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Fraud roundup: LA hospital workers investigated; Guilty pleas in Texas and N.J. cases; Fla. candidate defends his actions

Los Angeles County officials are investigating allegations that Olive View-UCLA Medical Center staff accepted gifts from nursing home employees in exchange for placing Medi-Cal and Medicare patients at their facilities, a possible violation of the county's code of ethics, as well as state and federal anti-kickback laws.

3 Jun 2010

NSF International tests, certifies nutritional supplements to prevent unacceptable contaminants

Recent news coverage has consumers concerned about the alarming amount of contaminants, such as pesticides and heavy metals, being found in herbal supplements. NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit public health organization, helps ease these concerns by testing and certifying supplements to ensure they are free of undeclared substances and unacceptable contaminants.

29 May 2010

Experts warn increasing IDUs in eastern, southern Africa could threaten HIV/AIDS fight

An increase in the number of injection drug users (IDUs) in eastern and southern Africa stands to harm efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region, warned experts gathered at the World Forum Against Drug conference in Sweden on Monday, Agence France-Presse reports.

26 May 2010

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

"Lawmakers earlier this year vigorously fought Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to close four state mental health hospitals and six crisis centers as a budget-saving measure. Now, nonprofit-run centers that offer front-line services for the mentally ill in some of the poorest communities across Mississippi could face closure."

25 May 2010

Drug and alcohol experts to take part in T2010 conference

In August 2010, researchers and experts on drugs, alcohol and medicines will take part in the T2010 conference, the tri-annual meeting of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS). This year's meeting is being hosted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

21 May 2010

New drug testing technique is safe and effective

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet presents a new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air for the first time.

21 May 2010

Study presents new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet presents a new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air for the first time. By examining people who had received emergency care for an amphetamine overdose, the researchers found that in all cases there were traces of amphetamine and metamphetamine in the exhaled breath.

19 May 2010

ABMC reports 7.6% increase in first-quarter 2010 net sales

American Bio Medica Corporation announced today its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

13 May 2010

Doctors often treat IBS patients with narcotics: Researchers

Doctors often unnecessarily treat irritable bowel syndrome with narcotics, according to a study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.

4 May 2010

E-prescribing to grow as DEA eases regulation

The Wall Street Journal: "Doctors are increasingly prescribing medications electronically, abandoning the traditional paper scripts that can result in drug errors due to hard-to-read writing or coverage denials by a patient's insurer." E-prescribing tripled last year to 191 million according to the online prescribing leader Surescripts.

21 Apr 2010

Pharmacies launch Dispose My Meds campaign to help consumers safely dispose unused medications

Nearly 800 community pharmacies in 40 states are making it easier than ever for consumers to safely dispose of unused patient medications at their local pharmacy, the National Community Pharmacists Association and Sharps Compliance, Inc. announced today.

20 Apr 2010

Tel Aviv University researcher finds link between cigarette smoking and IQ

"Only dopes use dope," goes the memorable warning about drugs. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher cautions that the same goes for cigarettes.

2 Apr 2010

2010 DDW conference to highlight breakthrough research on GI health

Thousands of physicians, researchers and academics from around the world will gather in New Orleans in early May for Digestive Disease Week- (DDW-), the premiere scientific conference in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

2 Apr 2010

Gateway Foundation Alcohol and Drug Rehab's effective substance abuse treatment recognised

Chicago alderman, elected state officials, local law enforcement representatives and West Side community activists were among those touring the Gateway Foundation's Alcohol and Drug Rehab's Westside Treatment Center on March 20.

29 Mar 2010

USPTO allows Pisgah Labs' patent application regarding imipramine pamoate

Pisgah Labs, a drug product development company and an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer (API) located in western North Carolina, has received a patent allowance in a series of patent applications. The US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has notified Pisgah Labs, Inc. that a patent application related to a therapeutically significant family of pharmaceutical polymorphic compositions of imipramine pamoate has been allowed. The patent application also includes methods of manufacturing, purifying and use in pharmaceutical preparations.

26 Mar 2010

DEA crackdown on nursing home drugs comes under Congressional scrutiny

The New York Times previews a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday where nursing home operators and caregivers will criticize a narcotics crackdown by the Drug Enforcement Administration that they say "has left seriously ill patients crying for pain relief.

25 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 24, 2010

Today's headlines note the celebrations surrounding President Obama's signature of the Senate's health reform bill -- making it the law of the land -- and the strategies being developed by health overhaul opponents to block progress with an accompanying "fix it" bill.

24 Mar 2010

Vertebroplasty helps patients become better equipped to continue with treatment for multiple myeloma

Treating non-osteoporotic compression fractures in patients with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, shows that the use of vertebroplasty-a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists using imaging guidance that stabilizes collapsed vertebrae with the injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine-results in a reduction of pain, medication usage and disability, according to researchers in the largest study of its kind at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

16 Mar 2010

New MMMCC center improves patients’ access to medical marijuana

Marijuana is not just for brownies anymore. It has touched the lives of thousands of Michigan residents who are struggling with chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, spasms or wasting syndrome.

12 Mar 2010

Managing back pain without costly medications: High-touch Integrative Medicine therapies may help

A new pilot study conducted with assembly workers at the Ford Motor Company in Louisville, KY focused on acute, work-related low back pain. Results of that study indicate that high-touch Integrative Medicine (IM) therapies can help employees manage back pain without the costly medications typically associated with managing their pain.