Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

Sun Pharma receives FDA approval for generic Doxil

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of the cancer drug Doxil (doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection).

4 Feb 2013

Administration issues proposed rule on contraception coverage mandate and nonprofit religious organizations

The Department of Health and Human Services today announced a proposed rule that, according to an agency press release, lays out "how nonprofit religious organizations, such as nonprofit religious hospitals or institutions of higher education, that object to contraception on religious grounds can receive an accommodation that provides their enrollees separate contraceptive coverage, and with no co-pays, but at no cost to the religious organization."

2 Feb 2013

FDA announces federal judge approval of Ben Venue consent decree

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that a federal judge has approved a consent decree of permanent injunction against Ben Venue Laboratories, Inc., and three of its corporate officers for failing to comply with current good manufacturing practice requirements as required by federal law.

2 Feb 2013

National Eye Institute’s booklet and videos help people adapt to life with low vision

A 20-page large-print booklet and a series of videos to help people adapt to life with low vision are available from the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The materials were released during Low Vision Awareness Month, February 2013.

2 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Health law's 'implausible' foundations; 4 needed health reforms; Sunlight on drugmaker payments to doctors

As the federal government moves forward to implement President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to spend millions of dollars promoting the unpopular legislation. In the face of this publicity blitz, it is worth remembering that the law was originally sold largely on four grounds - all of which have become increasingly implausible.

2 Feb 2013

Hyperion Therapeutics receives FDA approval for Ravicti to treat urea cycle disorders

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ravicti (glycerol phenylbutyrate) for the chronic management of some urea cycle disorders (UCDs) in patients ages 2 years and older.

1 Feb 2013

State highlights: Mayo seeks Minn. help for Rochester expansion; Texas bill on end-of-life treatment offered; Milwaukee County board considers dropping employee coverage

The Mayo Clinic is proposing more than $5 billion in investments in and around Rochester as part of an ambitious expansion plan to create what the clinic calls a "Destination Medical Center." Included in that plan is a request for more than $500 million in state taxpayer money to help fund infrastructure as the Mayo grows. Mayo claims the plan would create between 35,000 and 45,000 new jobs. Mayo is already Minnesota's largest private employer with 32,000 employees in the state.

1 Feb 2013

State roundup: Texas lawmakers ready health budget

Texas budget writers got a briefing on the state's health care programs Wednesday, and many of the biggest questions focused on how the state can reduce fraud and what to do about ever-increasing health care costs.

1 Feb 2013

Ohio might join ranks of red states opting for Medicaid expansion

John Kasich, the state's Republican governor, hints to The Cincinnati Enquirer that he might call for this step in his two-year budget plan, expected to be released in the next few days.

1 Feb 2013

Eligibility for health insurance subsidies narrower than many consumer groups had hoped

A final rule, released Wednesday, set out a strict definition of affordable health insurance that will prevent many families with modest incomes from obtaining federal financial assistance.

1 Feb 2013

State roundup: Ga. hospital fee bill nears passage

After a series of friendly questions and statements of support, the fast-tracked legislation on a state hospital provider fee swept through a House committee Tuesday. The House Government Affairs Committee, by a 15-1 vote, approved Senate Bill 24, which would facilitate the renewal of the assessment. The state Senate passed the bill earlier this month. The legislation could reach the House floor Thursday or Friday. If it passes, it then would go to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature -- an unusually rapid journey into law.

31 Jan 2013

States look to speed shift of high-risk pool enrollees into exchanges

Meanwhile, the Associated Press checks on the status of the online insurance markets in the District of Columbia, New York, New Mexico and South Carolina.

30 Jan 2013

Genzyme receives FDA approval for Kynamro to treat homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kynamro (mipomersen sodium) injection as an addition to lipid-lowering medications and diet to treat patients with a rare type of high cholesterol called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

30 Jan 2013

Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol may reduce risk of heart attack or stroke in diabetics

For people with diabetes, meeting the recommended guidelines for blood pressure and cholesterol is even more important than meeting the guidelines for blood sugar control in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

29 Jan 2013

New tweet-screening method effectively tracks flu cases

Sifting through social media messages has become a popular way to track when and where flu cases occur, but a key hurdle hampers the process: how to identify flu-infection tweets. Some tweets are posted by people who have been sick with the virus, while others come from folks who are merely talking about the illness. If you are tracking actual flu cases, such conversations about the flu in general can skew the results.

29 Jan 2013

Roundup: Feds say Ariz. overbilled them $12M on Medicaid; Insurer v. co-op coverage fight in Md.

Arizona failed to properly document efforts to enroll children in its Medicaid program for years and overcharged the federal government nearly $12 million, auditors found in a report expected to be released today. In addition to recommending that Arizona repay the federal government $11.7 million, the report by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests the review of an additional $18.8 million as questionable billing.

29 Jan 2013

Women with BRCA gene mutations tend to undergo menopause sooner than others

Women with harmful mutations in the BRCA gene, which put them at higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, tend to undergo menopause significantly sooner than other women, allowing them an even briefer reproductive window and possibly a higher risk of infertility, according to a study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.

29 Jan 2013

ED visits involving ADHD stimulant medications are on the rise

A new report shows that the number of emergency department visits involving attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulant medications more than doubled from 13,379 visits in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010.

28 Jan 2013

Health law's Medicaid expansion raises possibilities, problems for states

California Gov. Jerry Brown describes implementing the expansion as "incredibly complex," while Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder sees it an opportunity to address gaps in the mental health system. In Arizona, meanwhile, the expansion is framed as an immigration issue.

28 Jan 2013

HSS involving resiniferatoxin receives U.S. patent to alleviate intractable pain

The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued a patent to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services involving resiniferatoxin, or RTX, an experimental compound that represents a potential new class of drugs to alleviate the intractable pain that can occur in people with advanced cancer, severe arthritis, and other extremely chronic conditions.

28 Jan 2013

Health and Human Services News and Research

Sun Pharma receives FDA approval for generic Doxil

Administration issues proposed rule on contraception coverage mandate and nonprofit religious organizations

FDA announces federal judge approval of Ben Venue consent decree

National Eye Institute’s booklet and videos help people adapt to life with low vision

Viewpoints: Health law's 'implausible' foundations; 4 needed health reforms; Sunlight on drugmaker payments to doctors

Hyperion Therapeutics receives FDA approval for Ravicti to treat urea cycle disorders

State highlights: Mayo seeks Minn. help for Rochester expansion; Texas bill on end-of-life treatment offered; Milwaukee County board considers dropping employee coverage

State roundup: Texas lawmakers ready health budget

Ohio might join ranks of red states opting for Medicaid expansion

Eligibility for health insurance subsidies narrower than many consumer groups had hoped

State roundup: Ga. hospital fee bill nears passage

States look to speed shift of high-risk pool enrollees into exchanges

Genzyme receives FDA approval for Kynamro to treat homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol may reduce risk of heart attack or stroke in diabetics

New tweet-screening method effectively tracks flu cases

Roundup: Feds say Ariz. overbilled them $12M on Medicaid; Insurer v. co-op coverage fight in Md.

Women with BRCA gene mutations tend to undergo menopause sooner than others

ED visits involving ADHD stimulant medications are on the rise

Health law's Medicaid expansion raises possibilities, problems for states

HSS involving resiniferatoxin receives U.S. patent to alleviate intractable pain

Event guide: 6th Operationalize Expanded Access Programs Summit East eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News