Birth Control News and Research

RSS

Viewpoints: Controversy taints IRS efforts on health law; Another chance to 'gut' the overhaul in the courts; Salt wrongly accused

Even as the politicized tax enforcement scandal expands, the Internal Revenue Service continues to expand its political powers thanks to the Affordable Care Act. A larger government always creates more openings for abuse, as Americans will learn when the IRS starts auditing their health care in addition to their 1040 next year (5/14).

16 May 2013

RA, anti-TNF drugs and abortion rates: an interview with Dr. Evelyne Vinet and Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, McGill University

Prednisone and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used for symptom control, but to prevent joint damage, we use disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including the cornerstone, methotrexate.

13 May 2013

Longer looks: A wife's Alzheimer's, Obamacare and workers' hours, doctors and drug companies

When his wife got Alzheimer's disease, lawyer Ken Chiate invested all his hopes in an unorthodox treatment. Nothing, it seems, could make him give up on it. ... Jeannette's difficulties seemed to emerge out of nowhere. She couldn't grasp the rules of a dice game. She kept asking questions her husband had just answered. ... in 2001, at age 58, she was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. As months and years passed, she fell into an angry haze that was determined to be Alzheimer's disease.

10 May 2013

Most women alter bleeding cycles, find researchers

A surprisingly large number of women 18 or older choose to delay or skip monthly menstruation by deviating from the instructions of birth-control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, a team of University of Oregon researchers and others found in a study of female students at the university.

10 May 2013

Federal judge criticizes FDA regarding Plan B contraception decision

Judge Edward R. Korman said the Food and Drug Administration's efforts to delay his ruling regarding the so-called morning-after pill was "nonsense" and would hurt poor and minority women.

9 May 2013

FDA: Migraine prevention medicines taken during pregnancy can impact children’s IQ

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers and patients that medications including and related to valproate sodium can cause decreased IQ scores in children whose mothers took the medication during pregnancy.

7 May 2013

The race to make abuse-proof painkillers; states lead on compounding pharmacy regulation

Developments in pharmaceuticals make headlines: the race to make painkillers that are difficult to abuse, state action on regulating compounding pharmacies and the difference in how much different Americans pay for prescriptions.

7 May 2013

FDA approves sNDA for SUSTIVA for treatment of HIV-1 infected pediatric patients

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental new drug application for SUSTIVA (efavirenz), including dosing recommendations for HIV-1 infected pediatric patients three months to three years old and weighing at least 3.5 kg.

4 May 2013

Obama 'comfortable' with morning-after pill sales at 15

President Barack Obama said he is "very comfortable" with the Food and Drug Administration rule announced this week to make the so-called morning after pill available without a prescription to women and girls who are at least 15 -- younger than the current limit of 17.

4 May 2013

Obama administration plans appeal of 'Plan B' ruling

The Obama administration signals that it will challenge a federal judge's order that would make an emergency contraception drug available over-the-counter to women of all ages. The move comes a day after the FDA said the contraception should be available in that way to anyone older than 15.

3 May 2013

First Edition: May 2, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new study detailing how expanded Medicaid access impacts beneficiaries' utilization of health care services and their overall physical health.

2 May 2013

Implementation news: Co-Ops face historic test, White House makes hire for health law PR push

Politico notes the support and challenges of nonprofit CO-OPs as alternatives to commercial insurance plans, while HealthyCal examines parts of the health law that may be giving pause to small businesses.

26 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 25, 2013

Today's headlines include health policy headlines from Capitol Hill and from the insurance markeplace.

25 Apr 2013

Vertex presents data of telaprevir Phase 3b CONCISE study in people with genotype 1 chronic HCV

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced new data from an interim analysis of the exploratory global Phase 3b CONCISE study evaluating the potential to shorten total treatment with telaprevir combination therapy to 12 weeks in certain people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus infection who have the IL28B CC genotype.

25 Apr 2013

Study: Women with RA exposed to anti-tumor necrosis drugs may have increased abortion rates

A new study published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis Care & Research, reveals that women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were on methotrexate (MTX), a drug commonly used to reduce inflammation caused by RA, had lower rates of induced abortions compared to women with RA who were not exposed to the medication.

16 Apr 2013

Sebelius: 'Relentless and continuous' politics complicates health law's implementation

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she underestimated how long politics would dog the health law. Meanwhile, a regional official of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tells The Washington Post what's happening in the field.

10 Apr 2013

North Dakota abortion clinic pledges to fight new state law

North Dakota's only clinic that offers abortion services is vowing to challenge the state's adoption of new restrictions that its backers say imperil its ability to operate.

3 Apr 2013

FDA approves Teva's Quartette tablets for prevention of pregnancy

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Quartette (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol) tablets for the prevention of pregnancy.

30 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Budget woes leave Democrats with painful choices; David Kessler on health hazards of antibiotics in meat; the pros and cons of not hiring smokers

USA Today: Entitlements Or Investment? Democrats Must Pick Democrats therefore face a fundamental and inescapable choice: they can support funding current consumption, especially by older Americans who are not working, or future investment, particularly in scientific research and innovation.

29 Mar 2013

Women over 40 need to be vigilant about contraception even in perimenopause

Women reaching the age of 40 tend to be less vigilant about birth control because they think the risk of pregnancy is low - or that birth control can cause health problems - but a review of the evidence by a team that includes a Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island physician recently underscored the need to be vigilant about contraception even in perimenopause.

26 Mar 2013