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Folic acid supplements do not reduce risk of precancerous colon tumors

Taking folic acid supplements does not reduce the risk of developing precancerous tumors in the colon and may even increase the risk, a new study has found.

16 Jun 2007

New weapons in the fight against food poisoning

University of Nottingham experts have joined forces with Canadian biotech company GangaGen Life Sciences Inc to develop new weapons in the fight against food poisoning.

28 May 2007

New weapons in the fight against food poisoning

University of Nottingham experts have joined forces with Canadian biotech company GangaGen Life Sciences Inc to develop new weapons in the fight against food poisoning.

24 May 2007

Microsoft to acquire Medstory

Microsoft on Monday announced plans to acquire California-based Medstory, a start-up company that has developed a specialized online search engine to provide health and medical information to consumers, the New York Times reports.

28 Feb 2007

Former FDA Administrator Crawford pleads guilty to conflicts of interest

Lester Crawford, who resigned as FDA commissioner in September 2005, on Tuesday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges of false reporting and conflicts of interest related to ownership of stocks in companies that are regulated by the agency, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Bridges, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

Canadians paralysed after drinking carrot juice

Carrot juice which was withdrawn from the market late last month is thought to be responsible for the illness of two Canadians who are paralyzed and are severely ill in hospital.

9 Oct 2006

The fight against zoonotic pathogens around the world

At the beginning of 2006 bird flu was the main topic in the media.

19 Jul 2006

FDA warns of possible risks to children using Triaminic Vapor Patch

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today is warning consumers not to use the Triaminic Vapor Patch marketed by Novartis Consumer Health due to reports of serious adverse events associated with accidental ingestion by children.

19 Jun 2006

Updated consumer guide explains dispute resolution process

The Kaiser Family Foundation and Consumers Union today released an updated guide to help consumers through the process of resolving disputes with their health plans.

4 Aug 2005

Melbourne researchers take head lice treatment to the world

A new Victorian biotechnology company, Hatchtech, announced at BIO 2005 that its technology is the first in the world to kill 100% of head lice eggs. International clinical trials are expected to begin within a year and the product may be on market shelves within three years.

19 Jun 2005

Microsoft launches MSN Health & Fitness

The Microsoft network of Internet services today launched MSN Health & Fitness, a comprehensive online destination for people looking to improve their well-being with up-to-date and easy-to-access information.

4 Jan 2005

Food safety regulators meet in global effort to reduce the more than 2 billion cases of foodborne illness

Faced with an increasing global burden of foodborne disease, more than 300 food safety regulators from over 100 countries will gather for the 2nd Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators from 12 to 14 October.

12 Oct 2004

Pharmacy Care Alliance provides $2.9 million in savings to Medicare beneficiaries

The Pharmacy Care Alliance has announced that for the first seven weeks of its discount card program, Medicare beneficiaries saved an average of 40 percent on generic drugs and 23 percent on brand drugs when compared to retail pharmacy cash prices. Medicare beneficiaries in all U.S. states have used the Pharmacy Care Alliance card since June 1.

29 Jul 2004

Codex aims to keep up with gene technologies and potential health impact of genetically modified foods

The Codex Alimentarius Commission convened its 27th session today, one year ahead of schedule, amid calls for the Commission to implement recommendations made by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation.

29 Jun 2004

Pharmacy Care Alliance gives out first prescription discounts

Early yesterday morning, two Medicare beneficiaries visited Kroger pharmacies in the Cincinnati area and received the first prescription discounts delivered by the Pharmacy Care Alliance under the Medicare prescription discount card program.

2 Jun 2004

HHS launches new web pilot project for consumer health information

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the launch of a 9-month pilot project with WebMD Health to make HHS consumer health information more widely and more rapidly available to the public on a new HHS "channel" on WebMD.

17 May 2004

Drug discount card accepted across 41,000 US PCA pharmacies

Following Medicare's approval of its prescription drug discount card, the Pharmacy Care Alliance today announced that its growing network of pharmacies includes more than 31,000 chain and 10,000 independent representing more than 41,000 local pharmacies across the U.S.

16 May 2004