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New York Times examines increasing prices of specialty drugs distributed exclusively by pharmacy benefit managers

The New York Times on Saturday examined how pharmacy benefit managers in recent years "have built lucrative side businesses ... acting as exclusive or semi-exclusive distributors of expensive specialty drugs."

21 Apr 2008

South Carolina House to consider bill that would eliminate requirement to inform school officials of students' HIV-positive status

The South Carolina House this week is scheduled to consider a bill (SB 970) that would eliminate a state law that requires the Department of Health and Environmental Control to notify school district superintendents and nurses if students test HIV-positive, the Columbia State reports.

21 Apr 2008

Raptor Pharmaceuticals initiates phase IIa clinical study for Convivia

Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. has announced that its clinical development subsidiary, Bennu Pharmaceuticals Inc. , has initiated the Company's first clinical-stage program after dosing the first cohort in a Phase IIa study of oral 4-methylpyrazole ("4-MP") in subjects with ALDH2 deficiency, or ethanol intolerance, as the initial development stage of its Convivia program.

21 Apr 2008

Prioritise patients, not privatisation

UNISON is calling on NHS trusts across England to refocus on patients, after the government's health watchdog revealed the findings of its latest staff survey.

10 Apr 2008

New electronic detection system for infectious illness

Researchers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Harvard Medical School, Atrius Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have created and tested a set of computer programs that use electronic medical records to help clinicians detect contagious illness and automatically report them to public health departments.

10 Apr 2008

Hepatitis B virus triggers cell 'suicide' in patients with chronic infection

Scientists from UCL (University College London) have identified a key difference between people who can fight the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) off successfully and those who fail to do so - that a group of cells important in controlling the disease are triggered to 'commit suicide' in patients who are chronically infected.

9 Apr 2008

Researchers battle against dangerous corn toxin

The spiraling use of corn for food and fuel is creating heightened concerns about contamination of this staple crop with deadly aflatoxin.

9 Apr 2008

NanoViricides begins HIV drug animal trials

NanoViricides, Inc. has announced that preliminary animal trials of the Company's HIV therapeutic candidates have begun at a BioSafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Laboratory facility in Boston, MA.

8 Apr 2008

Parents follow pediatrician advice on administering MMR vaccinations

News stories about an allegedly harmful link between the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine and the onset of autism had little effect on whether U.S. parents immunized their children, according to a review of immunization records and news stories.

7 Apr 2008

Men get autoimmune diseases, too!

What do former President George H.W. Bush, Fox Business News anchor Neil Cavuto, comedian and actor Bernie Mac, Poison lead singer and reality television star Bret Michaels and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram have in common?

4 Apr 2008

Big increase in hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States

Hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States increased by 123 percent from 1995 through 2004, the most recent year for which data are available. Mortality rates peaked in 2002, then declined slightly overall, while continuing to rise among people 55 to 64 years old.

25 Mar 2008

BARACLUDE data show low resistance over 5 years in nucleoside-naive hepatitis B patients

New BARACLUDE (entecavir) data presented demonstrated a continued low incidence of resistance in nucleoside-naïve patients through five years of treatment. In the nucleoside-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients analyzed, no additional patient developed resistance in the fifth year (n=108).

25 Mar 2008

New understanding of Norwalk virus

Using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, an international team led by University of Calgary researcher Ken Ng has determined the detailed structure of the enzyme the Norwalk virus uses to make copies of its genetic code in order to replicate itself.

20 Mar 2008

Illicit drug use and risky sex fueling rise in syphilis

According to researchers in the U.S. syphilis which was almost eradicated a decade ago in the developed world, is making a comeback.

19 Mar 2008

Investigational drug Debio-025 tested for preventing muscle fiber death in muscular dystrophy

An investigational antiviral drug currently undergoing human trials in Europe for treating Hepatitis C infections may have potential to reduce muscle cell damage in Duchenne and other forms of muscular dystrophy (MD).

17 Mar 2008

Hib meningitis eliminated in children under 5 in Uganda

Hib meningitis has been virtually eliminated in young children in Uganda just five years after the country introduced Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine nationwide, according to an independent study.

11 Mar 2008

Serum fibrosis markers correlate with liver fibrosis stage in patients with advanced chronic hep C

A prospective study of patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C (CHC) revealed that a 3-variable model of serum fibrosis markers, including serum HA, TIMP-1 and platelet count, could identify cirrhosis with better accuracy than other published models.

4 Mar 2008

Guidelines for von Willebrand disease diagnosis and management

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health today issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder.

4 Mar 2008

Elevated liver enzymes associated with higher future mortality

A new population-based epidemiological study has found that elevated liver enzymes discovered during routine medical care are associated with higher future mortality.

4 Mar 2008

New guidelines for von Willebrand disease

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, has issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder.

1 Mar 2008