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AAPM commends FDA’s move to introduce labeling changes on ER/LA opioids

The physicians of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) hailed long-awaited labeling changes and other steps taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week to enhance safety in the prescribing of extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioids.

18 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: GOP willing to move to default if they can't cripple health law; it's time to figure out if workplace wellness programs work

This year, as has been the case so often in the past, their target is President Obama's health care reform law. If it is not repealed or defunded or delayed or otherwise left bleeding in the public square, they will not pass a spending bill needed to keep the government open past Sept. 30. And if that doesn't cripple the health law (which it won't), they will resort to the far more serious threat of default, refusing to raise the nation's debt ceiling, no matter the catastrophe that would cause (9/14).

17 Sep 2013

Study: Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain increases

Prescribing of strong opioid medications for non-cancer pain in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade, reports a study in the October issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Sep 2013

Safety labeling changes announced for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced class-wide safety labeling changes and new postmarket study requirements for all extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics intended to treat pain.

11 Sep 2013

Glucose monitoring systems detect RBC and other interferents in burn patients blood

Glucose monitoring systems with an autocorrect feature that can detect red blood cells (hematocrit), vitamin C and other common interferents in burn patients' blood are better for monitoring care, a pilot study conducted by UC Davis researchers at the School of Medicine and College of Engineering has found.

30 Aug 2013

Takeda announces publication of data from two vedolizumab Phase 3 studies for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced that results from two Phase 3 studies evaluating vedolizumab, an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, were published in the August 22, 2013 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Aug 2013

Calif. lawmakers advance nurse practitioner, pharmacist scope-of-practice bills

The legislation will likely rally opposition over care quality concerns, even as the nurse bill loses a key supporter.

16 Aug 2013

Few physicians receive adequate training to help patients with chronic pain

Pain is the most common reason a patient sees a physician but few physicians have received adequate training to help their patients, according to a Henry Ford Hospital article published in the Journal of American Osteopathic Association.

13 Aug 2013

Expansion of heroin, opioid medical treatment needed to reduce overdose deaths

A new report from Simon Fraser University researcher Bohdan Nosyk calls for the expansion of heroin and opioid medical treatment to stem the increase of overdose deaths.

7 Aug 2013

Acetaminophen overdose survivors have lower overall health following acute liver failure

Spontaneous survivors of acetaminophen overdose have significantly lower overall health compared to survivors or transplant recipients following acute liver failure caused by non-drug induced liver injury according to a new study published online in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

10 Jul 2013

Discovery of new receptor could turn the tide against mosquitoes' growing advantage

In the global war against disease-carrying mosquitoes, scientists have long believed that a single molecular door was the key target for insecticide. This door, however, is closing, giving mosquitoes the upper hand.

9 Jul 2013

State highlights: Docs prescribe narcotics too often, CDC chief says; Fla. hospices get close scrutiny; Calif. Medi-Cal provider rate bump delayed

The nation's top public health official on Tuesday sharply criticized the widespread treatment of aches and pains with narcotics, saying that doctors are prescribing such drugs too soon, too often and for too long -- putting patients at risk of addiction and overdose. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that doctors are relying on these powerful drugs to treat chronic pain when physical therapy, exercise and other remedies would be safer and in many cases more effective (Girion and Glover, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 3, 2013

Today's headlines detail the Obama administration announcement that it would delay the health law rule requiring businesses provide insurance to workers.

3 Jul 2013

Research roundup: 'Welcome-mat' effect of Medicaid expansion; Setting up shops; California's transition to Medicaid managed care

The number of people eligible for Medicaid who remain uninsured varies from state to state, according to the authors. But the federal health law is likely to increase the rate of enrollment for this group. The potential impact of this increase in Medicaid enrollment, also known as the 'welcome-mat' effect, is unclear.

2 Jul 2013

UCI researchers receive $2.27M to develop innovative methods of treating Type 1 diabetes.

Two UC Irvine research groups have received $2.27 million from the JDRF to develop innovative methods of treating and possibly curing Type 1 diabetes.

27 Jun 2013

Study reveals 83% of teens have unsupervised access to prescription medications

A new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 83.4 percent of teens had unsupervised access to their prescription medications at home including 73.7 percent taking pain relief, anti-anxiety, stimulant and sedative medications that have the potential for abuse.

13 Jun 2013

CLAAD urges FDA to implement Obama administration's policy on safer opioid medications

The Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence joined in signing a Citizen Petition filed today urging the Food and Drug Administration to fully implement the Obama administration's policy supporting a market transition to safer opioid medications.

11 Jun 2013

First consensus guidelines for use of neurostimulation in chronic pain

Recognizing that treatment of chronic pain can be confounding, the Neuromodulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee, an international group of more than 60 leading pain specialists, has created the first consensus guidelines for the use of neurostimulation in chronic pain.

10 Jun 2013

Highlights: New health care oversight laws in Md.; Texas hospitals negotiate over uncompensated care payments; Colo. considers psychiatric hospital for homeless

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed three laws Thursday that will give more protection for patients. The measures provide more state oversight of cosmetic surgery centers, pharmacies that make sterile medications and staffing agencies that find temporary jobs for health care professionals (Sun, 5/2).

4 May 2013

First Edition: May 3, 2013

Today's headlines include a variety of stories about the health law's implementation, including reports about the Medicaid expansion's red state prospects.

3 May 2013