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With Adderall shortage, drug counterfeiters try to seize a market opportunity

A shortage of Adderall began last year, sending millions of people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy on perpetual wild goose chases to find drugstores with the pills they need to stay alert and focused. So it's not surprising that Adderall counterfeiters have seized a big marketing opportunity. What is surprising is their clumsiness.

31 May 2012

Simple blood test can detect genetic faults in patients with cancer

A simple and cost-effective blood test could be used to monitor how a patient is responding to treatment and detect genetic faults in their cancer as they happen, according to a Cancer Research UK study.

31 May 2012

State exchanges and health IT could be hurdles to health law implementation

It seemed like a good idea at the time. But a health insurance tax credit for small businesses, part of President Barack Obama's health care law that gets strong support in public opinion polls, has turned out to be a disappointment. Time-consuming to apply for and lacking enough financial reward to make it attractive, the credit was claimed by only 170,300 businesses out of a pool of as many as 4 million potentially eligible companies in 2010.

31 May 2012

Simple soft-drink cooler could help patients battle antibiotic-resistant TB

Tuberculosis, now largely controlled in the industrialized world, remains a stubbornly persistent killer in most of Africa, as well as parts of Asia and South America. The spread of multidrug-resistant strains of TB has slowed progress against the devastating disease, which is estimated to strike more than 10 million people annually. Now a modified soft-drink cooler, developed by researchers at MIT's D-Lab, could make a dent in the disease's impact.

31 May 2012

U.N. officials warn 18M people will be affected by hunger in African Sahel this year

"U.N. officials say they expect 18 million people in West Africa will go hungry this year, including three million young children whose lives or health will be at risk," the Associated Press reports.

31 May 2012

Nepstar first quarter revenue increases 1.3% to RMB625.8M

China Nepstar Chain Drugstore Ltd., the largest retail drugstore chain in China based on the number of directly operated stores, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

31 May 2012

YCC, SCRI and SCH partner to advance cancer research

Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) today announced the finalization of an agreement to collaborate scientifically with Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven (SCH) to advance cancer research.

31 May 2012

CIA's use of health workers in intelligence operations could hurt 'innocent people'

"The CIA's vaccination gambit put at risk something very precious -- the integrity of public health programs in Pakistan and around the globe" and has "also added to the dangers facing nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in a world that's increasingly hostile to U.S. aid organizations," opinion writer David Ignatius writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

31 May 2012

Despite progress, more effort 'urgently' needed to prevent maternal mortality in Africa

Citing a U.N. report released in May, titled "Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2010," which shows "the number of women worldwide dying of pregnancy and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in the last 20 years," Agnes Odhiambo, a researcher for women in Africa at Human Rights Watch, writes in this Inter Press Service opinion piece.

31 May 2012

RUSM, KMC announce 10-year affiliation agreement

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) and Kern Medical Center (KMC) in Bakersfield, Calif. today announced a 10-year affiliation agreement to allocate, on an annual basis, a significant number of core clinical rotation slots to RUSM students.

31 May 2012

House to vote on bill banning abortions based on sex of fetus

According to rules governing the vote, the GOP will have to pick up about 50 Democrat votes to pass the bill. The vote may not be the end of abortion controversies on the Hill this year, however, as several measures have been inserted into national security bills, Politico Pro reports.

31 May 2012

Data from Response Genetics' tests against cancer to be presented at ASCO 2012

Response Genetics, Inc., a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, announced today four presentations to be held during the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL from June 1 to June 5, 2012. Study results are based on the company's proprietary technology and approach.

31 May 2012

Alleviating world hunger, malnutrition essential for sustainable development, FAO report says

"Sustainable development cannot be realized unless hunger and malnutrition are eradicated, the [Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)] said in a policy document prepared for the Rio+20 Summit to be held in June in Rio de Janeiro," an FAO press release reports.

31 May 2012

Kona Medical raises $30 million in Series C financing

Kona Medical, Inc. today announced it has raised $30 million in Series C financing to advance its novel hypertension therapy.

31 May 2012

Pharmspective releases ‘Molecular Diagnostics Insights in Oncology’

Pharmspective, LLC today announced the release of its second syndicated report – Molecular Diagnostics Insights in Oncology. This new extensive survey of over 400 oncologists characterizes the emerging molecular diagnostics landscape and the role and influence of specific assays in clinical management and therapy selection.

31 May 2012

UCSB creates synthetic platelets for various biomedical applications

Synthetic platelets have been developed by UC Santa Barbara researchers, in collaboration with researchers at Scripps Research Institute and Sanford-Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Calif. Their findings are published in the journal Advanced Materials in a paper titled "Platelet Mimetic Particles for Targeting Thrombi in Flowing Blood."

31 May 2012

No evidence of chronic low-grade inflammation linked with diseases of aging

American parents may want to think again about how much they want to protect their children from everyday germs. A new Northwestern University study done in lowland Ecuador remarkably finds no evidence of chronic low-grade inflammation -- associated with diseases of aging like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia.

31 May 2012

Clorox Healthcare to be showcased at APIC 2012 conference

Clorox Professional Products Company, a division of The Clorox Company, will showcase Clorox Healthcare, its new strengthened comprehensive product offerings and educational initiatives to meet healthcare professionals' diverse needs, at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) 2012 Conference in San Antonio, Texas, June 4-6.

31 May 2012

Stiefel to acquire WBI-1001 licensing rights from Welichem

Stiefel, a GSK company, and Welichem Biotech Inc., have entered into an agreement for the acquisition by Stiefel of exclusive development and commercialization rights to the novel anti-inflammatory agent, WBI-1001, in all territories in the world outside of China, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong.

31 May 2012

New guidelines for management of childhood aggression

Mayo Clinic researchers, in collaboration with other research institutions and youth mental health experts, are publishing new guidelines for primary care providers and mental health specialists to manage the common but often complex problem of childhood aggression. The goals include improving diagnosis and care and avoiding inappropriate use of medication.

31 May 2012