Medical News

RSS

Study finds inhaled corticosteroids increase type 2 diabetes risk

Patients taking inhaled corticosteroids are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and more so with higher doses, say researchers at the Jewish General Hospital's Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI) In Montreal. The risk is of special concern for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and much less significant for asthmatics.

2 Nov 2010

HHS awards CTI $977,917 in grants under Therapeutic Discovery Tax Credit program

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded $977,917 in grants under the Therapeutic Discovery Tax Credit program that was enacted under the U.S. government's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The program targets projects that show potential to produce new therapies, address unmet medical needs, reduce the long-term growth of health care costs and advance the goal of curing cancer.

2 Nov 2010

PPACA program provides $733,438 grant to Inovio

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has received a $733,438 grant under The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA).

2 Nov 2010

More companies push employee wellness programs

General Mills has a corporate culture that consistently encourages workers to stay active and healthy. It's part of the consumer-products company's long-established wellness program, which General Mills says has helped it keep increases in health-care costs in the single digits, way below the national average

2 Nov 2010

New microfluidic in vitro kinase radioassay improves efficiency to detect cancer growth

Inappropriate growth and survival signaling, which leads to the aberrant growth of cancer cells, is a driving force behind tumors. Much of current cancer research focuses on the kinase enzymes whose mutations are responsible for such disregulated signaling, and many successful molecularly targeted anti-cancer therapeutics are directed at inhibiting kinase activity.

2 Nov 2010

Positive results from linaclotide Phase 3 trial in patients with IBS-C

Almirall, S.A. and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from a 26-week pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of once-daily dosing of linaclotide 266 mcg in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C).

2 Nov 2010

Study finds increasing dosage of blood thinners can help cardiovascular disease patients with genetic defect

Cardiovascular disease patients who have a genetic defect that makes them less responsive to blood thinners may be helped with an increased dosage, according to results of an innovative pilot study led by a cardiologist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

2 Nov 2010

AMA head predicts "catastrophe" if physician Medicare pay isn't fixed

Kaiser Health News staff writers Andrew Villegas and Mary Agnes Carey, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, talked with the AMA president about action surrounding Medicare payment issues: "While most people are focused on the midterm elections Tuesday, the American Medical Association is gearing up for the lame-duck congressional session scheduled to start Nov. 15.

2 Nov 2010

Most hospital patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea

Eighty-one percent of hospital patients are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, a Loyola University Health System study has found.

2 Nov 2010

Kenya first of four countries to launch UNICEF, partners initiative aimed at PMTCT of HIV

On Friday, UNICEF and the Kenyan government announced a partnership aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV by providing HIV-positive mothers with packs of medicines they can easily administer to themselves or their babies at home, IRIN/PlusNews reports.

2 Nov 2010

AGD encourages diabetic patients to pay attention to oral health

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects nearly 24 million people in the United States. In observance of National Diabetes Month, the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) encourages those with diabetes to pay extra attention to their oral health.

2 Nov 2010

Arthritis drugs also prevent post-operative cognitive decline: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis may also help prevent cognitive problems after surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Imperial College London and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

2 Nov 2010

Zynx Health's clinical support solution receives US patent

Zynx Health, the market leader in providing evidence-based and experience-based clinical decision support solutions, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued United States Patent 7,822,626 covering their extensive suite of tools that facilitate and enhance the capability within a healthcare institution to establish and maintain an evidence-based best practice approach to providing patient care.

2 Nov 2010

WHO Director-General in Pakistan to monitor flood relief, polio vaccinations

The WHO will continue to support efforts to boost polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said recently during talks with Pakistani health officials, the Associated Press of Pakistan reports.

2 Nov 2010

Insurers want out of low-income segment of Medicare Part D market

UPI: "Health insurance companies have raised their premiums to price themselves out of the low-income segment of the Part D market," according to a study from the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. According to the study, "Part D reimbursements to insurers covering low-income patients are substantially lower than the actual costs incurred," which create an "'incentive for plans to avoid or shed low-income patients,'" the study's lead author said.

2 Nov 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim announces availability of PRADAXA in U.S. pharmacies

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its new oral anticoagulant, Pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) 150mg capsules, will be available starting Wednesday by prescription in pharmacies across the United States, including CVS/pharmacy, Rite Aid, Walmart, Target, Kmart® and The Kroger Co. In addition, leading independents under the Health Mart®, Good Neighbor Pharmacy® and Medicine Shoppe® banners will be stocked.

2 Nov 2010

Micronics receives $244,479 cash grant under QTDP program

Micronics, Inc., a leading developer of point of care molecular diagnostics, announced today that it has been awarded a cash grant for tax year 2009 totaling approximately $244,479 under the U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project program.

2 Nov 2010

Long-term cell phone usage doubles risk of developing brain tumors

The highest-quality research data available suggests that long-term exposure to microwaves from cellular phones may lead to an increased risk of brain tumors, reports a paper in the November/December issue of Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

2 Nov 2010

Researchers investigate Human-cl rhFVIII factor for severe hemophilia A treatment

Octapharma AG, one of the largest human protein products manufacturers in the world, and Octapharma USA today announced that patients diagnosed with severe hemophilia A have started treatment in a multi-center study that is researching the use of the first recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) derived from a human cell line (Human-cl rhFVIII).

2 Nov 2010

House takeover would give GOP ways to attack health law

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Marilyn Werber Serafini reports on the possible changes in the congressional power structure: "If Rep. Joe Barton becomes chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee next year, the Texas Republican vows to make life miserable for Democratic defenders of the health care overhaul law" (Serafini, 10/31).

2 Nov 2010