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Private sleuths take time referring fraud cases to Medicare

The Associated Press: While President Barack Obama "has set a high priority on battling health care fraud and waste" in Medicare, private contractors are slow in referring cases to law enforcement. "According to congressional investigators, the exact average was 178 days [to refer the case for prosecution].

10 Aug 2010

Increase of alcohol taxes can reduce alcohol-related deaths

Adjusting the alcohol tax in Florida to account for inflation since 1983 would prevent 600 to 800 deaths each year in that state from diseases caused by chronic heavy alcohol use, according to a new study from the University of Florida. The Florida legislature last increased alcohol taxes in 1983.

10 Aug 2010

RNL BIO research identifies adult stem cell's ability to inhibit cancer

The leading biopharmaceutical company specialized in adult stem cell therapeutics, RNL BIO Co., Ltd, announced on July 27th that adult stem cell was identified to have cancer suppressive activity in a preclinical study.

10 Aug 2010

Healthy eggs require tremendous amount of zinc to reach maturity for fertilization: Research

Scientists as well as fertility doctors have long tried to figure out what makes a good egg that will produce a healthy embryo. It's a particularly critical question for fertility doctors deciding which eggs isolated from a woman will produce the best embryos and, ultimately, babies.New research reveals healthy eggs need a tremendous amount of zinc to reach maturity and be ready for fertilization,a finding that may ultimately help physicians assess the best eggs for fertility treatment, according to a study from Northwestern University.

10 Aug 2010

Alzheimer’s disease can now be predicted with 100% accuracy: Study

In a new development, Alzheimer's disease can now be predicted with up to 100 percent accuracy several years before its onset using three special marker proteins present in the spinal fluids. The study was published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Neurology.

9 Aug 2010

South Australia budget cuts would mean loss of 4,000 health jobs

A savings target of $450 million has been proposed by the Sustainable Budget Commission says the South Australia Health Department CEO Tony Sherbon. As a result of this a State parliamentary inquiry has been told that up to 4,000 South Australian health jobs could be lost. This Commission was employed for effective cost cutting measures.

9 Aug 2010

Australia ranks near top when it comes to alcohol abuse: Study

In a new study researchers have found that Australia ranks near the top when it comes to alcohol abuse. The study was conducted by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) and it found that one in five Australians has a drinking problem and four in five go untreated for these problems. Professor Maree Teesson and her team analyzed data collected from almost 9,000 Australians aged 16 to 85 years for the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing in 2007.

9 Aug 2010

U.N. says nearly 14M Pakistanis affected by floods

On Monday the U.N. said that 13.8 million people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan as the death toll has now reached 1,600, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 Aug 2010

Curis announces preliminary results of GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial in advanced ovarian cancer

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced that it has received preliminary results from a Phase II clinical trial of GDC-0449 from Roche and Genentech, Curis' collaborator and a member of the Roche Group.

9 Aug 2010

Insurers to help doctors, hospitals buy health IT

The Wall Street Journal: Health insurance companies are moving to help doctors and hospitals adopt electronic medical records with subsidies, bonuses for adoption and, in some cases, digital products to improve quality and disease management. "The lure: the estimated 80% of U.S. physicians and 90% of hospitals whose records are still on paper, and the $27 billion in federal stimulus money available to help these holdouts switch.

9 Aug 2010

Lentigen receives NIH SBIR grant for program on clinical vector for TCR immunotherapy targeted to melanoma

Lentigen Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of lentiviral gene delivery technologies, announced today that it has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research grant (SBIR) for a program on "Clinical Vector for TCR Immunotherapy Targeted to Melanoma". In this program, Lentigen will collaborate with Dr. Michael Nishimura, Professor of Surgery, at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

9 Aug 2010

Bellus Health reports net loss of $5.8M for second-quarter vs. net income of $14.27M for previous year

BELLUS Health Inc. reported today its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010. The Company also announced new initiatives to reduce its annual expenditures ("burn rate") by focusing its efforts on existing products and on supporting current and future strategic partnerships. All currency figures reported in this press release, including comparative figures, are in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise specified.

9 Aug 2010

Measurable medical errors cost U.S. economy $19.5 billion in 2008: Report

Findings from a new study released today estimate that measurable medical errors cost the U.S. economy $19.5 billion in 2008. Commissioned by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and completed by consultants with Milliman, Inc., the report used claims data to provide an actuarially sound measurement of costs for avoidable medical injuries. Of the approximately $80 billion in costs associated with medical injuries, around 25 percent were the result of avoidable medical errors.

9 Aug 2010

Isis second-quarter pro forma net operating loss increases to $15.5 million

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010. The Company finished the second quarter of 2010 with a pro forma net operating loss (NOL) of $15.5 million and $17.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to a pro forma net operating loss of $1.3 million and pro forma net operating income of $798,000 for the same periods of 2009.

9 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: Food production and climate change; Poverty and hunger in India; Composting toilets in Malawi

A new discussion paper, led by a researcher from the University of Nairobi and produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute, examines how 10 sub-Saharan African countries have adapted food production to mitigate the effects of climate change, IRIN reports. The paper found that most countries use crops that mature faster and are tolerant of frequent and intense droughts.

9 Aug 2010

Epitomics launches EP Clone Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies

Epitomics, Inc., the rabbit monoclonal antibody company, announces today the launch of EP Clone™ Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies and their detection systems for pathology applications. These diagnostic immunohistochemistry (IHC) products are manufactured by the In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Division of the Company. This new line of products are developed in compliance with regulation for IHC antibodies and detection systems in the United States, these products are manufactured under FDA's Quality System Regulation (21 CFR, Part 820).

9 Aug 2010

New familial link in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia discovered

A UCSF-led team has discovered a direct link between an inherited genetic mutation, a set of developmental abnormalities and a rare form of childhood leukemia called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, or JMML. The study demonstrates a new familial link in JMML and has significant implications, the researchers say, for improving the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

9 Aug 2010

Morphine plus oxycodone IV combination exhibits improved analgesia, tolerability compared to IV morphine

QRxPharma Limited announced today positive results of its Phase 2 comparative proof-of-concept study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of its IV (intravenous) formulation of morphine plus oxycodone versus IV morphine alone for the treatment of moderate to severe post-operative pain in patients following hip replacement surgery. The main findings demonstrated that QRxPharma's formulation of MoxDuo IV resulted in fewer side effects and offered better pain relief than morphine alone.

9 Aug 2010

FDA approves Pfizer's Prefilled Dual-Chamber Syringe for XYNTHA administration in hemophilia A patients

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval of the use of a Prefilled Dual-Chamber Syringe for administration of XYNTHA® Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) Plasma/Albumin-Free to hemophilia A patients. XYNTHA is a recombinant factor VIII product indicated for both the control and prevention of bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A (congenital factor VIII deficiency or classic hemophilia) and for surgical prophylaxis in patients with hemophilia A.

9 Aug 2010

KHN column -- Senate dysfunction and health care cost control: In private sector we trust?

In his latest Kaiser Health New column, Austin Frakt writes: "There's good news and bad news. The good news is that if cost-saving provisions of the new health reform law work, Medicare solvency will be extended by 12 years, according to the program's trustees.

9 Aug 2010

Medical News

Private sleuths take time referring fraud cases to Medicare

Increase of alcohol taxes can reduce alcohol-related deaths

RNL BIO research identifies adult stem cell's ability to inhibit cancer

Healthy eggs require tremendous amount of zinc to reach maturity for fertilization: Research

Alzheimer’s disease can now be predicted with 100% accuracy: Study

South Australia budget cuts would mean loss of 4,000 health jobs

Australia ranks near top when it comes to alcohol abuse: Study

U.N. says nearly 14M Pakistanis affected by floods

Curis announces preliminary results of GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial in advanced ovarian cancer

Insurers to help doctors, hospitals buy health IT

Lentigen receives NIH SBIR grant for program on clinical vector for TCR immunotherapy targeted to melanoma

Bellus Health reports net loss of $5.8M for second-quarter vs. net income of $14.27M for previous year

Measurable medical errors cost U.S. economy $19.5 billion in 2008: Report

Isis second-quarter pro forma net operating loss increases to $15.5 million

Also in Global Health News: Food production and climate change; Poverty and hunger in India; Composting toilets in Malawi

Epitomics launches EP Clone Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies

New familial link in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia discovered

Morphine plus oxycodone IV combination exhibits improved analgesia, tolerability compared to IV morphine

FDA approves Pfizer's Prefilled Dual-Chamber Syringe for XYNTHA administration in hemophilia A patients

KHN column -- Senate dysfunction and health care cost control: In private sector we trust?

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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