Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Unequal healthcare kills 80,000 black Americans

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said this week that over 80,000 black Americans die every year because of disparities in health care. Despite government and public and insurance companies knowledge of this shortchange in health care for blacks, they have done little to improve the situation.

10 Mar 2005

Africa faces potential increases in breast cancer rates

A new review finds similarities between the clinical presentation and course of breast cancer in Africans and African-Americans, suggesting that genetic factors may play a significant role in the racial differences encountered in the epidemiology of breast cancer in America.

9 Mar 2005

Medicaid enrollment at late stages may partly explain poor outcomes for cancer

A new study concludes that the unavailability of health insurance prior to Medicaid enrollment may contribute to poor outcomes in the Medicaid-insured cancer population.

9 Mar 2005

AIDS drug pricing complaint in South Africa against GlaxoSmithKline moves forward

A landmark South African legal complaint against British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) over its AIDS drug pricing and policies in that country will proceed following an order late last week by South Africa's Competition Tribunal that will allow the complaint to go forward.

8 Mar 2005

Cymbalta improves cognitive function in elderly patients with depression

Elderly patients with depression treated with Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride), 60 mg once daily, had twice as much improvement in verbal learning and recalling information than those given a sugar pill, according to new research presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

8 Mar 2005

Pediatric obesity is now recognized as a major medical and health problem all over the world

A consensus statement on childhood obesity was published today in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, one of the four journals of The Endocrine Society.

8 Mar 2005

Five point challenge to all political parties, setting out how to improve the NHS

A five point challenge to all political parties, setting out how to improve the NHS, is published today (Tuesday 8 March 2005) by the British Medical Association. "A vote to improve health" takes the form of a doctors' manifesto for the forthcoming general election.

7 Mar 2005

International expert group discusses alternatives to COX-2 inhibitors

International group of pain specialists meets to develop recommendations for the treatment of chronic moderate-to-severe pain in the wake of the global withdrawal of rofecoxib (Vioxx) and concerns regarding use of other COX-2 inhibitors.

7 Mar 2005

Opportunities for European pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in Indian and Chinese markets

Despite having over a third of the world's population, Asia accounts for only one fifth of global pharmaceutical drug consumption. As income levels rise, demand from this large population base is set to burgeon, opening up new growth opportunities for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

7 Mar 2005

Individual mortality rates in Britain

Twenty five heart surgeons in Northwest England publish their individual mortality rates in this week's BMJ. The results show that all surgeons are performing to satisfactory standards.

6 Mar 2005

FDA has accepts new drug application for Exubera (inhaled human insulin powder)

Dr. John Patton, co-founder and chief scientific officer for Nektar reported that Pfizer and The Sanofi-Aventis Group have announced that the FDA has accepted for filing a new drug application for Exubera (inhaled human insulin powder).

3 Mar 2005

Expected revolution in medicine, telemedicine, has simply not happened

Despite high expectations, telemedicine and telehealthcare systems, which enable doctors to interact with patients many miles away via video, digital imaging and electronic data transmission, have had only limited impact on the National Health Service, according to a study sponsored by the ESRC.

3 Mar 2005

BMA(NI) comment on latest NHS waiting lists

Commenting on the release today of the DHSSPS's NHS waiting list figures, BMA(NI) Chairman, Dr Brian Patterson, said that the reduction in numbers of people waiting for inpatient treatment, albeit small, was to be welcomed and paid tribute to the doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff who have worked hard to achieve this.

3 Mar 2005

FDA issues information on the risks and benefits of Crestor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), today issued public health advice, patient information, and professional healthcare information on the risks and benefits of Crestor (Rosuvastatin calcium), a cholesterol-lowering drug.

2 Mar 2005

The impact of cruciate ligament rupture on osteoarthritis of the knee

Study links tears of anterior cruciate ligament to increased risk and severity of disease even among patients with no recall of significant knee injury.

2 Mar 2005

More experienced physicians less likely to falsely characterize a mammogram as abnormal

Physicians who specialize in screening mammography and who have at least 25 years of experience are more accurate at interpreting the images and subject fewer women to the anxiety of false positives for cancer, when compared to physicians with less experience or those who don't have the same focus, according to a new study.

1 Mar 2005

Health professionals should show more empathy - essential to healing relationships

Business scholars for more than 20 years have explored the concept of 'emotional labor,' or the management of emotions to present a certain image in service workers. Now, researchers from the University of Washington Business School and Group Health Cooperative have teamed up to explore how the concept can be applied to the medical profession.

1 Mar 2005

Key players within the European medical device market

The European medical device industry is highly competitive, where new and smaller participants find it extremely challenging to make a significant impact. It is also a dynamic industry with continued scope for expansion, given the ageing population and consequent rise in the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, musculoskeletal disorders and diabetes.

1 Mar 2005

Australian forum explores rise of herbal medicine

RMIT University is set to host a panel of complementary medicine experts at a forum discussing the popularity of herbal medicine and its role in contemporary healthcare next month.

1 Mar 2005

Kidney dysfunction in HIV patients can be detected earlier

Tracking the subtle kidney damage that can lead to chronic kidney disease in HIV patients is increasingly important as people survive longer and may have an increased risk of renal dysfunction as a result of their disease, therapy-related damage, or co-morbid conditions such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

28 Feb 2005