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IPS examines next year's UNGASS on MDGs, improvements in maternal health

Inter Press Service reports that the September 2010 U.N. Generally Assembly meeting will feature a three-day special session (UNGASS) on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

24 Nov 2009

One in every nine children in Ontario lives in poverty, says 2009 Ontario Report Card on Child Poverty

Twenty years after the House of Commons resolved to end child poverty in Canada one in every nine children in Ontario still lives in poverty and the recession will deepen the problem, says the 2009 Ontario Report Card on Child Poverty by Ontario Campaign 2000.

24 Nov 2009

Reboxetine drug does not alleviate depression, says new study

There is no scientific proof that people suffering from depression can benefit from taking reboxetine. However, clinical trials do provide proof of benefit of bupropion XL and mirtazapine: both agents can alleviate symptoms. This is the conclusion of the final report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published on 24 November 2009.

24 Nov 2009

Bloomberg examines Sec. of State Clinton's focus on women

Bloomberg examines Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's "fervor for making women's advancement a core part of her national-security efforts." According to the news service, Clinton "has been pushing the cause from remote Congolese villages to the United Nations General Assembly.

24 Nov 2009

Africa region leaders meet to discuss H1N1 procurement, distribution

Representatives of African countries are meeting in Abuja this week to discuss the procurement and distribution of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine, the Daily Trust/allAfrica.com reports (Rabiu, 11/23).

24 Nov 2009

Over 33m people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS/WHO report finds

An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, according to a report released Tuesday in Shanghai by the WHO and UNAIDS that shows "more people are living longer due to the availability of drugs," Reuters/Washington Post reports (Rujun/Chan, 11/24).

24 Nov 2009

Hospital officials report job cuts, concern about possible effects of reform

Several news outlets find that hospital executives are worried about their facilities' finances, and for a Chicago hospital the prospect of health care reform brings even more concerns.

24 Nov 2009

Public ponders fairness of 'Cadillac' tax, affordability issues

BusinessWeek: "In chasing revenue to help pay for health-care reform, Democrats have managed to rally two groups that tend to oppose each other—unions and Big Business. The focus of their ire: a proposed 40% excise tax on high-premium or so-called Cadillac health plans."

24 Nov 2009

Tibion's PK100 Bionic Leg Orthosis awarded TÜV certification

Tibion, a leading provider of bionic devices for rehabilitation and mobility, announced today it has received TÜV certification for its PK100 Bionic Leg Orthosis. The Tibion PK100 product has been tested and evaluated for compliance with internationally recognized standards for the safety of medical products.

24 Nov 2009

Senate personalities shape, debate health reform bill

The New York Times Prescriptions Blog reports on a ripple in "the Senate's predominant history as an old-boys' club." It notes that "to move the bill forward for full debate, the Democrats' last two crucial votes came from women: Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

24 Nov 2009

Guardian Technologies' novel imaging analysis technology platforms may help avoid mammography false positives

Guardian Technologies International, Inc. -- A recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force report suggests that while mammograms save lives, they also lead to unnecessary additional procedures. Experts suggest that the problem with mammography is that improvements are needed to reduce false positives and increase accuracy.

24 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health news: Home HIV treatment; voluntary testing in Kenya; women/HIV scorecard; Global Fund Zimbabwe grant; contraceptives in Tanzania

The New York Times reports on a Lancet study that found treating Ugandan HIV patients at home is cheaper and just as effective as treating them in a clinic.

24 Nov 2009

Senate Democrats brace for heavy health reform work

The Hill reports that "Democratic leaders sent out a notice Monday morning alerting senators that when the chamber returns to session after the Thanksgiving holiday, 'roll call votes could occur at any time during the day and evening, with weekend sessions likely.'" The health bill is also likely to affect work on a climate change bill and some senators' plans to go to the climate summit in Copenhagen (Bolton, 11/23).

24 Nov 2009

Gilead Sciences and GSK to commercialize Viread in 5 Asian countries

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline today announced a licensing agreement to commercialize Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection in adults in five countries in Asia. The companies’ combined commercialization activities will expand access to Viread for the treatment of HBV, once approved, to patients in Asia where the prevalence in most countries is greater than 8 percent.

24 Nov 2009

Medical advances abound while surgeons report concerns about medical errors

The Wall Street Journal reports on "20 health-care advances to give thanks for this Thanksgiving." Among the most key: "Life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 77.9 years in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available, continuing a long upward trend. (That's 75.3 years for men and 80.4 years for women.) ... Death rates dropped significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., including cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, accidents, diabetes, homicides and pneumonia, from 2006 to 2007."

24 Nov 2009

Ocimum Biosolutions' Biotracker awarded caBIG Bronze Compatibility Certification

Ocimum Biosolutions today announced that its specialty life science Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Biotracker™ has been awarded the prestigious caBIG® (cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid®) Bronze Compatibility Certification by the National Cancer Institute, an institute of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

24 Nov 2009

HIV peaked in 1996, according to the United Nations

The number of HIV cases worldwide — 33 million — has remained steady during the last two years and the epidemic peaked in 1996, according to the United Nations, The Associated Press reports. The disease looks stable in most regions, except for Africa, according to the UN. "

24 Nov 2009

KHN column: Answers from Iowa

In this Kaiser Health News column, Michael L. Millenson writes about insights one could gain from paying attention to what's happening in Iowa. "The Des Moines home of the Chicago Cubs' AAA farm team boasts of being 'one of the top minor league facilities in the country.' This might also be an accurate description of the State of Iowa's political status, in which its quadrennial presidential caucuses help determine who advances to the Big Show."

24 Nov 2009

RESTAURANT SURVIVAL GUIDE in the EAT THIS, NOT THAT! book series released

The authors of the bestselling EAT THIS, NOT THAT! book series, with more than five million copies in print, today released the ultimate reference book for making the most effective food choices while dining at your favorite restaurants — EAT THIS, NOT THAT! RESTAURANT SURVIVAL GUIDE by David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding.

24 Nov 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

If this were a presidential election year, a recent report by the Iowa Committee for Value in Healthcare would be reaping a lot of attention. Its sponsors say they know the "secret sauce" that allows Iowa to care for one of the highest percentage of "old old" in the country on modest Medicare reimbursement and yet still score near the top of the nation on a slew of quality indicators (Michael Millenson, 11/24).

24 Nov 2009