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Third human clinical trial of LigoCyte's norovirus vaccine started

LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated its third human clinical trial of its norovirus vaccine. The Phase I/II study will assess safety and immunogenicity associated with LigoCyte's investigational, nasally-delivered, dry powder vaccine in healthy adults. The study will also assess potential protection against clinical symptoms of norovirus infection by including a live virus challenge of subjects that have received either the vaccine or placebo.

8 Sep 2009

Illegal immigrants may benefit from new health care reform bill

As President Obama addresses the nation on health care reform, a new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 6.6 million uninsured illegal immigrants could receive benefits under the House health reform bill (H.R. 3200). While the bill states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the new taxpayer-funded affordability credits, there is nothing in the bill to enforce this provision.

8 Sep 2009

Screening rates for colorectal cancer are lower in safety net health system, study reveals

Colorectal cancer screening rates are much lower among those in a safety net health system compared to the national average, and the number one predictor of screening is a combination of regular visits and insurance access.

8 Sep 2009

Baucus reportedly proposing new insurance fee to pay for health reform

The New York Times reports that "In a last effort to give the Senate a bipartisan health care bill," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., "the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee circulated a comprehensive proposal on Sunday to overhaul the health care system and proposed a new fee on insurance companies to help pay for coverage of the uninsured."

7 Sep 2009

Five Clinical Research Units established

With the establishment of five new Clinical Research Units the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) hopes to give a further boost to clinical research in Germany and drive progress in the scientific investigation and possibilities for the treatment of disease.

7 Sep 2009

CIHR funds for Alzheimer's and stroke research

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has announced a grant totaling more than a million dollars for John F. MacDonald's research on Alzheimer's disease.

7 Sep 2009

Baucus: 'Committed to getting health care reform done' soon

The Associated Press reports that Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said "I am committed to getting health care reform done — done soon and done right," in a written statement. The AP adds "He is considering making a formal proposal soon to the small group of Senate negotiators who call themselves the 'Bipartisan Six.'

7 Sep 2009

Obama 'ready to draw line in the sand' on health reform

"White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama is considering his own health care legislation to cut through the stalemate on Capitol Hill. Gibbs says Americans will know exactly where the president stands after his speech to Congress on Wednesday night. He says Obama is ready to 'draw some lines in the sand.'" Gibbs appeared on ABC's "This Week" (9/6).

7 Sep 2009

Health insurance reform forum in Spanish

As Members of Congress get ready to head back to Washington, Organizing for America (OFA), a grassroots project of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) dedicated to supporting the President's agenda for change, will hold a first of its kind forum on health insurance reform in Spanish TOMORROW Saturday, September 5 in Tucson, Arizona, highlighting the strong support for health insurance reform throughout Arizona.

5 Sep 2009

Health bills might not protect some needy Americans, experts say

Kaiser Health News reports that the House's health overhaul proposal would allow some families "to obtain family coverage for $250 a month, with the government picking up the rest of the premium costs.

5 Sep 2009

Gawande on "rationing": Provokes fear, but won't happen in U.S. health care

Atul Gawande, the New Yorker staff writer and cancer surgeon, spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about the how the word "rationing" has been used - and misused - in the health care debate.

5 Sep 2009

Senate negotiators have 'productive' phone call, despite tensions

A group of Senate negotiators, known as the Gang of Six, held a teleconference today to discuss their efforts to craft a bipartisan reform bill in the Finance Committee, USA Today reports. The group, which includes three Republicans and three Democrats, went into the call on the heels of a rough patch, with Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, asking supporter for help defeating "Obama-care" and Democrats attacking Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., for making critical remarks.

5 Sep 2009

$2.4M approved for LHIN's Urgent Priorities and Aging at Home initiatives

At its meeting on August 26 2009, the South West LHIN Board approved a total of $2.4M for 2009/10 in one-time and base funding as part of its Urgent Priorities and Aging at Home initiatives. These initiatives and projects support the priorities identified in the LHIN's Integrated Health Service Plan (IHSP) and will help to address health care pressures within the South West LHIN.

5 Sep 2009

Opinion: Local drug production in developing countries; Obama's PEPFAR changes

The international community focuses on lowering drug prices as a means of improving access and "today its idea is local pharmaceutical production .

5 Sep 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Tactically, however, (former Alaska Gov. Sarah) Palin's move was pure brilliance: in but a few keystrokes she synthesized the underlying suspicion at least half of Americans have about a government role in health care delivery and created a visual metaphor from which the Obama White House and congressional Democrats still haven't fully recovered. So would it surprise you that Palin has a legitimate point? Well, sort of (John Edgell, 9/4).

5 Sep 2009

PPA bus tour raises awareness of patient assistance programs

The "Help is Here Express" bus tour will be stopping in Kentucky throughout the week of September 8 - 11 at various cities in order to help uninsured and financially-struggling Kentuckians access information on programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free.

5 Sep 2009

Proposed subsidies to expand coverage may miss some families

Democrats' reform proposals would attempt to expand health coverage to uninsured middle and low-income families with new premiums to help buy insurance plans, Kaiser Health News reports. But for many families, those efforts may not go far enough.

5 Sep 2009

Taskforce formed to help speed licensure, vaccine distribution following RTS,S trials

GNA/Peace FM examines the recent creation of a local and international taskforce to help shorten the window of time between the completion of the clinical trial of the RTS,S malaria vaccine - currently being tested across Africa - and licensure and vaccine distribution. According to the news service, scientists recently launched a Phase III trial of the RTS,S vaccine in Kintampo, Ghana, which will include 1,200 children, between the ages of 6-12 weeks and 5-17 months.

5 Sep 2009

Impact of the patient centered medical home model on the health care reform

Health2 Resources announced today free access to its Web portal, H2RMinutes, a one-stop source for news about the patient centered medical home (PCMH). H2RMinutes (http://www.h2rminutes.com) is designed specifically to keep health care policymakers, providers, employers and suppliers informed about the impact that the PCMH model is having on the national health care reform debate.

5 Sep 2009

U.N. calls on Israel to ease Gaza embargo to enable water, sanitation service repairs

U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territories Maxwell Gaylard "urged Israel to ease its embargo of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and allow in materials urgently needed to repair water and sanitation services," Agence France-Presse reports.

5 Sep 2009