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Major Catholic health group support Democrats' health reform

Catholic World: ''Breaking with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the president of the Catholic Health Association has endorsed the Senate health care reform legislation that is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives this week."

16 Mar 2010

Research reveals molecular mechanism of DNA repair

New research led by scientists at the University of Essex has given an insight into how the body finds damage in the DNA code to repair it.

16 Mar 2010

GOP criticizes House Dems likely 'self-executing rule' for health reform consideration

"House Republicans say they cannot block a Democratic maneuver that would allow Members to avoid a separate vote on the Senate health care bill. 'There is nothing that can prevent it,' said Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the Rules Committee."

16 Mar 2010

Lilly receives exclusive rights to commercialize Acrux's testosterone solution

Eli Lilly and Company and Acrux announced today that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement for the potential commercialization of Acrux's experimental underarm testosterone solution (proposed tradename AXIRON™).

16 Mar 2010

Youngsters create short films to address obesity and eating disorders

Youth homelessness and eating disorders are two areas of health highlighted by young people in Cardiff in a project that uses digital technology to create short films which detail public health issues.

16 Mar 2010

Health care sparks battles between state, federal legislation

USA Today: "In a backlash against President Obama's health care legislation that stretches from Virginia to California, lawmakers in more than two-thirds of the states are scrambling to undercut the bill before it even passes Congress." Legal scholars say that state legislation isn't the final word, however. "The state measures are likely to be challenged in court, setting up new legal battles over whether federal law can trump state laws.

15 Mar 2010

Impax Laboratories initiates challenge of patent over generic TRILIPIX

Impax Laboratories, Inc. today confirms that it has initiated a challenge of the patent listed by Abbott Laboratories and Fournier Laboratories Ireland Ltd. in connection with its TRILIPIX® (choline fenofibrate) delayed-release capsules, 135 mg and 45 mg.

15 Mar 2010

Issues over abortion, reconciliation rules remain in the path of health reform vote

A host of political challenges and possible pitfalls awaits lawmakers as they push toward a final vote on health reform -- among them, abortion, reconciliation rules and immigration.

15 Mar 2010

Gardasil vaccine: Two complaints filed in Washington Federal Claims court

Anapol Schwartz attorneys Lawrence Cohan and Melissa Fry Hague recently filed two Gardasil vaccine complaints – one on behalf of a Kensington, Calif., family, whose 15-year old daughter died after suffering from severe adverse reactions, and another on behalf of a 19-year old Lapeer, Mich., woman, who has a chronic, autoimmune disorder. The cases, filed in The Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., seek recovery under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

15 Mar 2010

Experts discuss PEPFAR funding in congressional hearing

At a recent hearing of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, "[i]nternational health organisations working to help check the spread of AIDS in Africa said meagre increases in funds from the U.S. government this year would be a step backwards. Some experts also emphasised that prevention must get appropriate attention in any fight against the disease," Inter Press Service reports.

15 Mar 2010

TCAD therapy superior to double combinations and monotherapy against influenza viruses

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today results from in vivo animal studies and in vitro tests demonstrating that its triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy is superior relative to double combinations and monotherapy against multiple strains of pandemic and avian influenza viruses. Results of these studies were presented Sunday evening in an oral session at the XII International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections being held in Taipei.

15 Mar 2010

Unlicensed software usage: iCan Benefit pays BSA $61,500 to settle claims

The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the voice of the world's commercial software industry, today announced a settlement with iCan Benefit Group of Boca Raton, FL. iCan Benefit paid $61,500 to BSA to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec software installed on its computers. As part of the settlement agreement, the company agreed to delete all unlicensed copies of software from its computers, acquire any licenses necessary to become compliant, and commit to implementing stronger software asset management (SAM) practices.

15 Mar 2010

Economists, Dems differ on who's to blame for insurers' rate hikes

Democrats assailed health insurers for hiking rates in recent weeks to gain popular momentum for their health overhaul, but health economists say insurers did cause high health costs, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The economists "contend that insurance companies, while often meriting criticism for their practices, aren't to blame for high health care costs."

15 Mar 2010

Vertebroplasty: Patient selection vital

Patient selection is key for vertebroplasty—a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists in individuals with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures that fail to respond to conventional medical therapy—to be effective and successful, according to a study of more than 1,500 persons who were followed over seven years. Additionally, collaboration between an interventional radiologist and other medical experts in treating a patient is imperative, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

15 Mar 2010

Also in Global Health News: East Africa food security; Issues with humanitarian aid; Texting to fight counterfeit drugs

The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) meeting this week in Kigali, Rwanda "will provide a forum for experts, government ministers, regional economic communities and other stakeholders to discuss how best to handle the food security issue in" East Africa, New Times/allAfrica.com reports. The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa's Sub-Regional Office, East Africa (SRO-EA) will host the meeting. "East Africa is the sub-region most affected by food insecurity," according to an SRO-EA report, New Times/allAfrica.com writes (3/13).

15 Mar 2010

Forensic Laboratories introduces first oral fluid test for Tapentadol

Forensic Laboratories, a Denver-based laboratory specializing in toxicology services for drug abuse, has unveiled the first oral fluid test for Tapentadol, a new federally approved drug prescribed by doctors for pain management. Previously, laboratories could only detect the drug through urine using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) technology.

15 Mar 2010

States struggle to balance budgets, health programs face cuts

National Journal: States are aware of the "lingering effects of recessions" on the enrollment in their Medicaid programs. "Because it takes time for people to re-enter the workforce and get insurance, it can take years for Medicaid rolls to shrink to prerecession levels and for states to restore program and funding cuts." According to a February report by the National Governors Association, states are "facing budget gaps totaling $136 billion for fiscal 2010 through 2012 and that Medicaid enrollment would grow 6.6 percent in fiscal 2010" (Werber Serafini, 3/13).

15 Mar 2010

Cook Medical launches new NavAlign femoral delivery system at SIR Annual Scientific Meeting

Physicians placing inferior vena cava (IVC) filters to prevent life-threatening pulmonary emboli now have access to the latest iteration of Cook Medical’s advanced NavAlign™ delivery system, a deployment system designed to minimize the risk of vessel trauma and streamline filter placement.

15 Mar 2010

Health on The Hill: March 15, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with KFF's Jackie Judd and Edward Epstein from Congressional Quarterly about the weekend's health reform action on Capitol Hill.

15 Mar 2010

Boston Scientific stops shipment and announces inventory retrieval of ICDs and CRT-Ds

Boston Scientific Corporation announced today that it has stopped shipment and is retrieving field inventory of all its implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds).

15 Mar 2010