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EMA approves Shire's new REPLAGAL manufacturing facility in Lexington

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the European Medicines Agency has approved the purification of REPLAGAL® (agalsidase alfa) drug substance at its new manufacturing facility in Lexington, MA, US. REPLAGAL, Shire's enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Fabry disease is the first product that will be made available to patients from the new facility.

24 Jun 2011

Conference examines family planning benefits for health

Family planning "is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent illness and save lives in the world's poor countries," according to health experts gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at a conference sponsored by the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, GlobalPost's "Africa Emerges" blog reports.

24 Jun 2011

Research roundup: Revamping public health law; Pay-for-performance

New Cardiac Surgery Programs Established From 1993 To 2004 Led To Little Increased Access, Substantial Duplication Of Services -- This study, using Medicare data from 1993-2004, finds that although the number of coronary artery bypass surgeries declined, 301 new cardiac surgery units opened.

24 Jun 2011

Ryan budget plan proves divisive point in Senate primary election campaigns

Democrats, and now also Republicans, view members' support for the plan's Medicare changes, which would signficiantly alter the program's current shape, as a theme in campaigns.

24 Jun 2011

State highlights: Calif. insurance regulatory system criticized

The two-headed beast that regulates health insurance in California is under fire. For the first time in a decade, healthcare leaders in Sacramento are publicly asking whether it's time to junk overlapping bureaucracies that police health insurers and HMOs (Helfand, 6/23).

24 Jun 2011

EMA CHMP recommends approval of linagliptin for type 2 diabetes

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company today received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) medicinal committee recommending approval of linagliptin, 5 mg, film-coated tablets (to be marketed under the trade name Trajenta® in Europe) for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes.

24 Jun 2011

Supreme Court sides with drug makers in two decisions

One would shield pharmaceutical companies from most lawsuits filed by people injured by taking generic drugs. The other strikes down a Vermont law that banned some commercial uses — "data mining" — of prescription data.

24 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius defends IPAB; Wash Post on debt talks and entitlements

A key part of the president's plan, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, has recently been the subject of inaccurate claims. Critics say it will ration care and put bureaucrats in charge of the health care system.

24 Jun 2011

Department of Defense awards Impel Phase II SBIR grant for blood-brain barrier bypass technology

Impel NeuroPharma, a medical device company whose technology is designed to enable pharmaceutical drugs to bypass the blood-brain barrier and enter the central nervous system (CNS), today announced that it was selected to receive a Phase II Small Business Investigational Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Defense's Chemical and Biological Defense SBIR Program entitled, "Blood Brain Barrier Drug Delivery of Therapeutics for Chemical Warfare Agents."

24 Jun 2011

N.J. Assembly approves changes to state workers' benefits

Gov. Chris Christie is expected to sign the landmark legislation into law quickly. It will require state workers to pay more for health and pension benefits.

24 Jun 2011

Health law implementation progress, issues continue to draw attention

For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure's health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow.

24 Jun 2011

Scientists gain insight into how brains process memory and sense of orientation

How do our brains process memory and sense of orientation? Scientists are gaining insight by studying rats with implanted genes that prompt neurons to fire on command.

24 Jun 2011

Debt-ceiling negotiations stall

A top Republican walks away from the bargaining table -- leaving the debate unresolved regarding Democratic demands for higher taxes and spending reductions at the Pentagon, and GOP calls for significant cuts to health and retirement programs.

24 Jun 2011

As States approach new budget years, many will be cutting Medicaid

States have taken a variety of trims, from stopping payments for circumcisions in Colorado to reducing payments for rehabilitation services in Kansas to increased co-payments in California.

24 Jun 2011

Focused ultrasound changes 27 year-old uterine fibroid patient's life

On June 12, 2011, viewers of the CBS Evening News learned about Stephanie Small's gripping story. Suffering from a large uterine fibroid, the 27 year-old was treated last December as part of a MR-guided focused ultrasound clinical trial at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

24 Jun 2011

Woods Institute at Stanford University awards seven new Environmental Venture Project grants

The Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University has awarded seven new Environmental Venture Projects (EVP) grants for interdisciplinary research aimed at finding practical solutions promoting global sustainability.

24 Jun 2011

Less than half of primary-care physicians refer all diabetes patients to education programs

While studies have shown that diabetes education programs are crucial in helping individuals living with the disease self-manage their condition, a new study led by Ryerson researchers has found that less than half of primary-care physicians surveyed refer all of their patients with diabetes to these programs.

24 Jun 2011

Medical residents should work no more than 16 hours without sleep

A group of 26 of the nation's leaders in medicine, health care, patient safety, and research today called for sweeping changes in the design, supervision and financing of U.S. hospital residency care programs to protect patients from serious, preventable medical errors, and end dangerously long work hours for physicians in training.

24 Jun 2011

Nutrastar opens Harbin specialty store in central Nangang District

Nutrastar International Inc., a leading producer and supplier of premium branded Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM") consumer products, today announced the opening of its second branded specialty store in Harbin. The store carries the company's core Cordyceps product and all of the Company's functional health beverage products.

24 Jun 2011

Scientific evidence is key driver for gaining reimbursement for MR-guided focused ultrasound

Medical researchers have a critical role to play in gaining optimal health insurance reimbursement for MR-guided focused ultrasound. As Susan Klees, Director of Patient Access for the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation, reports, "Scientific evidence is the key driver for reimbursement, and it all begins with the way studies are designed. Today, research priorities must be grounded in sound science as well as the realities of the marketplace."

24 Jun 2011