Women's Health News and Research

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HPV vaccine Gardasil approved for sale in EU

The European Commission on Friday approved Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil for sale and marketing in the European Union, London's Guardian reports (Batty, Guardian, 9/22).

26 Sep 2006

GSK seeks regulatory approval in U.S., Europe for Tykerb

GlaxoSmithKline on Monday said it has submitted its experimental breast cancer drug Tykerb, which is taken orally, for FDA approval and plans to file for approval in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year, Reuters reports.

20 Sep 2006

Sen. Kerry says language used by both sides in abortion-rights debate often 'misleading and unconstructive'

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who supports abortion rights, on Monday during a speech at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., said both abortion-rights supporters and abortion-rights opponents sometimes use "misleading and unconstructive" language and urged both sides to find "common ground," on the issue, the Boston Globe reports.

20 Sep 2006

Use of unapproved drugs in the U.S.

USA Today on Monday looked at the use of unapproved drugs in the U.S., including some that are used to treat menopause symptoms (Rubin, USA Today, 9/18).

20 Sep 2006

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois adds coverage for MammoSite

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois after meeting with experts last week has decided to cover the partial-breast radiation therapy known as MammoSite for patients with early stage breast cancer, officials for the insurer said, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Jury dismisses lawsuit against Wyeth in first Pempro case

A jury in a U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., on Friday dismissed negligence charges in the first of about 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, and found the drug's design was not defective, Reuters reports.

20 Sep 2006

Many Australian physicians not applying for permission to import Mifepristone

Many Australian physicians are not applying for permission to supply mifepristone to women in the country and instead are prescribing women a combination of methotrexate -- a drug licensed to treat cancer patients -- and misoprostol to induce a medical abortion.

20 Sep 2006

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Casey says Democratic Party becoming more open to those opposing abortion rights

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey (D), a candidate for the U.S. Senate who opposes abortion rights, on Friday said he has been "encouraged to see Democrats in this new century becoming more open to people who are pro-life," the AP/Phillyburbs.com reports (Hefling, AP/Phillyburbs.com, 9/15).

20 Sep 2006

Having breast implants does not increase mortality risk

A study conducted among 24,600 women by two Universiti Laval Faculty of Medicine researchers and their colleagues from the Canadian Public Health Agency and Cancer Care Ontario concludes that having breast implants does not increase mortality risk.

19 Sep 2006

Sen. DeMint pledges to hold Von Eschenbach's FDA Commissioner nomination unless steps taken to take Mifeprex off market

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) plans to place a hold on President Bush's nomination of acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to permanently head the agency unless "immediate steps" are taken to remove Danco Laboratories' medical abortion drug Mifeprex from the market, DeMint press secretary Wesley Denton said recently, the New York Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

Michigan Bills introduced that would require girls to receive HPV vaccine before sixth grade

Michigan Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom (R) last Tuesday introduced two bills (SB 1416, SB 1417) that would require girls in the state entering the sixth grade in the 2007-2008 school year and beyond to have received Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, the Detroit News reports.

18 Sep 2006

Chilean Appeals Court suspends Government plan to distribute emergency contraception at no cost to girls

The Santiago, Chile, Appeals Court last Wednesday in a split decision issued a temporary injunction on the government's plan to distribute emergency contraceptive pills in public clinics to girls ages 14 and older at no cost and without parental consent until lawsuits challenging the plan are resolved, Reuters AlertNet reports.

18 Sep 2006

California Bill seeks to restrict payments to egg donors

A California bill seeks to extend to privately funded laboratories a provision under Proposition 71 that says scientists receiving state embryonic stem cell research funds can reimburse egg donors only for their expenses and cannot pay egg donors, the Los Angeles Times reports (Romney, Los Angeles Times, 9/13).

14 Sep 2006

Primary election results for races involving women's health issues

Nine states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday held primary elections, and some of the races involved women's health issues.

14 Sep 2006

Concerns that stem cell study could influence future embryonic stem cell legislation

Technique that could derive human embryonic stem cells without destroying human embryos, recently published in the journal Nature, could impede funding for stem cell research in this week's "Health on the Hill From kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

13 Sep 2006

Md. County school system's revised condom demo video receives positive reviews

The Montgomery County, Md., Public Schools' revised condom demonstration video has received positive reviews from members of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum -- one of the groups involved in a lawsuit against the school system regarding the original video and sex education curriculum -- the Washington Post reports (Aratani, Washington Post, 9/12).

13 Sep 2006

Accutane iPledge program requirements leading to illegal online sales

The strict regulations governing the prescription and use of the acne drug isotretinoin, sold by Roche under the brand name Accutane, are affecting the drug's sale and dispensation and raising concerns about sales of the medication over the Internet, the Wall Street Journal reports (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 9/12).

13 Sep 2006

FDA approves Watson's generic version of Barr's contraceptive pill Seasonale

FDA on Thursday approved Watson Pharmaceuticals' marketing application for its generic version of Barr Laboratories' extended-cycle oral contraceptive Seasonale, Reuters reports.

11 Sep 2006

Federal Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit challenging Illinois rule requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception

U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott on Wednesday ruled against a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that aims to block an Illinois rule that requires pharmacies to dispense prescriptions for emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse -- saying the plaintiffs have a legitimate claim that the rule infringes on their religious rights.

11 Sep 2006

Study's findings on breast density might complicate models for assessing breast cancer risk

A study published in the Sept. 6 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that finds breast density might be a risk factor for breast cancer could make assessment methods "considerably more complicated," the Los Angeles Times reports (Healy, Los Angeles Times, 9/11).

11 Sep 2006

Women's Health News and Research

HPV vaccine Gardasil approved for sale in EU

GSK seeks regulatory approval in U.S., Europe for Tykerb

Sen. Kerry says language used by both sides in abortion-rights debate often 'misleading and unconstructive'

Use of unapproved drugs in the U.S.

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois adds coverage for MammoSite

Jury dismisses lawsuit against Wyeth in first Pempro case

Many Australian physicians not applying for permission to import Mifepristone

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Casey says Democratic Party becoming more open to those opposing abortion rights

Having breast implants does not increase mortality risk

Sen. DeMint pledges to hold Von Eschenbach's FDA Commissioner nomination unless steps taken to take Mifeprex off market

Michigan Bills introduced that would require girls to receive HPV vaccine before sixth grade

Chilean Appeals Court suspends Government plan to distribute emergency contraception at no cost to girls

California Bill seeks to restrict payments to egg donors

Primary election results for races involving women's health issues

Concerns that stem cell study could influence future embryonic stem cell legislation

Md. County school system's revised condom demo video receives positive reviews

Accutane iPledge program requirements leading to illegal online sales

FDA approves Watson's generic version of Barr's contraceptive pill Seasonale

Federal Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit challenging Illinois rule requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception

Study's findings on breast density might complicate models for assessing breast cancer risk

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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