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State roundup: Daniels signs Ind. law to ban Planned Parenthood funding

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican considering a run for president, signed legislation Tuesday to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding in his state, a move widely seen as a bid to woo influential social conservatives. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and the American Civil Liberties Union went to court to try to block the measure from taking effect.

12 May 2011

Nicotine-free plastic inhalers may increase smoker's chance of quitting

Nicotine-free plastic inhalers may increase a smoker's chance of quitting, according to new research published online in the European Respiratory Journal.

12 May 2011

GSK, NanoBio initiate two NB-001 Phase 3 trials in cold sores

NanoBio Corporation today announced the initiation of two Phase 3 multicenter trials evaluating NB-001 as a topical treatment for cold sores, a step forward in their OTC licensing agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

12 May 2011

Next stop for health law appeal includes two GOP-appointed judges

As news outlets were chewing over Tuesday's hearing on the health law, the next appeal panel, with two Republican-nominated judges, was announced.

12 May 2011

School-based prevention programs can help reduce alcohol problems in young people

School prevention programs aimed at curbing alcohol misuse in children are somewhat helpful, enough so to deserve consideration for widespread use, according to a large, international systematic review.

12 May 2011

Scientists to discuss latest autism research findings at IMFAR meeting

The 10th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research will host more than 1900 researchers, delegates, autism specialists, and students in the world's largest gathering of researchers and clinicians devoted to a better understanding of autism. The meeting will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt from May 12-14, 2011.

12 May 2011

Viewpoints: Tea Party on entitlement reform; Boehner's 'trillions' demand; California's silver tsunami

In a speech on Monday, the speaker of the House said that Republicans would insist on trillions of dollars in spending cuts in exchange for votes to raise the debt limit. He did not mention a time frame. He also did not offer specifics on how he planned to make those cuts. After the beating Republicans took for their plan to slash Medicare, he clearly decided generalities were politically safer. There is no way to solve the country's fiscal ills without an accurate diagnosis and rigorous prescriptions for a cure. Mr. Boehner's speech was devoid of both.

12 May 2011

Plans for Medicare, deficit reduction continue to be political flashpoints

President Barack Obama will welcome Democratic congressional leaders to the White House this week to discuss the continuing budget debate.

11 May 2011

Mitt Romney to give 'big' health care speech

The address, which will be given in Michigan on Thursday, is seen as the GOP presidential hopeful's effort to confront what is seen as his key vulnerability - health reform. It will include his own plan to replace the new health law with more targeted changes that give states more responsibility in caring for the poor, elderly and ill.

11 May 2011

Analysis: Ryan's GOP budget plan would cause deep reductions in Medicaid coverage

The analysis, advanced by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute, could lead to as many as 44 million people being cut from the rolls in the next decade. Meanwhile, Politico reports that, in the background, some states are fast-tracking their efforts to expand coverage — in keeping with the requirements of the health law.

11 May 2011

Injecting botox in 'trigger points' of pericraneal and neck muscles reduces migraine frequency

Scientists at the University of Granada have confirmed that injecting a local anesthetic or botulinum toxin (botox) into certain points named "trigger points" of the pericraneal and neck muscles reduce migraine frequency among migraine sufferers. University of Granada researchers have identified the location of these trigger points -which activation results in migraine- and their relationship with the duration and severity of this condition.

11 May 2011

MHI team uses cryoablation to successfully treat atrial fibrillation

The electrophysiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) used cryoablation (ablation using cold) to treat a patient suffering from atrial fibrillation, the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia, and one associated with significant morbidity.

From Medtronic 11 May 2011

Santaris Pharma advances SPC4955 into Phase 1 trial for high cholesterol treatment

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of mRNA and microRNA targeted therapies, today announced that it has advanced a second drug from its cardiometabolic program, SPC4955 into Phase 1 clinical trials, for the treatment of high cholesterol.

11 May 2011

ImmunID, Centre Léon Bérard and Cytheris commence CYT107-XELODA Phase IIa trial in metastatic breast cancer

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, the Centre Léon Bérard, the major cancer research and treatment center for the Rhône-Alpes region of France, and ImmunID Technologies SAS, a diagnostic company specialized in innovative immunomonitoring tests and services, today announced initiation of a Phase IIa clinical trial that will evaluate multiple combinations of recombinant human interleukin-7, the investigational multifunctional cytokine under development by Cytheris, and a chemotherapeutic agent, XELODA, in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

11 May 2011

First Edition: May 11, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Hilary Abramson writes: "Now comes the hard part. California, which has had a long, sometimes-tortured history of trying to overhaul its health care markets, beat every other state last year when it passed a law creating a health insurance exchange - an online marketplace where millions of uninsured residents will be able to get insurance".

11 May 2011

Two new policy briefs on California health reform law

According to two new policy briefs from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the majority of state residents likely to be eligible for federally mandated health insurance coverage initiatives in California in 2014 are also those who may be least likely to excessively use costly health services: men, singles and those of working age.

11 May 2011

Pacira Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $9.8 million for first quarter 2011

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011, provided an update on the execution of its pre-commercial and launch strategies for EXPAREL, and reiterated 2011 financial guidance.

11 May 2011

Challenges to health law take center stage with appellate court action

President Obama's health care law faces a series of challenges in three appeals courts starting Tuesday as Republican lawyers from 27 states will urge the courts to strike down the law as unconstitutional. In a sign of the high stakes and the partisan divide, one case will feature a rare courtroom clash between the Obama administration's top appellate lawyer and his counterpart from the George W. Bush administration.

11 May 2011

Amylin, JDRF collaborate to investigate combination therapy for type 1 diabetes treatment

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a research collaboration agreement to provide financial support for a series of clinical studies to investigate the feasibility of mixing pramlintide, an analog of the human hormone amylin, with insulin to treat type 1 diabetes.

11 May 2011

Heart docs dismiss bias claims stemming from industry support of meeting

Doctors said the heart society meeting was an important opportunity to learn about new research in their field and see new products on the market. Unlike in many other areas of medicine, they said, electrophysiologists work hand-in-hand with device company representatives to program implantable defibrillators and diagnose problems.

11 May 2011