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Ethical framework to guide coverage and reimbursement decisions for expensive orphan drugs

How can insurers justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient per year on "orphan drugs" - extremely expensive medications for rare conditions that are mostly chronic and life-threatening -- when this money could provide greater overall health benefit if spread out among many other patients?

8 Feb 2012

Legal challenges likely next step as flap over birth control rule continues

News outlets report on the clash between the Obama administration and Catholic leaders.

8 Feb 2012

Thumb and little finger react faster than the middle finger

The fingers on the outside - i.e. the thumb and little finger - therefore react faster than the middle finger, which is exposed to the "cross fire" of two neighbours on each side. Through targeted learning, this speed handicap can be compensated. The working group led by PD Dr. Hubert Dinse (Neural Plasticity Lab at the Institute for Neuroral Computation) report in the current issue of PNAS.

8 Feb 2012

Al Jazeera examines unique polio eradication campaign in Pakistan

In this video report, Al Jazeera examines polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, writing, "[I]n an unusual effort to eliminate the disease, health workers are stopping vehicles at a busy toll booth outside Islamabad to administer free polio vaccination drops to children under the age of five."

8 Feb 2012

A critical step forward in understanding how insulin secretion is regulated in the body

In a study published last week in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, a team led by Dr. Vincent Poitout of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) has made an important step forward in understanding how insulin secretion is regulated in the body.

8 Feb 2012

Humana, HCA show brighter earnings picture though worries remain

Humana met analyst projections for the quarter and HCA stock shares are rebounding.

8 Feb 2012

Exemestane has negative effect on postmenopausal women's bone health

Exemestane, a drug used in the prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, has a negative effect on bone density and structure in these women, despite calcium and vitamin D supplements.

8 Feb 2012

RV5 vaccination does not increase risk of intussusception in infants

Although some data have suggested a possible increased risk of intussusception (when a portion of the small or large intestine slides forward into itself, like a telescope) after administration of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in infants, an analysis that included almost 800,000 doses administered to U.S. infants found no increased risk of this condition following vaccination, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Feb 2012

Obama administration rejects Calif. Medicaid co-pay proposal

The Obama administration said "no" Monday to a California proposal designed to help close a budget gap. Elsewhere, Texas is planning a change to how it pays for charity care in its Medicaid program.

8 Feb 2012

Center for LAM Research and Clinical Care at BWH to conduct phase I combination drug trial

The Center for LAM Research and Clinical Care at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has been awarded a $1 million plus, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to fund their work on lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

8 Feb 2012

New survey highlights health insurance gaps faced by poor

According to the Commonwealth Fund, low-income adults who were surveyed were less likely to have insurance and to receive medical care including preventive screenings.

8 Feb 2012

Elevated risk of PE occurs within first 7 days after total joint replacement surgery

The elevated risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) - a blood clot that travels from the leg to the lungs - following total joint replacement (TJR) surgery has been well established, yet little is known about the natural course and timing of this potentially fatal condition.

8 Feb 2012

Some House Democrats press for 'essential benefits' to be federal decision

These House Democratic lawmakers are concerned that the Department of Health and Human Services is allowing states significant latitude in determining the definition of "essential benefits." Also in the news, the Office of Management and Budget has begun its review of the long-awaited final regulations for the establishment of state exchanges.

8 Feb 2012

EUSARNAD study focuses on anxiety disorders

Researchers from the University of Southampton are leading an international research exchange that aims to develop a greater understanding of anxiety disorders and develop more effective treatments for patients.

8 Feb 2012

World recognizes 9th annual International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C

As the international community on Monday marked the ninth annual International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), the U.N. and international and human rights organizations called for an end to FGM/C and are appealing for tougher legislation to halt the practice that has affected up to 140 million girls and women worldwide, according to WHO statistics, VOA News reports.

8 Feb 2012

New combination laser therapy effective in treating melasma

On the surface, it would seem as though the skin condition melasma (commonly referred to as the "mask of pregnancy") and tattoos would have little in common. However, they both affect a person's skin, can be quite difficult to treat or remove and, now, dermatologists are discovering new laser therapies which enhance treatment for both conditions.

8 Feb 2012

Debate continues over needle/syringe exchange programs

Matt Fisher, a research assistant at the Center for Strategic & International Studies' Global Health Policy Center, summarizes the ongoing debate in Congress over needle and syringe exchange programs (NSEPs) in this post on the SmartGlobalHealth.org blog.

8 Feb 2012

ACR, AdMeTech and ESUR to expedite development of standards for MR PI-RADS

To improve early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, ACR, AdMeTech Foundation and ESUR have formed a joint effort to expedite development of standards for the Magnetic Resonance Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (MR PI-RADS) modeled after a successful effort in breast cancer care

8 Feb 2012

Four options for resolving bird flu research debate

In this Scientific American opinion piece, author and former staff writer at Scientific American John Horgan examines "a bitter debate" among scientists over the publication of controversial H5N1 research, writing, "Research involving the bird-flu virus H5N1 poses an especially knotty dilemma, in which scientists' commitment to openness -- and to reducing humanity's vulnerability to potential health threats -- collides with broader security concerns."

8 Feb 2012

Patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis do not benefit from epidural steroid injections

Researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson examined data on patients being treated for lumbar stenosis and the degenerative spine condition spondylolisthesis and found that patients who received epidural steroid injections (ESI) had a higher rate of crossover to surgery and fared worse in physical health and bodily pain versus those who did not receive ESI, dispelling their pre-study hypothesis.

8 Feb 2012