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Obama administration sides with city in San Francisco lawsuit

"The Obama administration took San Francisco's side Friday in a legal dispute over the city's groundbreaking health coverage law, urging the Supreme Court to reject an appeal by restaurant owners who objected to paying part of the cost. In a long-awaited filing, government lawyers said passage of national health insurance legislation 'has dramatically changed the landscape' and reduced the likelihood that cities and states would adopt laws like San Francisco's. The case presents no pressing issues that require the court's review, the lawyers said."

2 Jun 2010

Medicare patients may face accessibility crisis to medical care

According to an article in the June issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), Medicare patients - many who suffer from disabling arthritis of the hip and knee, among other age-related ailments - may end up facing an accessibility crisis to medical care.

2 Jun 2010

Infighting threatens COBRA subsidy extension, longer Medicare doc pay 'fix'

Roll Call reports that infighting over some unemployment benefits and a scheduled "fix" of Medicare physician payments has left Democratic congressional leaders at a "dramatic low" in their relationship. "And while publicly, House and Senate leaders refused to assign blame, the behind-the-scenes story was far different. The deadline for the benefits package had been looming for weeks.

2 Jun 2010

Study sheds light on molecular mechanisms of genital and urinary tract abnormalities

Scientists have learned how a gene widely known for precisely positioning and sculpting various organs also controls the speed of cell division, a finding that could be useful for understanding the explosive growth of cancer cells or why increasing numbers of children are being born with genital and urinary tract malformations.

2 Jun 2010

EMBL scientists identify two small RNA molecules that ensure red blood cell production

Red blood cells, the delivery men that take oxygen to cells all around the body, have short lives. To keep enough of them in circulation, the human body produces around 2 million of these cells every second - even more in response to challenges like severe blood loss. In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, and EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, have identified two small RNA molecules which ensure that enough red blood cells are produced efficiently, by fine-tuning a number of different genes involved in this process.

2 Jun 2010

Postdoctoral scientists receive NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellowship award

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today announced the award of eight new NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellows. These postdoctoral scientists join 15 accomplished stem cell researchers from leading institutions who have been supported by the program since 2006. NYSCF has awarded 23 fellowships to date.

2 Jun 2010

Men with ED are at increased risk of high CACS: Researchers

In the largest study to date evaluating erectile dysfunction and coronary artery calcification, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have determined that men with ED are at a significantly increased risk of high coronary artery calcification scores, a known predictor of future cardiovascular events.

2 Jun 2010

FDA accepts Orexigen's Contrave NDA for treatment of obesity

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for Contrave® (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), its investigational drug for the treatment of obesity.

2 Jun 2010

Over-the-counter supplements can cause hypertension and kidney failure

Negative health effects linked to taking too much supplemental calcium are on the rise, according to a commentary appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

2 Jun 2010

Canada willing to spend $1B on G8 maternal, child health initiative

Canada has told other G8 countries that it "is willing to put about $1 billion toward maternal and child health - as long as other countries ante up, too," the Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press reports.

2 Jun 2010

Health law implementation: Insurance, coverage and Medicare payment questions

Kaiser Health News reports that the insurance industry — traditionally a state-regulated industry — is facing new federal scrutiny by four officials in the new Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "On this year's to-do list: writing rules to define when premium increases are 'unreasonable,' creating new coverage for people who can't get it because of health conditions and making sure insurers comply with consumer protections. The new director of the office is Jay Angoff, a former Missouri insurance commissioner.

2 Jun 2010

Amgen's Prolia receives FDA approval for treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Amgen Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Prolia™ (denosumab) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture, defined as a history of osteoporotic fracture, or multiple risk factors for fracture; or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy. Prolia, the first and only FDA-approved RANK Ligand inhibitor, is an every six month 60 mg subcutaneous injection administered by a health care professional.

2 Jun 2010

Teva Pharmaceutical launches Gianvi Tablets

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that it has commercially launched Gianvi (Drospirenone and Ethinyl Estradiol) Tablets, the Company's generic version of Bayer's Yaz® Tablets.

2 Jun 2010

HTDS commences clinical trials for MEVAC-A vaccine in Vietnam

Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. and Shenzhen Mellow Hope announce, that the company commenced clinical trials for the company's Hepatitis A (brand name MEVAC-A) vaccine.

2 Jun 2010

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals raises $45M in Series C financing

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing breakthrough synthetic chemistry technology to discover and develop next-generation antibiotics, today announced that it has raised $45 million in a Series C financing.

2 Jun 2010

New model reveals molecular basis of multiple hereditary exostoses

Children born with multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE) suffer from abnormal growths on their bones. These bony protrusions stunt their growth and can cause pain and disfigurement.

2 Jun 2010

FDA approves Prolia for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Prolia, an injectable treatment for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fractures.

2 Jun 2010

GOP candidates for California governor struggle with budget issues, including health care

The two candidates in California's Republican gubernatorial primary, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, "agree on several budget fixes, including a spending cap, a hiring freeze, and reforms to welfare, pensions and prison health care." Both candidates seek to rid waste and create a leaner, more cost efficient budget, but cuts can come at a cost. "Reaction to Schwarzenegger's proposed budget revision this month indicates what the next governor is in for.

2 Jun 2010

Encision enters into purchasing agreement with HealthTrust

Encision Inc., a medical device company owning patented surgical technology that is emerging as a standard of care in minimally-invasive surgery, announced today that it has entered into a purchasing agreement with HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP, effective June 1, 2010.

2 Jun 2010

Study results show calcium consumption increases prostate cancer risk in Chinese

Among Chinese men, calcium consumption — even at relatively low levels and from non-dairy food sources such as soy, grains and green vegetables — may increase prostate cancer risk, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2010