Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

State Round-Up: Michigan wrestles with Medicaid cuts

News outlets examine state health issues, including potential Medicaid cuts in Michigan and the effect of swine flu on Louisiana's Medicaid budget.

23 Sep 2009

Report outlining global weaknesses in preventing deadly diseases

Significant weaknesses undermine the global community's abilities to prevent, detect early, and respond efficiently to potentially deadly species-crossing microbes, such as the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus sweeping the globe, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. The report provides a detailed plan for establishing and funding a comprehensive, globally coordinated system to identify novel zoonotic disease threats as early as possible wherever they arise so appropriate measures can be taken to prevent significant numbers of human illnesses and deaths, and livestock losses.

23 Sep 2009

Automated software solution for H1N1 preparation

San Diego-based Concerro, Inc., the market leader in enterprise-wide hospital shift and emergency workforce management software, is pleased to announce the launch of PanFluAware™, an automated software solution and decision making system for H1N1 preparation and response. A free webcast demonstration will be held on Friday, September 25th at 1:00 PM eastern standard time.

23 Sep 2009

Report on species-crossing microbes and H1N1

23 Sep 2009

Axion Health and CHS to deliver Workforce Emergency Preparedness and Response programs

Axion HealthTM (www.axionhealth.com), a workforce health protection, emergency preparedness and response provider, today announced that it will partner with Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. (www.chsmedical.com), the industry’s largest independent provider of onsite health centers, nationwide exam programs and rapid response medical readiness teams for workforce health to deliver its ReadySetTM Program for Workforce Emergency Preparedness and Response; including the ReadySet Pandemic Program for prevention, protection and response to pandemic health threats.

23 Sep 2009

Children’s Hospital offers tips on H1N1 and seasonal flu

With the early onset of flu season coinciding with the start of school this year, parents are concerned about the flu. Experts from The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., offer a pediatric perspective on all types of flu, including H1N1, also known as swine flu.

23 Sep 2009

Applied Spine Technologies’ new corporate headquarters in Connecticut

Applied Spine Technologies Inc. (www.appliedspine.com), a medical device company focused on motion preservation of the lumbar spine, announced today their plans to relocate the company to Rocky Hill, Connecticut and close their New Haven office.

23 Sep 2009

British Prime Minister to unveil $1b effort to improve health systems in developing countries

During the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday is scheduled to announce that Britain is teaming up with Norway, the Netherlands and Australia to invest $1 billion to strengthen the health systems in developing countries, the Financial Times/NineMSN reports (Jack, 9/21).

23 Sep 2009

Chan calls for additional H1N1 vaccines for poor countries during WHO Asia-Pacific regional meeting

During the WHO Asia-Pacific regional meeting Monday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan discussed the organization's efforts to ensure that poor nations have access to H1N1 vaccines, VOA News reports (Bayron, 9/21).

23 Sep 2009

Government orders additional H1N1 vaccine

Associated Press/Boston Globe reports that on Monday, "the United States ordered more swine flu vaccine, bringing its eventual total to 251 million doses, up from the long-planned 195 million doses.

23 Sep 2009

HealthRock to promote health education

The $1 trillion cost and massive government role envisioned by the Obama Administration’s health care reform plan (The Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009) continue to create controversy in Congress and throughout the nation.

23 Sep 2009

Sanofi Pasteur receives additional order H1N1 vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today that the company has received an additional order from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to produce vaccine to help protect against the Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus. The new order is for the production of bulk antigen equivalent to 27.3 million doses based on 15 mcg of antigen per dose.

22 Sep 2009

Event: How to prepare for flu season and reduce spread of H1N1

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will hold a town hall meeting with students and faculty at George Mason University to discuss how to prepare for flu season and reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus on September 22, 2009.

22 Sep 2009

Millions of H1N1 healthcare consent forms - how to manage them?

As health officials prepare to roll out millions of H1N1 swine flu vaccines this fall, many are contemplating whether to get the shot or risk coming down with the illness. Yet for officials at the state and local level, the question isn’t whether to get the shot, but what to do with the millions of pages of healthcare forms that will begin piling up once the shot becomes available later this year.

22 Sep 2009

China SFDA awards Jiangsu Yanshen a new drug certificate and production license for its H1N1 vaccine

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (NYSE: SCR) ("Simcere" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer and supplier of branded generic and innovative pharmaceuticals in China, today announced that Jiangsu Yanshen Biological Technology Stock Co., Ltd ("Jiangsu Yanshen"), in which Simcere holds a 37.5% stake, was awarded a new drug certificate and production license from China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) on September 18 for Jiangsu Yanshen's H1N1 vaccine.

22 Sep 2009

FemSoft from Rochester Medical included in the UK Drug Tariff

Rochester Medical Corporation (Nasdaq: ROCM) today announced that the Company's FemSoft(R) Insert has been approved for inclusion in Part IX of the UK Drug Tariff as a prescription product which is reimbursable.

22 Sep 2009

T-System revises its H1N1 point-of-care charting templates

T-System, Inc., the nation's largest provider of emergency department (ED) clinical documentation tools, today announced it has issued revised H1N1 point-of-care charting templates reflecting the most recent recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

22 Sep 2009

CDC recommends seasonal influenza vaccination to counter H1N1

Public health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommend seasonal influenza vaccination as the first line of defense this year in protecting against the influenza virus.

22 Sep 2009

PeriGen’s protocol bundle to prevent H1N1 in pregnant women

PeriGen, Inc., today announced the release of its Influenza Prevention and Treatment Bundle to its North American client hospitals. In advance of the approaching flu season, PeriGen’s protocol bundle will help clinicians follow recommended guidelines for screening, preventing and treating as well as accurately reporting cases of seasonal flu and H1N1 (“Swine Flu”) to state and local officials.

22 Sep 2009

U.S. HHS orders for an additional 29 million doses of MedImmune's influenza vaccine

MedImmune announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has placed an order for an additional 29 million doses of its live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. This brings HHS orders to date to more than 40 million vaccine doses, with a total cumulative contract value of approximately $453 million.

22 Sep 2009