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Prohibiting home smoking is less common among African-Americans

Prohibiting tobacco use at home could reduce adolescent smoking rates, but the practice might be less common in black families than in white ones, a new study found.

1 Sep 2009

Global Health Partner utilizes existing share purchase warrants

Global Health Partner’s (STO:GHP) CEO Per Båtelson and Deputy CEO Johan Wachtmeister have utilized existing share purchase warrants and acquired 527,444 and 527,445 shares, respectively, in Global Health Partner. The warrants were issued by a number of Global Health Partner’s shareholders, mainly by Metroland BVBA, and the strike price was 75 pence, corresponding to approximately SEK 8.75.

1 Sep 2009

Globe and Mail examines HIV/AIDS rate in India

The Globe and Mail writes that "[w]hen India announced in 2007 that it had 2.3 million people living with HIV, rather than the 5.7 million reported the year before, the government first attributed much of the change to better data collection. Many in the AIDS field were skeptical."

1 Sep 2009

Gates Foundation appoints new HIV program head

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced that Stefano Bertozzi will head up its HIV programs starting August 31, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports (8/27).

1 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: Flu, cholera in PNG; improving life awards; HIV/AIDS in Rwanda; men and maternal/child health; MDR-TB in India

"Twin outbreaks of a flu-like illness and dysentery in a remote region of Papua New Guinea have killed 47 people and infected another 2,000 villagers, a senior medical official said Monday," Agence France-Presse reports. According to provincial health adviser Doctor Theo Likei, the WHO has collected and is testing samples of the virus from the "stricken villages" (8/31). Additionally, the country is experiencing a cholera outbreak - "the first time the disease has officially been confirmed in the country," the BBC reports (Mercer, 8/31).

1 Sep 2009

Merck undergoes restructuring after Schering-Plough merger

Richard T. Clark, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) today announced a new organizational structure and named top management and senior leaders for the new Merck effective upon completion of the merger of Merck & Co., Inc. and Schering-Plough Corporation. Mr. Clark was named CEO of the combined company when the merger agreement was signed in March.

31 Aug 2009

IDRI signs agreement to use NanoPass' MicronJet microneedle technology for intradermal vaccines

The Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) and NanoPass Technologies Ltd. (NanoPass) today announced they have entered into an agreement whereby IDRI licenses NanoPass' proprietary MicronJet microneedle technology for the intradermal delivery of products against a number of diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, leishmaniasis and leprosy, among others. The financial details of the agreement are confidential.

31 Aug 2009

Spinal implant developed by Sanfor Clinic neurosurgeon receives FDA market clearance

Sanford Health, a comprehensive health care provider in the Upper Midwest, announced today a spinal implant developed by Sanford Clinic Neurosurgeon, Wilson Asfora, MD, Sanford Clinic Neurosurgery & Spine, has received United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) market clearance as a lumbar intervertebral body fusion device.

31 Aug 2009

Science and technology tours to be conducted in conjunction with the G20 Pittsburgh Summit

The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will be hosting 12 science and technology tours Sept. 21 in conjunction with the G20 Pittsburgh Summit Sept. 24-25. These tours of cutting-edge research and development will help explain how and why the "eds and meds" sector of Pittsburgh's economy has become a powerful driver of the region's success.

29 Aug 2009

Recent releases: health development in Afghanistan; trade agreements effect on drug access; outside experts in patent reviews; neglected disease legislation; management in public health; foreign aid reform

A Lancet editorial examines Afghanistan's progress in health developments since 2001, in light of the country's recent presidential election.

29 Aug 2009

Also in Global Health news: ARVs in Uganda; Brazil's fight against HIV/AIDS

Zainab Akol, Uganda's AIDS Control Program director, said the health ministry has acquired enough antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to provide treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS until the end of the year, New Vision reports. In addition to 30 tons of drugs, the ministry received at the beginning of August from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, it also purchased ARVs worth about $20 million this month, Akol said (Kagolo, 8/27).

29 Aug 2009

FDA provides marketing clearance for the spinal implant developed by Sanford Health

28 Aug 2009

Also in global health news: NTD study; false cholera cases in Zimbabwe; contaminated water in Kenya; doctor's strike ends

UPI reports on a recent review article in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases that analyzed the toll of neglected tropical diseases on populations in sub-Saharan Africa. "Researchers said helminth (parasitic worm) infections account for approximately 85 percent of the neglected tropical diseases, which overall might be equivalent to more than double that caused by tuberculosis and as much as half of the area's malaria disease burden," the news service writes (8/26).

28 Aug 2009

Recent releases: limiting corruption; mental health; U.S. global health policies; non-physician administered ARV; African health ministers

A Lancet Infectious Diseases Reflection and Reaction piece says while PEPFAR's "investment of over US$228 million into Mozambique in 2008 alone" resulted in "an exponential increase in the number of people on" ARVs and boosted prevention programs, "[t]here is more money available for HIV/AIDS than can reasonably be spent, especially given Mozambique's poor infrastructure and large geographical area. Unfortunately, one side-effect has been an associated increase in corruption." To maximize aid money and limit corruption, "careful and creative resource management will be needed," the author concludes (Johnson, 9/09).

24 Aug 2009

'Explosion' of H1N1 cases likely, WHO Says

In the coming months, countries should prepare for an "explosion" in new cases of H1N1 (swine) flu until peak transmission of the virus is reached, WHO Western Pacific Director Shin Young-soo told a symposium of health officials gathered in Beijing Friday, the Associated Press reports.

23 Aug 2009

Condom Olympics event to select an ambassador from Miss Universe contestants to spread messages about HIV prevention

The Miss Universe contestants continued preparations for Sunday night's pageant by competing today in the Condom Olympics - tossing water-filled condoms to test their strength and playing "Wild Fire Infection" games that demonstrate the serious side of HIV infection.

21 Aug 2009

WHO Director-General, other officials visit Uganda to assess malaria control efforts

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan arrived in Uganda on Wednesday for a three-day working visit to examine the country's progress on the prevention, control and treatment of malaria, the Monitor reports. Ray Chambers, the U.N. special envoy for malaria, and Tadataka Yamada, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Health Program, are traveling with Chan.

20 Aug 2009

Diarrhea remains second leading cause of death among children, despite effective interventions

Despite the introduction of new treatments for diarrhea more than four years ago, few children in developing countries are receiving these interventions and the disease is still the second leading cause of death among children, according a Bulletin of the World Health Organization report, BMJ reports.

20 Aug 2009

GHX OnDemand AP software-as-a-service solution helps hospitals reduce invoicing processing costs

A growing number of healthcare providers are using the OnDemand AP(SM) solution by GHX to automate and streamline their accounts payable processes, reducing invoice processing costs and cycle time, and improving internal controls and cash flow management. With OnDemand AP, hospitals can receive 100 percent of their invoices electronically, even from suppliers who do not currently support electronic invoicing. By eliminating the need for manual data entry and accelerating invoice approval, hospitals can reduce invoicing processing costs by more than 80 percent.

20 Aug 2009

Newly appointed NIH director includes global health on priority list

Francis Collins, the newly appointed director of the NIH on Monday outlined his top five priorities for the U.S. research agency during a town hall meeting with NIH staff, Science's blog "Science Insider" reports. Collins emphasized the agency's commitment to "high-throughput technologies," "translational research," "health care reform," "global health" and "empower[ing] the biomedical research community," the blog writes (Kaiser, 8/17).

19 Aug 2009

Global Health News and Research

Prohibiting home smoking is less common among African-Americans

Global Health Partner utilizes existing share purchase warrants

Globe and Mail examines HIV/AIDS rate in India

Gates Foundation appoints new HIV program head

Also in Global Health news: Flu, cholera in PNG; improving life awards; HIV/AIDS in Rwanda; men and maternal/child health; MDR-TB in India

Merck undergoes restructuring after Schering-Plough merger

IDRI signs agreement to use NanoPass' MicronJet microneedle technology for intradermal vaccines

Spinal implant developed by Sanfor Clinic neurosurgeon receives FDA market clearance

Science and technology tours to be conducted in conjunction with the G20 Pittsburgh Summit

Recent releases: health development in Afghanistan; trade agreements effect on drug access; outside experts in patent reviews; neglected disease legislation; management in public health; foreign aid reform

Also in Global Health news: ARVs in Uganda; Brazil's fight against HIV/AIDS

FDA provides marketing clearance for the spinal implant developed by Sanford Health

Also in global health news: NTD study; false cholera cases in Zimbabwe; contaminated water in Kenya; doctor's strike ends

Recent releases: limiting corruption; mental health; U.S. global health policies; non-physician administered ARV; African health ministers

'Explosion' of H1N1 cases likely, WHO Says

Condom Olympics event to select an ambassador from Miss Universe contestants to spread messages about HIV prevention

WHO Director-General, other officials visit Uganda to assess malaria control efforts

Diarrhea remains second leading cause of death among children, despite effective interventions

GHX OnDemand AP software-as-a-service solution helps hospitals reduce invoicing processing costs

Newly appointed NIH director includes global health on priority list

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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