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Officials to review U.S. health-threat response systems

The Washington Post: "Citing the balky swine flu vaccination campaign and other shortcomings in the nation's medical defenses, a top Obama administration official has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new protections against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats."

2 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Once upon a time, grass-roots women challenged the establishment by figuratively burning their bras. Now, in some masochistic perversion of feminism, they are raising their voices to yell, "Squeeze our breasts!" (Barbara Ehrenreich, 12/2).

2 Dec 2009

Sorin Group includes the first patient in its Clepsydra clinical trial

Sorin Group announced today the first inclusion of a patient in the Clepsydra clinical trial. The study will investigate the sensitivity to changes in heart failure status of PhD™, a unique diagnostic feature using the dual sensor technology of minute ventilation and accelerometer to monitor patient’s breathing and activity levels every day.

2 Dec 2009

Legal immigrants still lack care in Massachusetts; Ohio hospitals brace for new fees

News outlets report on legal immigrants and the cost of health reform in Massachusetts, new hospital fees in Ohio, coverage shortfalls in Tennessee and registered nurse practitioners in Florida.

2 Dec 2009

Ellipse Technologies presents clinical results of its MAGEC System study

Ellipse Technologies, Inc. announced today that a scientific presentation of the pre-human clinical results of the MAGEC System were presented by Dr. Gregory Mundis at the 3rd International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis and Growing Spine held in Istanbul, Turkey, November 20 and 21st.

2 Dec 2009

Democrats push for extension as dwindling COBRA subsidies are bad news for jobless

Subsidies to help people pay for COBRA benefits - the program that lets laid off or departing employees temporarily hang on to their health coverage - are drying up, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The subsidies, which pay for 65 percent of the often-costly premiums, became available in March as part of the economic stimulus legislation.

2 Dec 2009

Medpac examines regional differences in use of medical care

The New York Times Prescriptions blog: "A federal advisory panel said Tuesday that regional differences in the use of health care services were substantial but smaller than many experts had suggested. The panel, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, found that the use of services by Medicare beneficiaries in the Miami area was almost 40 percent higher than the national average.

2 Dec 2009

World AIDS Day observed, activists decry budget cuts

A new study on HIV anti-retroviral regimens was released Dec. 1 and events were held to mark World AIDS Day. Meanwhile, advocates in New York and California expressed concern about budget cuts and tight funding for AIDS programs.

2 Dec 2009

Butler Health System implements PatientKeeper’s Platform and Physician Portal

PatientKeeper®, Inc., the leading provider of Physician Information Technology, announced today that Butler Health System of Butler, Pennsylvania selected PatientKeeper to help its organization meet the meaningful use criteria requirements established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The implementation of PatientKeeper’s Platform and Physician Portal, which is scheduled to roll-out in the first quarter of 2010, will extend physician accessibility and connectivity to over 200 physicians and significantly impact patient quality and care.

2 Dec 2009

Over twenty new drug metabolism assays launched by Absorption Systems

Absorption Systems, a leader in drug safety and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) testing, today announced the introduction of a more complete series of drug metabolism assays designed to support the pharmaceutical R&D process, from early-stage discovery through late-stage clinical development.

2 Dec 2009

URMC implements Allocade's artificial intelligence based solution to manage patient flow and logistics

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Allocade, Inc., today announced the first installation and implementation of the On-Cue™ system in New York. URMC is utilizing the On-Cue software solution from Allocade to automate patient flow throughout the hospital and improve operational efficiencies by creating dynamic patient itineraries. The On-Cue system utilizes artificial intelligence, offering healthcare an efficient operating system that helps caregivers to effectively manage patient flow and logistics.

2 Dec 2009

Reactions to CBO report on Senate health bill are mixed

News organizations continue to report on reactions to the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the Senate health bill.

2 Dec 2009

American Scientific Resources commences production of its FDA approved home needle destruction device

American Scientific Resources, Inc., announces that the Disintegrator Plus(TM), the world's only FDA approved home needle destruction device (NDD), is in its first production run for ASR.

2 Dec 2009

Behind-the-scenes players Daschle, Carper, Orszag help guide health debate

Though he has no official government position, Tom Daschle, a former Senate leader and one-time nominee for health secretary, is still attending key health-reform meetings, the Associated Press reports.

2 Dec 2009

Consumption of addictive substances related to impulsive behaviour

A group of psychologists from the University of Almeria, lead by Dr. Pilar Flores and Flor Zaldívar have just concluded a study regarding the use of addictive substances by young university students and the manifestation of impulsive behaviour in the same group of people, on a cognitive and psychomotor level.

2 Dec 2009

FDA approves revised clinical trial protocol for CytRx' arimoclomol

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, is permitted to re-enter the clinic with its orally administered molecular chaperone drug candidate arimoclomol as a therapeutic treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) acceptance of a revised clinical trial protocol.

2 Dec 2009

Favorable initial results from Novavax' 2009 H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine Phase II study

Novavax, Inc. today reported favorable initial results from the first stage of a two-stage pivotal Phase II study evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of the company's 2009 H1N1 virus-like particle (VLP) pandemic influenza vaccine. Novavax is conducting this study in collaboration with Avimex Laboratories of Mexico to support registration of the vaccine in Mexico and potentially other countries.

2 Dec 2009

FDA grants Fast Track designation for AEterna Zentaris' perifosine

AEterna Zentaris Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for the Company's PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor compound, perifosine (KRX-0401), for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

2 Dec 2009

Efforts to expand adult day care programs threatened by recession-driven cuts

Kaiser Health News, in a story produced in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on adult day care.

2 Dec 2009

Generic erosion to decrease branded atypical antipsychotics schizophrenia drug market to $5.2B

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that generic erosion of several established branded atypical antipsychotics will cause the schizophrenia drug market to decrease from $6.3 billion in 2008 to $5.2 billion in 2013 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

2 Dec 2009