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Ending insurance discrimination, closing coverage gaps proving difficult in reform efforts

Current health reform efforts seek to prevent insurers from rejecting individuals or charging people higher rates based on their medical history. However, a simple ban would not take away the economic pressure that encourages such practices, The Washington Post reports: "Cognizant of the threat, lawmakers are trying to neutralize it.

6 Oct 2009

$16 million federal stimulus funds for cancer research projects

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington schools of Public Health and Pharmacy have been selected to lead four projects backed by approximately $16 million in federal stimulus funding for comparative-effectiveness research in cancer.

6 Oct 2009

U.N. officials highlight need for vaccine assistance to poor countries

U.N. officials on Sunday said that the H1N1 (swine flu) virus had arrived in poorer countries, highlighting a growing need for financial assistance and H1N1 vaccines for such regions, SAPA/News24.com reports.

6 Oct 2009

Research reveals that 52% Americans are not worried about H1N1 virus and its impact

As the first recipients of the H1N1 vaccine are vaccinated, more than half of Americans surveyed (52 percent) do not believe the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, will have a major impact in the United States compared to 44 percent who believe it will, according to the results of a new Deloitte Center for Health Solutions survey.

6 Oct 2009

BBC examines 'huge imbalance' between funding for HIV/AIDS, other health needs in Uganda

The BBC examines the balance between funding for HIV/AIDS and for the broader health system and other diseases in Uganda.

6 Oct 2009

Obama discretely lobbying for public option in Senate health bill

"Despite months of outward ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to get divided Senate Democrats to take up some version of the idea for a final vote in the coming weeks," The Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Oct 2009

NCQA awards Excellent Accreditation status to AvMed Health for its commercial and Medicare products

For two consecutive years, AvMed Health Plans has received an Excellent Accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for both its commercial and Medicare products. The Excellent rating is the NCQA's highest accreditation status for service and clinical quality that meet or exceed NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement.

6 Oct 2009

News outlets examines health impact of disasters in Indonesia, Samoa, Philippines

In Indonesia, "[r]escue workers called off the search Monday for life under the rubble left by a massive earthquake, focusing instead on bringing aid to survivors," the Agence France-Presse reports. "The United Nations has said at least 1,100 people were killed in the disaster, but estimates of the final toll range up to 5,000. The official toll stood at 650 dead and 672 missing, according to the health ministry," the news service writes (Belford, 10/5).

6 Oct 2009

FOLOTYN available for commercial sale in the United States

Allos Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that FOLOTYN (pralatrexate injection) is now available for commercial sale in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for FOLOTYN for use as a single agent for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) on September 24, 2009. This indication is based on overall response rate.

6 Oct 2009

Ankota releases Healthcare Delivery Management software

Ankota, Inc. a Baltimore, MD-based software company, announced today the release of the Ankota Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM) software suite for Home Medical Equipment (HME), Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and Respiratory Therapy (RT).

6 Oct 2009

Incentives move doctors to e-prescribe; hospitals slow to join HIT exchanges

"The number of U.S. physicians and other medical professionals prescribing electronically is expected to more than double this year, enticed by higher Medicare payments tied to the technology's use," Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports.

6 Oct 2009

UTEK launches new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices

UTEK Corporation (NYSE Amex:UTK), a global IP licensing and innovation services company, is pleased to announce the launch of its new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices: www.MedicalDeviceLicensing.com.

5 Oct 2009

$40B needed to 'dramatically' reduce millions of child deaths annually, report says

Two million infants die within 24 hours of birth each year and almost nine million children died before the age of 5 in 2008, according to a report by Save the Children, which says it would take $40 billion annually to "dramatically" cut these numbers, Agence France-Presse reports (Mohiuddin, 10/5).

5 Oct 2009

MSF calls on drug companies to pool HIV patents

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) recently launched an e-mail campaign calling on nine of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to "release their patents on specific HIV drugs into a collective pool that will increase access and affordability to treatment in developing countries," Inter Press Service reports (Borde, 10/1).

5 Oct 2009

Eleventh-hour lobbying campaigns hope to lower costs to industry

As the Senate Finance Committee finalizes its health reform proposal, medical-device makers are hoping to convince lawmakers to make one last change, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, the trade group for the larger device manufacturers, wants [Committee Chair Max Baucus of Montana] to reduce $40 billion in fees over the next decade to $15 billion, according to people close to the negotiations. But industry was told that offer is too low.

5 Oct 2009

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

The Baltimore Sun reports that congressional efforts to reform the health care system could lead to improvements in care for the nation's mentally ill.

5 Oct 2009

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

"A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. "Greenspan told the ABC program 'This Week' that the federal debt was already getting too big, so reforming health care must do more than achieve what politicians call revenue neutrality — bringing in as much money as it costs."

5 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: World Bank budget concerns; Ethiopia prepares for malaria surge; malnutrition in Yemen; malaria prevention in Africa

Before the start of the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund World Bank on Friday, World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned that the international lender expects to "face serious constraints" by the middle of next year unless developed nations provide the bank with more resources, the Associated Press reports.

5 Oct 2009

Today's editorials and opinions

The Senate Finance Committee put the final touches on its healthcare bill early Friday morning, and soon Democratic leaders will begin reconciling it with a more costly alternative approved by the Senate's health panel.

5 Oct 2009

Challenges surround the calculation of costs associated with illegal immigrant care

PhillyBurbs.com examines the cost of caring for undocumented immigrants and whether it really is cheaper to exclude them under a health care overhaul. Despite widespread support for requiring people to prove their citizenship to receive government health benefits, PhillyBurbs.com reports: "Public health and immigration experts worry excluding undocumented immigrants would put everyone at risk, hamper attempts to prevent the spread of disease and lead to an increase in health care spending."

5 Oct 2009

Health Care News and Research

Ending insurance discrimination, closing coverage gaps proving difficult in reform efforts

$16 million federal stimulus funds for cancer research projects

U.N. officials highlight need for vaccine assistance to poor countries

Research reveals that 52% Americans are not worried about H1N1 virus and its impact

BBC examines 'huge imbalance' between funding for HIV/AIDS, other health needs in Uganda

Obama discretely lobbying for public option in Senate health bill

NCQA awards Excellent Accreditation status to AvMed Health for its commercial and Medicare products

News outlets examines health impact of disasters in Indonesia, Samoa, Philippines

FOLOTYN available for commercial sale in the United States

Ankota releases Healthcare Delivery Management software

Incentives move doctors to e-prescribe; hospitals slow to join HIT exchanges

UTEK launches new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices

$40B needed to 'dramatically' reduce millions of child deaths annually, report says

MSF calls on drug companies to pool HIV patents

Eleventh-hour lobbying campaigns hope to lower costs to industry

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

Also in Global Health news: World Bank budget concerns; Ethiopia prepares for malaria surge; malnutrition in Yemen; malaria prevention in Africa

Today's editorials and opinions

Challenges surround the calculation of costs associated with illegal immigrant care

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

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