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Study: Generic nifedipine product not bioequivalent to Adalat XL

An extended release generic nifedipine product (Mylan-Nifedipine extended release 60 mg formerly Gen-Nifedipine extended release 60mg, Genpharm ULC) is not bioequivalent to the Canadian originator product, Adalat(R) XL(R), according to the results of a study recently published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

4 Feb 2010

Despite improvements, aid delivery bottlenecks persist in Haiti

Three weeks after a major earthquake struck Haiti, challenges in getting aid to those in need persist, the Washington Post reports. "Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said the relief effort has escalated in recent days and will continue to do so.

4 Feb 2010

Recent clinical trials in patients with ALBP show that SOMA 250 mg reduces disability

A recent analysis of two pivotal clinical trials in patients with acute low back pain (ALBP) who were treated with SOMA® (carisoprodol) 250 mg showed significantly improved functionality and reduced disability after three days of treatment, as measured by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ).

4 Feb 2010

P&G joins existing Navigenics investors in $18M Series C financing

Navigenics, a leading personal genomics company, announced today that the company has raised approximately $18 million of funding. The Procter and Gamble Company, with a worldwide portfolio of leading consumer brands, has joined existing Navigenics investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers and Mohr Davidow Ventures who also participated in this financing round.

4 Feb 2010

State round up: Florida considers eliminating popular Medicaid plan; State program for low-income adults changing in Minn.

e year the state of Florida eliminates its popular MediPass program, which gives more than half a million Medicaid recipients, mostly aged and disabled Floridians, an alternative to HMOs. Hints of its demise showed up in the governor's budget and letters from a powerful lawmaker.

4 Feb 2010

TGen, Geisinger Health System sign strategic research agreement

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Geisinger Health System today announced the signing of a strategic research agreement that provides for a focused look at the gaps in clinical medicine where biomedical research can make a difference.

4 Feb 2010

Tough economy adds stress to hospitals; Community health centers help fill gaps

Hospitals get mixed marks while many suffer from the effects of the struggling economy. Meanwhile, community health centers increasingly provide more care and help fill in health care gaps.

4 Feb 2010

Court weighs patents for human genes

The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a genetics company that holds patents on breast- and ovarian-cancer-causing genes, saying their claims on the two genes hinders further research by other companies and scientists, the Associated Press/CBS News reports.

4 Feb 2010

UBC announces the opening of new global office in Tokyo, Japan

nited BioSource Corporation (UBC) today announced the opening of its newest global office in Tokyo, Japan. The UBC office will be led by Kumpei Kobayashi, PharmD, a biopharmaceutical industry veteran with over 20 years of product development experience throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

4 Feb 2010

Poll: Health care 'damage' to Democrats 'has been done'

Politico: "Democrats will face nearly the same political environment this fall whether or not they pass health care reform legislation, according to a new poll out Tuesday." The poll, by Public Policy Polling, found that "Republicans currently have a generic ballot advantage of 43 percent to 40 percent in races for Congress. ... 'At this point, it looks like the political damage for Democrats on health care has been done,' PPP President Dean Debnam said. "The poll, conducted Jan. 29 - 31, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points" (Barr, 2/2).

3 Feb 2010

States consider their own health reform ideas

"Supporters of a bill that seeks to bar lifetime and annual payment caps on health insurance plans in Maine say they expect a large crowd at a legislative committee's hearing on the proposal." The same topic has been considered by the U.S. Congress as part of Democrats health overhaul (2/3).

3 Feb 2010

Questionable health insurance plans cause concern

Officials worry that people with no insurance will be drawn in by questionable health insurance plans. ABC News reports: The "[h]ealth care overhaul is stalled, resulting in a proliferation of plans that don't fully protect people, officials said. Watchdogs worry about two kinds of plans in particular."

3 Feb 2010

New York Times examines WHO process for getting H1N1 vaccines to countries in need

The New York Times examines the WHO's role as a "clearinghouse" for getting the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine to lower income nations. Though H1N1 has died down in North America and many wealthier nations "are trying to get rid of their [vaccine] surpluses," the virus continues to circulate in regions of North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, according to the newspaper.

3 Feb 2010

Lobbying, ads slow down on health reform

"Drugmakers, business organizations and other interest groups in the health care battle have dialed down expensive lobbying campaigns as they assess how last month's stunning Republican capture of a Senate seat from Massachusetts has altered Washington's political landscape...," The Associated Press reports.

3 Feb 2010

Obama urges Senate Dems not to give up on health legislation

The Washington Post: President Obama attended an issues conference today with the Senate Democratic Caucus and "answered questions from senators, some of them facing uphill reelection battles."

3 Feb 2010

Lawmakers sound off on President's budget and health costs

While White House Budget Director Peter Orszag testified on Capitol Hill about President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget, some members expressed concern about health costs, McClatchy reports.

3 Feb 2010

House Dems' next step in health reform: Repeal of insurance antitrust exemption

Lawmakers "hoping to revive President Barack Obama's stalled health care overhaul have started writing a compromise bill, but it's unclear when the legislation will be ready for votes, a top House Democrat said Tuesday," The Associated Press reports. "The measure would change the massive Senate-approved health bill to what bargainers from the White House, Senate and House agreed to last month, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said in a brief interview.

3 Feb 2010

AP offers advice on choosing Medicare Advantage plans

Consumers can switch from original Medicare plans to Medicare Advantage plans until March 31 and to help them understand the options, The Associated Press offers answers to frequent questions about Medicare Advantage plans.

3 Feb 2010

Drug company CEOs under pressure

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal on Severin Schwan, chief executive of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG: "'It is difficult to gauge the impact of the planned U.S. healthcare reform on the pharmaceutical industry,' Schwan told reporters at a media conference to detail 2009 earnings. 'On the one hand, more U.S. citizens will be getting access to healthcare, which is positive. At the same time, pressure on drug prices will certainly increase,' he added." The wire service adds that he also said "decisions on generic biosimilars will be key" (Greil, 2/3).

3 Feb 2010

The debate over selling insurance across state lines

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz writes that Republicans in Congress have proposed this concept in the past "and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., embraced it as part of his 2008 presidential campaign. Advocates - including some insurers and small business groups - say it would give the more than 17 million Americans who buy individual coverage a greater choice of plans and the possibility of lower prices.

3 Feb 2010