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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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals' telaprevir and VX-222 HCV inhibitor abstracts accepted for presentation at 45th EASL meeting

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that multiple abstracts related to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor telaprevir and the HCV polymerase inhibitor VX-222 were accepted for presentation at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria, April 14-18, 2010.

17 Mar 2010

Acetaminophen safe and effective for reducing postpartum pain

For many mothers of newborns, lingering pain from the delivery can interfere with their first days with their infant. A recent review examined whether over-the-counter medications containing acetaminophen - Tylenol for example − provided adequate relief for such pain and concluded that they are effective.

17 Mar 2010

Research shows clove is the best antioxidant spice

Using spices eaten in the Mediterranean diet as natural antioxidants is a good way forward for the food industry, given the beneficial health effects of these products. This has been shown by researchers from the Miguel Hern-ndez University (UMH), who have put the clove in first place.

17 Mar 2010

School environment plays a big role in girls' weight-control behaviors

Their schoolmates' weight determines whether teenage high school girls will try to lose pounds, new research finds, and the school environment plays a big role in the decision.

17 Mar 2010

Health ad campaigns emerge in final days of debate

As Congress approaches a possible finale to its year-long health debate, advertisements that attempt to influence the results have flooded airwaves, Time reports. "Across the country, groups on all sides of the health care reform debate have been targeting swing members of Congress with costly ad campaigns." Firms, industry groups, unions and advocacy organizations could spend $24 million this week alone, on top of $200 million already spent on health overhaul-related ads (Scherer, 3/16).

16 Mar 2010

BioVigil's second generation hand hygiene monitoring system released

BioVigil LLC has released the second generation of the BioVigil hand hygiene monitoring system. The innovative system enables hospitals to more effectively combat Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) by dramatically increasing hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers.

16 Mar 2010

National, state efforts seek to reduce medical errors

The Wall Street Journal: "Errors made by doctors, nurses and other medical caregivers cause 44,000 to 98,000 deaths a year. Hospital infections, many considered preventable, take another 100,000 lives. ... Hospitals are taking what might seem like a surprising approach to confronting the problem: Not only are they trying to improve safety and reduce malpractice claims, they're also coming up with procedures for handling—and even consoling—staffers who make inadvertent mistakes."

16 Mar 2010

Sharp Health Plan selects PureWellness for supporting NCQA accreditation goals

PureWellness, Inc., the leading provider of online wellness solutions, announced today that San Diego-based Sharp Health Plan selected the company to deliver a comprehensive online wellness platform for their employer groups and members.

16 Mar 2010

Correction to daily report, Mar. 15

In the March 15 Morning Edition, "Economists, Dems Differ On Who's To Blame For Insurers' Rate Hikes," KHN omitted a word in a summary of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coverage.

16 Mar 2010

Quinnova Pharmaceuticals introduces NEOSALUS CREAM for chronic inflammatory skin conditions

Quinnova Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and markets novel topical delivery platform-based prescription drugs, announced the launch of its NEOSALUSTM CREAM. NEOSALUS CREAM, the latest addition to Quinnova’s NEOSALUS brand, is a prescription product with anti-inflammatory properties that can be used without age or long-term use restrictions for the treatment of a variety of chronic inflammatory skin conditions like atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and hand eczema.

16 Mar 2010

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be efficiently "reprogrammed" to pluripotency, where they have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells that can develop into almost any type of cell in the human body. The study is online now and will appear in print in the next issue of the journal Cellular Reprogramming, to be published next month.

16 Mar 2010

Varian Medical Systems chooses EasyLink as provider for hosted fax services

EasyLink Services International Corporation, a premier global provider of comprehensive messaging services and e-commerce solutions, announced today that Varian Medical Systems has selected EasyLink as its provider for hosted fax services for an initial three-year term.

16 Mar 2010

External beam radiotherapy device without shielded bunker infrastructure for breast cancer irradiation

Orbital Therapy has completed the build of their proof-of-concept prototype for breast cancer irradiation, and demonstrated the feasibility to develop and operate an external beam radiotherapy device without the use of a heavily shielded bunker infrastructure.

16 Mar 2010

Seatac Digital Resources provides $1.5M bridge financing commitment to AMHN

AMHN, Inc., parent company of America's Minority Health Network, Inc., announced bridge financing commitments in the aggregate of $1.5 million provided by one of its majority shareholders and vendors, Seatac Digital Resources, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

16 Mar 2010

Actoplus Met and Actos: Mylan enters into settlement agreements with Takeda Pharmaceutical

Mylan Inc. today announced that it has entered into settlement agreements with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. related to two treatments for type 2 diabetes: Actoplus Met®, 15 mg/500 mg and 15 mg/850 mg, known generically as Pioglitazone Hydrochloride (HCl) and Metformin HCl Tablets, and Actos®, 15 mg, 30 mg and 45 mg, known generically as Pioglitazone HCl Tablets.

16 Mar 2010

WebMD Health increases pricing of tender offer for common stock to $46.80 per share

WebMD Health Corp. announced today that it is increasing the price in the pending tender offer for its common stock to $46.80 per share. The number of shares proposed to be purchased in the tender offer is, as previously announced, 5,800,000, representing approximately 11% of WebMD's currently outstanding shares.

16 Mar 2010