaccine sales "grew by a healthy 16 percent last year, when sales shot up to $22.1 billion, healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information reported Friday," according to the Associated Press. Kalorama is also forecasting sales "will rise at a compound annual rate of 9.7 percent during the next five years," (Johnson, 8/14).

17 Aug 2010

BioPharm second quarter 2010 revenues rise 26%

BioPharm Asia, Inc.,a producer, distributor and retailer of medical products in China, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

17 Aug 2010

Shah discusses foreign aid efficiency

At an event on Friday in Seattle, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah discussed foreign aid efficacy and ways "to streamline the federal agency and to help make the whole U.S. aid budget easier to understand and track," the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports. Shah said that the Obama administration is concerned about foreign aid transparency and its effectiveness, adding: "The president continues to live up to the overall commitment to develop foreign assistance."

16 Aug 2010

Washington Post: Debate over whether big health systems help cut costs

In Roanoke, Va., one company owns the city's two hospitals and six others in a region of 250,000 residents, commanding the area's largest economic engine and a workforce that includes 550 doctors, The Washington Post reports. Carilion Clinic's consolidation has sparked a local row: Is this the future of integrated, efficient health care delivery, or is it a gilded-age style monopoly?

16 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: Hunger in Guatemala; Flooding worsens Niger's food crisis; 'New Delhi' gene name concerns

"The efforts of public agencies, non-governmental organisations, private entities and international agencies have become indispensable in addressing the food crisis" in Guatemala, however "activists believe a greater public effort is necessary," Inter Press Service reports. The article examines efforts by various agencies working in Guatemala including the Rural Development Programme for Las Verapaces (PRODEVER), and Accion Contra el Hambre, a local anti-hunger organization.

16 Aug 2010

Medco Health Solutions to acquire United BioSource Corporation

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and United BioSource Corporation today announced a definitive agreement under which Medco will acquire closely held UBC in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $730 million. The combination of America's leading advanced pharmacy with one of the world's most respected sources of post-approval drug and device research extends Medco's core capabilities in data analytics and research to further accelerate pharmaceutical knowledge – advancing patient safety and furthering evidence-based medicine.

16 Aug 2010

Politics and Health Reform: Democrats, Republicans trying to sway seniors

The Associated Press: Democrats, "running scared in an election year," are hopeful that a $250 check - to help seniors afford prescription drugs - will turn the tide of public opinion. "Democrats ... are trying to overcome older people's mistrust of the new health care law, which expands coverage for younger generations by cutting Medicare payments to hospitals and insurers. … Behind the hoopla, the reality is modest. The $250 check, for example, is just a fraction of what many people in the prescription coverage gap have to pay.

16 Aug 2010

State Roundup: Elderly inmates burden cash-strapped states; Drew University in LA faces financial troubles; Florida doctors opt not to break ties to AMA

The Associated Press reports on "the national surge in elderly inmates whose medical expenses are straining cash-strapped states and have officials looking for solutions, including early release, some possibly to nursing homes. ... That burden is becoming greater as the American Civil Liberties Union estimates that elderly prisoners — the fastest growing segment of the prison population, largely because of tough sentencing laws — are three times more expensive to incarcerate than younger inmates.

16 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Challenges for independent Medicare board; Lack of independent analysis of Medicare finances; Medical schools shouldn't fear restrictions on ties to industry

One of the most promising aspects of the new health-care reform is the creation of an independent board to recommend changes in federal health programs and a fast-track provision that would allow these changes to take effect automatically unless Congress comes up with alternatives that would save a similar amount (8/16).

16 Aug 2010

Enrollment open in Phase I clinical study of Morphotek's MORAb-028 for advanced melanoma

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., announced today that the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California has opened enrollment in a Phase I clinical study with MORAb-028 in patients with advanced melanoma.

16 Aug 2010

KHN column: Medicaid cutbacks not the same as private insurance rescission

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "Everywhere you look, Medicaid seems to be in jeopardy.

16 Aug 2010

Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities event to provide free medical, dental services in five cities

Henry Schein, Inc., the largest distributor of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, announced today that Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities will provide free medical and dental services to more than 5,000 children and their caregivers in five cities throughout the United States this summer and fall.

16 Aug 2010

Medforma unveils new Internet-based wellness platform

Nearly 80 percent of health care costs are spent on treating preventable diseases. And most of this burden falls on employers and employees. To help employers reduce these expenses while improving the health of their workforces, St. Paul-based Medforma Inc., today unveiled the next-generation of its Internet-based wellness platform called Health Portrait™.

16 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 16, 2010

Today's headlines reflect coverage of state health reform implementation issues as well as other emerging policy issues in the nation's health system.

16 Aug 2010

Retirees give thumbs up to health insurance exchanges

The reviews are in, and retirees give the thumbs up to health insurance exchanges. In an independent survey of 443 retirees who use a health insurance exchange to compare and choose private individual Medicare and supplement plans, 85% of their reviews were positive.

16 Aug 2010

China Biologic Products second-quarter revenues increase 23.3% to $40.9 million

China Biologic Products, Inc., one of the leading plasma-based biopharmaceutical companies in the People's Republic of China, operating through its indirect majority-owned subsidiaries, Shandong Taibang Biological Products Co. Ltd. and Guiyang Dalin Biologic Technologies Co., Ltd. and its equity investment in Xi'an Huitian Blood Products Co., Ltd., today reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

16 Aug 2010