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Scientists identify new behavioral traits of immune cells; findings may help in understanding complex diseases

In diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cells of the immune system infiltrate the brain tissue, where they cause immense damage. For many years, it was an enigma as to how these cells can escape from the bloodstream. This is no trivial feat, given that specialized blood vessels act as a barrier between the nervous system and the bloodstream.

6 Nov 2009

DSM Pharmaceutical Products announces manufacturing alliance with Galenix

DSM Pharmaceutical Products today announced that it has made a manufacturing alliance with Galenix, Saint Jean D'Illac, France, where DSM will be the preferred commercial scale manufacturing partner for Galenix commercial products on a global basis.

6 Nov 2009

New FDA program targets drug dosage errors

Federal Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg announced a new "Safe Use" program for drugs on Wednesday.

6 Nov 2009

Pelosi says House will pass health bill; measure gains AARP, AMA backing

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says she will have enough votes to pass Democratic health care legislation by Saturday. "The statement, however, is a tacit acknowledgement that she doesn't have them yet," The Hill reports.

6 Nov 2009

Average cost of patient deaths much higher than patients who were discharged alive

One of every three people who died in 2007 in the United States were in the hospital for treatment at the time of their deaths, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The cost of their hospital stays was about $20 billion.

6 Nov 2009

McKesson signs agreement to help the statewide medical services innovator streamline workflow

Dedicated to enabling healthcare providers to improve performance using information technology, McKesson has signed an agreement with Iowa Health System to help the statewide medical services innovator streamline workflow and boost productivity. McKesson is deploying its enterprise-wide solution Horizon Medical Imaging™ picture archiving and communications system (PACS) at 34 metropolitan hospitals and clinics throughout Iowa.

6 Nov 2009

Bodhi Body selects public relations firm and marketing agency Zion & Zion

Bodhi Body is a new way to look at healthcare. Through the incorporation of integrated medical and wellness services ranging from IV therapy to yoga and naturopathic medicine, Bodhi Body improves quality of life. In an effort to launch the brand and facility with maximum impact and to rapidly recruit clients, the company has engaged top Phoenix public relations firm and marketing agency Zion & Zion.

6 Nov 2009

Rice University's new BRC awarded $2M NIH grant to develop an inexpensive test for oral cancer

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers in Rice University's new BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) a $2 million Grand Opportunity (GO) grant to develop a fast, inexpensive test for oral cancer that a dentist could perform simply by using a brush to collect a small sample of cells from a patient's mouth.

6 Nov 2009

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

The Wall Street Journal examines "big pharma's growing interest in a corner of healthcare - emerging-market inoculations," in light of a recent move by Novartis to purchase an 85 percent stake in the Chinese vaccine maker Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. In the summer, drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA made a similar move to acquire a majority stake in India's Shantha Biotechnics, the newspaper notes.

6 Nov 2009

DOJ investigates alleged fraud by drugmakers; sanctions on wellcare lifted

"A $112 million settlement involving alleged drug kickbacks that the Justice Dept. announced with the nation's largest nursing home pharmacy and a generic drug manufacturer on Nov. 3 is part of a wide-ranging investigation of suspected Medicaid fraud by the pharmaceutical industry," Business Week reports. "Critics say the continuing probe, which involves Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and other major drugmakers, highlights what they describe as an industry practice of paying money to outfits that provide drugs to consumers, in return for preferential treatment."

6 Nov 2009

FDA: Sexual enhancement product "Stiff Nights" can dangerously lower blood pressure and is illegal

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that Stiff Nights, a product marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, contains an ingredient that can dangerously lower blood pressure and is illegal.

6 Nov 2009

Internet stimulates and improves brain functioning for seniors: Study

A study by UCLA suggests that use of the Internet by seniors helps to "stimulate and possibly improve brain functioning." Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, noted "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

6 Nov 2009

HHS announces contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous antiviral drugs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous (IV) antiviral drugs to help treat hospitalized 2009 H1N1 influenza patients.

6 Nov 2009

Lack of evidence a problem for policymakers, doctors and patients

One category of medical mysteries that stumps expert doctors and policymakers alike falls under the heading: What works? News reports on two new studies - and one that was never completed - offer insight into that issue.

6 Nov 2009

Democrats must clear remaining hurdles on path to health vote

As House Democrats move towards a weekend vote, they must resolve a series of outstanding issues, The Hill reports. Blue Dog Democrats, a fiscally conservative voting bloc, said up to 30 of their members "are considering voting against the bill because of concerns that it will increase healthcare costs in its second 10 years."

6 Nov 2009

Patients should bring up financial concerns with their doctors in view of high health insurance costs

As health insurers require people to base more treatment decisions on out-of-pocket costs, physicians should learn to talk to patients about money, according to researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

6 Nov 2009

Prescription drug abuse among teens: NCPIE, SAMHSA launches campaign

The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and representatives from 15 nationally recognized prevention, health professional and child advocacy organizations, are launching Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer: What You Can Do to Help Prevent Teen Prescription Drug Abuse.

6 Nov 2009

Obama to visit House Dems Friday to rally support for Saturday health bill vote

"In a last-minute exercise of presidential hand-holding, President Obama plans to travel to Capitol Hill on Friday morning to meet with House Democrats, one day before they vote on his highest domestic priority: a bill to overhaul the nation's health care system," The New York Times reports.

6 Nov 2009

Malaria experts discuss eradication at MIM conference

In a session at the 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, experts discussed the tools required to eradicate the disease and highlighted insecticide and drug resistance in some parts of the world, Xinhua reports. Researchers noted that resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) has been documented in western Cambodia and "has now also been reported in the west of Thailand and in eastern Myanmar," the news service writes (Ooko/Zhuoyun, 11/5).

6 Nov 2009

Elysium Internet launches two new online destinations

Elysium Internet, Inc., a next generation Local Internet advertising and digital media Company, today announced the launch of two new online destinations www.PodiatristSites.com and www.LocalPhysician.com as the company seeks to expand its portfolio of health related online destinations.

6 Nov 2009

Medical News

Scientists identify new behavioral traits of immune cells; findings may help in understanding complex diseases

DSM Pharmaceutical Products announces manufacturing alliance with Galenix

New FDA program targets drug dosage errors

Pelosi says House will pass health bill; measure gains AARP, AMA backing

Average cost of patient deaths much higher than patients who were discharged alive

McKesson signs agreement to help the statewide medical services innovator streamline workflow

Bodhi Body selects public relations firm and marketing agency Zion & Zion

Rice University's new BRC awarded $2M NIH grant to develop an inexpensive test for oral cancer

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

DOJ investigates alleged fraud by drugmakers; sanctions on wellcare lifted

FDA: Sexual enhancement product "Stiff Nights" can dangerously lower blood pressure and is illegal

Internet stimulates and improves brain functioning for seniors: Study

HHS announces contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous antiviral drugs

Lack of evidence a problem for policymakers, doctors and patients

Democrats must clear remaining hurdles on path to health vote

Patients should bring up financial concerns with their doctors in view of high health insurance costs

Prescription drug abuse among teens: NCPIE, SAMHSA launches campaign

Obama to visit House Dems Friday to rally support for Saturday health bill vote

Malaria experts discuss eradication at MIM conference

Elysium Internet launches two new online destinations

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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