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DEA crackdown on nursing home drugs comes under Congressional scrutiny

The New York Times previews a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday where nursing home operators and caregivers will criticize a narcotics crackdown by the Drug Enforcement Administration that they say "has left seriously ill patients crying for pain relief.

25 Mar 2010

DEA regulations will impact nursing home residents, says AAHSA

In written testimony to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging as part of a hearing entitled, "The War on Drugs Meets the War on Pain: Nursing Home Residents Caught in the Crossfire," the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) urged the committee to support legislation designed to recognize "chart orders" and the functional role of nurses as the de facto agent of physicians whose patients reside in nursing facilities.

25 Mar 2010

Auditory brainstem implants for adults with damaged cochlear nerves

If a siren sounded but you were deaf, might you still be able to hear the sound?

23 Mar 2010

Administration official discusses Obama's commitment to Africa's food security in Reuters interview

Food security is central to President Barack Obama's Africa policy, "the administration's top official for Africa," Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson, said in an interview with Reuters. "We want to see the food security initiative take on greater momentum as more African countries are drawn into this program," Carson said.

23 Mar 2010

Health insurance reform legislation: Speaker Nancy Pelosi's remarks on the House floor

Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor tonight in support of historic health insurance reform legislation. The House passed the Senate version of health insurance reform legislation by a vote of 219 to 212. That bill now goes to the President for his signature into law. A second bill, to improve the Senate bill, passed by a vote of 220 to 211 and goes to the Senate. Below are the Speaker's remarks.

22 Mar 2010

Removal of “no known cure” in house bill reduces SOMB’s power to prioritize public safety

House Bill 10-1364 is scheduled to be heard at the House Judiciary Committee at the Colorado capitol building the afternoon of Thursday, March 25. The bill deals in part with whether to keep the words "no known cure" in an existing statute governing Colorado's Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB). The SOMB oversees the state's treatment program for sex offenders.

22 Mar 2010

Replay of the Recovery Act rhetoric two-step, says Congressman Chaka Fattah

"So we're hearing that a bunch of Republican governors and attorneys general are vowing to file suit to block comprehensive healthcare reform as soon as we pass it in the Congress and President Obama signs it into law. These are some of the same Republicans who claimed they were going to refuse money from the Recovery Act – and quietly took the dollars anyway.

22 Mar 2010

Arizona eliminates CHIP; Schwarzenegger seeks to reform California prison health care system

The New York Times: "Arizona on Thursday became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program when Gov. Jan Brewer signed an austere budget that will leave nearly 47,000 low-income children without coverage." The state's budget woes are a stark depiction of "how the fiscal crisis afflicting state governments is cutting deeply into health care.

20 Mar 2010

DARA BioSciences receives NASDAQ non-compliance notice

On March 16, 2010, DARA BioSciences, Inc. received notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC indicating that the Company had not timely regained compliance with the $1.00 bid price requirement, as set forth in Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). DARA plans to timely request a hearing before a NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel, at which it will request the continued listing of its securities on The NASDAQ Capital Market pending the completion of its plan to evidence compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.

20 Mar 2010

Coercing Congress members to vote for healthcare plan: Physicians' file lawsuit

On Thursday, March 18, lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice will appear in Federal District Court for oral argument in opposition to a request by physicians opposed to President Barack Obama's healthcare bill for an injunction barring his Administration "from undertaking in the future to intimidate or coerce any member of Congress" to vote for the plan.

19 Mar 2010

Babies born with severe cleft palates: Promising breakthrough without complex surgery

Scientists working on a treatment for babies born with cleft palates have made a promising breakthrough and the first clinical trials are planned for early next year. Clefts are the most common birth defect in Britain, with one in every 700 babies affected; currently in severe cases radical surgery is required to correct the problem, and in addition future complications can occur as the child grows into an adult.

18 Mar 2010

Costs almost double for health care for Pennsylvania poor; New study finds percentage of people taking insurance through work declines

Facing a sharp rise in costs, Pennsylvania has almost doubled the monthly bill for a state health insurance program for poor people who do not qualify for Medicaid and are on a waiting list for a less costly option. On March 1, the cost of the plan rose to about $600 a month, up from $313 a month, for the roughly 2,400 state residents on the waiting list.

18 Mar 2010

Massachusetts hospital costs not connected to quality of care, report finds

A new report from Massachusetts finds that the price of hospital care there is not necessarily related to quality.

18 Mar 2010

FDA approves Envoy Medical's prosthetic hearing restoration device

On March 17, 2010 the FDA gave approval to Envoy Medical Corporation to market a "First of its Kind" prosthetic hearing restoration device. The approval follows a December 18, 2009 unanimous 15 to 0 vote by an independent advisory panel in favor of approving the Esteem® for moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss. The FDA chose an expedited review process, noting that they believe the Esteem® "represents a breakthrough technology."

18 Mar 2010

Esteem hearing system receives FDA approval for treatment of sensorineural hearing loss

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the approval of the Esteem – an implanted hearing system used to treat moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss, a type of permanent hearing loss.

18 Mar 2010

Sonic Innovations' moisture-resistant hearing aids outlast competition

Sonic Innovations, the U.S.-based hearing aid manufacturer, recently conducted moisture-resistance tests using two of its products and eight from major competitors. The results? Sonic outlasted its nearest competitor by 44 percent.

17 Mar 2010

Pew Prescription Project statement: Protect Americans from unsafe drugs made overseas

Two years after dozens of Americans lost their lives to contaminated heparin, we are still not able to protect U.S. consumers from many of the risks of pharmaceuticals manufactured in foreign factories. It is time for Congress to take action to better protect health.

17 Mar 2010

Pathway Genomics' personal Genetic Health Report now available

Pathway Genomics Inc., a U.S. based genetic testing company, announced the immediate availability of its personal Genetic Health Report. This customized and innovative personal genetic health report contains information on more than 70 health conditions, including pharmacogenetics (prescription medication response), propensity for complex disease, and carrier status (pre-pregnancy health).

17 Mar 2010

Experts discuss PEPFAR funding in congressional hearing

At a recent hearing of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, "[i]nternational health organisations working to help check the spread of AIDS in Africa said meagre increases in funds from the U.S. government this year would be a step backwards. Some experts also emphasised that prevention must get appropriate attention in any fight against the disease," Inter Press Service reports.

15 Mar 2010

CPF, PFF applaud PF patients' efforts to plead with FDA Advisory Panel regarding lack of treatment options

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation are applauding the efforts of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) patients and family members for their work to convey to the FDA and an FDA Advisory Committee the sense of urgency and desperation regarding the disease and the lack of treatment options.

15 Mar 2010

Hearing News and Research

DEA crackdown on nursing home drugs comes under Congressional scrutiny

DEA regulations will impact nursing home residents, says AAHSA

Auditory brainstem implants for adults with damaged cochlear nerves

Administration official discusses Obama's commitment to Africa's food security in Reuters interview

Health insurance reform legislation: Speaker Nancy Pelosi's remarks on the House floor

Removal of “no known cure” in house bill reduces SOMB’s power to prioritize public safety

Replay of the Recovery Act rhetoric two-step, says Congressman Chaka Fattah

Arizona eliminates CHIP; Schwarzenegger seeks to reform California prison health care system

DARA BioSciences receives NASDAQ non-compliance notice

Coercing Congress members to vote for healthcare plan: Physicians' file lawsuit

Babies born with severe cleft palates: Promising breakthrough without complex surgery

Costs almost double for health care for Pennsylvania poor; New study finds percentage of people taking insurance through work declines

Massachusetts hospital costs not connected to quality of care, report finds

FDA approves Envoy Medical's prosthetic hearing restoration device

Esteem hearing system receives FDA approval for treatment of sensorineural hearing loss

Sonic Innovations' moisture-resistant hearing aids outlast competition

Pew Prescription Project statement: Protect Americans from unsafe drugs made overseas

Pathway Genomics' personal Genetic Health Report now available

Experts discuss PEPFAR funding in congressional hearing

CPF, PFF applaud PF patients' efforts to plead with FDA Advisory Panel regarding lack of treatment options

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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