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Obama seeks health reform support from small businesses

Roll Call: "The White House is aggressively courting the small-business community, believing that some on GOP-friendly Main Street can be enlisted in the fight for health care reform and that assistance to mom-and-pop shops is vital to chipping away at the unemployment rate. ... White House officials were on the phone to the [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] and the GOP-leaning National Federation of Independent Business on Friday asking them to provide a group of small-business owners for Obama to talk with at the White House on Thursday."

28 Oct 2009

CDC says U.S. H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise; Senators question government's handling of H1N1 vaccination program

Supplies of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine are steadily increasing in the U.S. and should soon be more widely accessible in the next two weeks, the CDC said on Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. During a press briefing, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said that 22.4 million vaccine doses are now available for states to order (Norman, 10/27). "We're beginning to get to significant increases in the availability," Frieden said.

28 Oct 2009

CDC: H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise

"More than 22 million doses of swine flu vaccine are available now, and most Americans should soon find it easier to get their dose, U.S. health officials said Tuesday, " according to The Associated Press/The Washington Post.

28 Oct 2009

FDA approves the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with PEPFAR

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today marked the recent approval of the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), aimed at the prevention, treatment, and care of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.

28 Oct 2009

HHS selects Smiths Medical to supply safety hypodermic syringes

Smiths Medical announced today that it has been selected for a contract award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for safety hypodermic syringes that could reach $10 million. The award is part of the government’s national flu pandemic preparedness efforts.

28 Oct 2009

Precision Antibody to develop antibodies for NCI's Clinical Proteomic Technologies for Cancer

Precision Antibody(TM) has been selected as the antibody developer for a component of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)'s Clinical Proteomic Technologies for Cancer (CPTC), which is focused on improving the number and standardizing the quality of monoclonal antibody reagents available for clinical cancer proteomics research.

28 Oct 2009

Medicare payment issues worry doctors

The issue of Medicare payment cuts to doctors still looms, causing some physicians to shun Medicare patients and others to push for greater reform. Many worry that doctors may boycott the program if the planned 21 percent cut in payment rates goes through in 2010 while others complain about low Medicare reimbursement rates for certain procedures and geographic areas.

27 Oct 2009

H1N1 overwhelms hospitals; Sebelius addresses flu vaccine shortage

Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed "as waves of flu patients arrive at their doors, doubling their emergency room volume," USA Today reports. "Just as significant is the effect on intensive care units: A relatively small number of flu patients are requiring intensive care, but some are so ill they will need round-the-clock care for weeks.

27 Oct 2009

NIH awards The Tufts CTSI and Tufts University four supplemental grants

The Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and Tufts University today announced they are the recipients of four supplemental grant awards from the National Institutes of Health. These new awards, totaling approximately $1.73 million, are supplements to the original Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant, UL1 RR025752 that Tufts University received in 2008 from the National Center for Research Resources.

27 Oct 2009

Climate change and public health: only fives states have published public health response plans, says study

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) released a new report today that finds only five states have published a strategic climate change plan that includes a public health response. This includes planning for health challenges and emergencies expected to develop from natural disasters, pollution, and infectious diseases as temperatures and sea levels rise.

27 Oct 2009

Kansas to introduce constitutional amendment to protect individual rights to purchase health insurance

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the nation's largest individual membership association of state legislators, congratulates Kansas Representatives Peggy Mast and Brenda Landwehr and Kansas Senator Mary Pilcher Cook for announcing their intent to introduce a constitutional amendment to protect the right of individuals to make their own health care choices. Kansas now becomes the 19th state where legislators have introduced, or will introduce, legislation modeled after ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act.

27 Oct 2009

HHS releases new flu radio PSAs to promote flu prevention messages

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of thirteen new 30-second flu radio public service announcements (PSA). These new radio messages feature 13 of America’s governors and Elmo from Sesame Street.

27 Oct 2009

Small businesses face higher premiums, push for access to 'exchanges'

"As Congress nears votes on legislation that would overhaul the health care system, many small businesses say they are facing the steepest rise in insurance premiums they have seen in recent years," the New York Times reports.

27 Oct 2009

Swine flu 'emergency' declaration could mean expedited care

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency as the number of swine flu cases soars and vaccine production doesn't keep up with demand.

26 Oct 2009

FDA issues emergency use authorization for peramivir anti-viral drug

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in response to a request from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational anti-viral drug intravenous (i.v.) peramivir in certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza infection who are admitted to a hospital.

24 Oct 2009

Report on health insurance reform to support women with breast cancer

As Americans mark breast cancer awareness month, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Health Insurance Reform and Breast Cancer: Making the Health Care System Work for Women.

24 Oct 2009

NCI and NIOH to purchase additional MammoView line of surgical endoscopy instruments

Solos Endoscopy, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Company has received additional purchase orders for its MammoView(TM) line of surgical endoscopy instruments from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), as well as the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIOH), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

24 Oct 2009

CAP commends SACGHS stand against human health-related gene patents

The College of American Pathologists today expressed its support for a key government advisory group's recommendation to create an exemption from liability for infringement of gene patent claims when used for patient care purposes.

24 Oct 2009

African American seniors less likely to be vaccinated against flu; fear and misinformation pose problems

A study about why African American seniors do or do not get influenza vaccinations finds that many of them do not have accurate and complete information about the flu itself, the safety and efficacy of the inoculations, and the ease and necessity of getting the shots.

24 Oct 2009

Michelle Obama to speak to the American women on Health Care Reform through a video

First Lady Michelle Obama will be speaking to the women of America about Health Care Reform through a video produced by the White House, which will break exclusively on www.iVillage.com at 7:00 am on Friday, October 23rd at http://www.ivillage.com/michelleobama.

24 Oct 2009