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Eye treatment reimbursement change could cost Medicare millions

A change in the reimbursement rate for the drug Avastin, used off-label to treat an eye illness in the elderly, could lead Medicare doctors to use a much costlier drug that would cost the system millions, The New York Times reports.

3 Oct 2009

CNN, TIME examine increasing antibiotic resistance

CNN examines a recent report by researchers that warns of increasing antibiotic resistance and appeals for governments to take action to develop new antibiotics to avert a health crisis.

3 Oct 2009

Democratic leaders shift on public plan, but push ahead despite setbacks

Despite recent setbacks, congressional Democratic leaders have continued pushing for a new government-run insurer as part of health reform. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warmed this week to a more moderate approach to the health insurance plan proposed by centrist Democrats, The Hill reports.

3 Oct 2009

HHS awards $2.1 million grant to Albert Einstein College to expand HCOE

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a three-year, $2.1 million grant to expand and enrich its Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE).

3 Oct 2009

ALL initiative three-year clinical observational study results published

A program that bundled two generic, low-cost drugs - a cholesterol-lowering statin and a blood pressure-lowering drug - and gave daily doses to 68,560 people with diabetes or heart disease for two years is estimated to have prevented 1,271 heart attacks and strokes in the first year following the study period, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the American Journal of Managed Care.

3 Oct 2009

Doctors battle proposed penalties for heavy use of tests

"Doctors are trying to remove a provision in the Senate's latest health bill that would cut Medicare payments to those who administer the most tests and treatments," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposal -- aimed at reducing waste -- is one of several proposals in the bill by the Senate Finance Committee that could change how doctors are evaluated and paid."

3 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: U.S. food aid declines; agriculture in Zimbabwe; U.S.-backed ITN network; reducing maternal mortality; DNDI expands; healthcare in Congo

Although U.S. food aid funding has increased by 53 percent over the last two years, a Government Accountability Office report on Wednesday said that during the same time period, the "amount of food delivered to address emergencies abroad fell 5 percent," the Washington Independent reports.

3 Oct 2009

Cleveland and Mayo Clinic CEOs raise concerns about Congressional reform proposals

The chief executives of the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, both held up as models for health reform, voiced concerns about the health care proposals moving forward in Congress.

3 Oct 2009

61 institutions awarded grants for cancer research from American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 94 new national research and training grants totaling $45,097,000 to 61 institutions nationwide in the second of two grants cycles for 2009. The grants go into effect beginning January 1, 2010.

3 Oct 2009

SNM's joint session with CMOD on molecular imaging biomarkers in clinical research

SNM is collaborating with the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease (CMOD) during CMOD's 7th Annual Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium, Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Bethesda, Md., Oct. 19th, 2009.

3 Oct 2009

Aid efforts continue after earthquake in Indonesia

"Foreign emergency rescue teams are racing to reach earthquake devastated areas of Indonesia's Sumatra island, as the death toll continues to rise" after a 7.6 magnitude-quake struck earlier this week, VOA News reports.

2 Oct 2009

Arginetix raises funds for development programs

Arginetix, Inc. today announced it has closed a $10.75 million Series A financing. The company is developing small molecule inhibitors of the enzyme arginase for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction, including pulmonary arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis and asthma.

2 Oct 2009

Bacteria could be used to control mosquitoes, prevent disease, study says

New findings, published in the journal Science, about the bacteria Wolbachia could be used to control mosquito populations and prevent malaria, dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases, Discovery News reports.

2 Oct 2009

Senate Finance Committee rejects GOP efforts to gut various taxes and fees from bill

During today's mark-up proceedings, Senate Finance Committee Democrats rejected GOP amendments to strip certain fees and taxes included in the draft health reform measure.

1 Oct 2009

Reid's Medicaid deal for Nevada draws criticism

Politico: "Reid moved swiftly to ensure that his home state of Nevada wouldn't be hurt by Medicaid changes included in the health care reform bill moving through the Senate Finance Committee. Now some of his Democratic colleagues are demanding the same treatment for their states."

1 Oct 2009

Opinions: Bridging the divide to stop the spread of HIV; ending future world hunger

"With less than half the people who need treatment having access and with each day more people becoming infected with HIV than are started on treatment, we are mortgaging our future. But we are also exposing a fundamental social injustice - between the privileged and the forsaken - a divide we can bridge," Michael Sidibe, the executive director of UNAIDS, writes in a Daily Nation opinion piece.

1 Oct 2009

New global campaign aims to reduce child mortality

The charity Save the Children announced plans to launch a global campaign to reduce mortality among children younger than age 5, the Canadian Press reports (9/30).

1 Oct 2009

Illegal immigrants receive offers to return home for their health care

Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital's offer to send illegal immigrants who can't afford treatment back to their home countries is raising questions about how to handle health care for that population. Some say the practice is necessary financially while others worry about the patients.

1 Oct 2009

Last finance hurdle: how to pay for overhaul

A final hurdle, how to pay for the health overhaul bill, remains, Bloomberg reports. The remaining items for the Senate Finance Committee are whether "to increase taxes on the most-expensive insurance plans, impose new fees on health-related industries, and limit the tax benefits of flexible savings accounts" (Donmoyer and Rowley, 10/1).

1 Oct 2009

House Democratic leaders work to bridge divisions in ranks

Although much of the attention in the health care debate seems be on the Democratic divisions in the Senate, Democrats in the House are also split on what the next steps are.

1 Oct 2009