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International Liver Congress 2010: Achillion Pharmaceuticals' protease inhibitor abstract accepted for presentation

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of treatments for the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced that its abstract titled "Virological Response, Safety, and Pharmacokinetic Profile Following Single- and Multiple-Dose Administration of ACH-0141625 Protease Inhibitor to Healthy Volunteers and HCV Genotype-1 Patients" has been accepted as a late breaking poster presentation at the International Liver Congress™ 2010 being held April 14-18 in Vienna, Austria.

17 Mar 2010

Booster shot appears to improve TB resistance in previously vaccinated adults

A booster shot appears to improve tuberculosis (TB) resistance in previously vaccinated adults, according to new research in South Africa.

17 Mar 2010

Obama makes a final overhaul pitch in Ohio

With a possible deciding vote on health care overhaul legislation nearing, President Obama traveled Monday to Ohio to make a last-minute plea for political "courage" to pass the legislation, The Washington Post reports. "Making an impassioned pitch in a part of the country where unemployment runs high and insurance coverage is uncertain, Obama said in a speech at a senior center here, 'I don't know about the politics, but I know what's the right thing to do'" (Slevin and Branigin, 3/15).

17 Mar 2010

Obesity and passive smoking are risk factors for elevated umbilical cord neonatal immature

Babies born to mothers with obesity and exposed to passive smoking are more likely to have health problems than others. This conclusion is based on evidence of elevated levels of nucleated red blood cells in the umbilical cord reported in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health.

17 Mar 2010

Reports gauge the possible fallout of health care failure for Democrats

If the health overhaul fails to clear Congress, there may be lasting implications for Democratic lawmakers and President Barack Obama, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

17 Mar 2010

Cryotherapy offers potential treatment options for breast cancer patients

Interventional radiologists have opened the door to an encouraging potential future treatment for the nearly 200,000 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year: image-guided, multiprobe cryotherapy.

17 Mar 2010

Tea Party activists rally in Washington against Dem's health reform bill

Fox News: "Tea Party activists from across the country rallied outside Democratic congressional offices in Washington on Tuesday to protest the $875 billion health care bill and demand meetings with their respective members of Congress." A memo was circulated in advance by the House Democratic leadership offering tips for dealing with the activists (3/16).

17 Mar 2010

Despite accomplishments and improvements, cancer remains too common disease in the U.S.

Although there have been achievements in the battle against cancer, including a decrease in the rate of death and new diagnoses, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., with a need for continued improvement in the areas of prevention, detection and treatment, according to a commentary in the March 17 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer.

17 Mar 2010

USPTO issues Notice of Allowance for Quick-Med Technologies' NIMBUS technology

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc., a leader in developing innovative antimicrobial technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for intellectual property that significantly adds to the current patent coverage for the Company's NIMBUS technology.

17 Mar 2010

Key cellular defect in protein synthesis can lead to cancer susceptibility

UCSF researchers have discovered that a key cellular defect that disturbs the production of proteins in human cells can lead to cancer susceptibility. The scientists also found that a new generation of inhibitory drugs offers promise in correcting this defect.

17 Mar 2010

False Claims Act allegations over marketing of morphine-based drug Kadian: Alpharma to pay $42.5M

American pharmaceutical manufacturer Alpharma Inc. has agreed to pay $42.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations in connection with the marketing of the morphine-based drug, Kadian, the Justice Department announced today. The settlement resolves allegations that, between January 1, 2000 and December 29, 2008, Alpharma paid health care providers to induce them to promote or prescribe Kadian, and made misrepresentations about the safety and efficacy of the drug, which is used to treat chronic moderate to severe pain.

17 Mar 2010

Ascent's hospital partners save millions using medical device remanufacturing programs

Ascent, the market leader in the remanufacturing of medical devices in the U.S., announced today that its hospital partners realized hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings through the use of medical device remanufacturing programs in 2009. On a per-hospital basis, some hospitals saved more than $600,000 per year.

17 Mar 2010

Democrats making final push for health reform votes

The Associated Press: As "Democratic leaders make a desperate scramble for votes," President Obama "is wooing freshman Democrats in the Oval Office, holding at least two one-on-one sessions in the past few days that never appeared on his official schedule, according to aides to two lawmakers invited, Reps. Scott Murphy, D-N.Y., and Suzanne Kosmas, D-Fla.," who both voted no on a House health reform measure last year.

17 Mar 2010

Novel health programs try to help uninsured

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with USA Today, writes about an approach known as "three share" which helps expand health coverage by spreading health insurance premium costs among the community, the employer and the worker.

17 Mar 2010

Researchers evaluate novel organ sharing system that could help save more lives

Saint Louis University's Center for Outcome Research has received a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to review regional kidney and liver distribution in the United States and equalize the access to transplantation among patients with similar stages of organ failure across the country.

17 Mar 2010

Unapproved nitroglycerin tablets: FDA orders Glenmark Generics and Konec to stop marketing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today ordered Glenmark Generics of Mahwah, N.J., and Konec Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., to stop marketing unapproved nitroglycerin tablets. The tablets are placed under the tongue to relieve chest pain or to stop a heart attack and are marketed in 0.3 mg, 0.4 mg, and 0.6 mg dosages.

17 Mar 2010

Pfizer-FRSQ-MSSS Chronic Disease Fund for chronic-disease prevention and management initiatives

The Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec in partnership with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and Pfizer Canada, is announcing the creation of the Pfizer-FRSQ-MSSS Chronic Disease Fund. Established with an investment of $5 million from Pfizer Canada, this research grant program, coordinated by the FRSQ, is open to Quebec-based researchers who work in collaboration with health professionals.

17 Mar 2010

Researchers explore new tools to mitigate risk of radiation exposure

Doctors have a clearer picture than ever before of how much radiation reaches sensitive tissues during routine X-rays and similar imaging, thanks to sophisticated models of the human body being developed at the University of Florida.

17 Mar 2010

Catholic Bishops oppose health bill, while other Catholic groups offer support

McClatchy: "The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Monday it opposes the Democratic health care plan heading for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives because of its language on abortion. The group noted that it liked the House health care bill because it would continue the strict ban on federal financing of abortion.

17 Mar 2010

Study: Jump in number of California's uninsured

"The state's uninsured population jumped to 8.2 million in 2009, up from 6.4 million in 2007, marking the highest number over the last decade, investigators from UCLA's Center for Health Policy Research said," the Los Angeles Times reports.

17 Mar 2010