Medical News

RSS

Senate votes to reject Medicare cuts; Reid discusses next anticipated amendments

The Associated Press reported: "Senators voted 58-42 to reject an amendment by Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona that would have stripped more than $400 billion in Medicare cuts from the health care bill. The measure would have sent the bill back to the Senate Finance Committee for a redo" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/3).

4 Dec 2009

Multicenter study evaluates effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in reducing brain injury in children

When the heart is stopped and restarted, the patient's life may be saved but their brain is often permanently damaged. Therapeutic hypothermia, a treatment in which the patient's body temperature is lowered and maintained several degrees below normal for a period of time, has been shown to mitigate these harmful effects and improve survival in adults.

4 Dec 2009

Senate approves women's screening amendment in first health bill vote

The Associated Press: The Senate voted 61-39 Thursday "to safeguard coverage of mammograms and preventive screening tests for women under any health care overhaul legislation." The revision, which was advanced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, "would allow the Health and Human Services secretary to require insurers to cover preventive health screenings free of charge" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/3).

3 Dec 2009

Lightlake Therapeutics granted ethical approval for gene testing subjects in obesity treatment trial

After two decades of scientifically and medically proven success in their field, Lightlake Therapeutics' experts have been granted ethical approval to begin selecting and gene testing subjects for a trial of a simple, safe and effective treatment for what the World Health Organisation has described as a global epidemic of unhealthy eating and obesity.

3 Dec 2009

American Pain Society supports FDA drug disposal guidelines

Calling it "an important first step in attempting to reverse an escalating public health menace caused by diversion of prescription opioid pain medications," the American Pain Society today announced its support for a new FDA initiative to encourage consumers to remove unused pain drugs from home medicine cabinets.

3 Dec 2009

Study shows younger, female and Hispanic stroke survivors are less likely to take antithrombotic medications

People who have had an ischemic stroke are at higher lifetime risk for another stroke, but several types of medication can reduce that risk. One of the simplest regimens involves antithrombotic medications, otherwise known as blood thinners, of which the most common is aspirin.

3 Dec 2009

AP/Businessweek examines efforts to sell low-cost, portable toilets in developing world

The Associated Press/BusinessWeek examines the Singapore-based company Rigel Technology's efforts to sell "state-of-the-art portable, fertilizer-making, toilets for as low as $30" in developing countries. "Experts estimate about 2.5 billion people lack functioning, hygienic toilets and instead excrete in the open, a habit that can contaminate water supplies and spread diseases such as E. coli bacteria and other viruses," the publication writes.

3 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: U.S. aid to Philippines, Swaziland, Guyana; Uganda Bills; Botswana HIV/AIDS

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney said the U.S. will give the country an additional $10 million worth of food aid for people affect by the recent typhoons, the Manila Bulletin reports. This brings "the total amount of its disaster relief and recovery assistance to US$30 million" (Sabater, 12/3).

3 Dec 2009

AAD SEAL OF RECOGNITION program to be phased out

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has decided to phase out its AAD SEAL OF RECOGNITION(R) program over the next two years, and will cease accepting new applications effective immediately. Products which were accepted into the program prior to November 15, 2009, will continue to carry the AAD SEAL OF RECOGNITION(R) until the end of their two-year terms.

3 Dec 2009

Report on the type 2 diabetes drug market in Brazil

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, forecasts that the type 2 diabetes drug market in Brazil will grow from $417 million in 2008 to $834 million in 2013.

3 Dec 2009

Last patient visit complete in VIA Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2 FDG-PET trial

VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, today announced that it has completed the last patient visit in its Phase 2 FDG-PET clinical trial of VIA-2291.

3 Dec 2009

Senators prepare to debate abortion treatment in Senate bill

The Associated Press: "Senators debating health care legislation are headed for a clash over abortion, the issue that threatened to derail the bill in the House. Anticipating the showdown, hundreds of abortion rights supporters gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to call on senators to keep new abortion restrictions out of the health care bill.

3 Dec 2009

Will 'Cadillac tax' push employers to trim health insurance costs

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby examines the potential reach of the Cadillac tax.

3 Dec 2009

Shire voluntarily recalls specific lots of its Daytrana ADHD patches

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced a voluntary recall of five lots and voluntary market withdrawal of one lot of the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patch Daytrana®. Shire is taking this action because some Daytrana patches do not meet or in the future may not meet their release liner removal specification, and as a result, patients and caregivers could have difficulty removing the liners.

3 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Defenders of the status quo in health care would happily let the drive for reform bog down amid a debate over President Obama's new war strategy. Democrats can't let this happen (12/3).

3 Dec 2009

Senate leaders say health bill amendment votes to start today

The Wall Street Journal reports that "after three days of debates without a vote on a single amendment ... Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin, (D., Ill.) announced Wednesday evening that" Republicans and Democrats had "come to agreement" on how to proceed. The first two votes will occur today "on amendments aimed at requiring health plans to cover preventive services for women's health.

3 Dec 2009

NIH approves new stem cell lines for research

The National Institutes of Health announced approval of embryonic stem cell lines for federally funded research. The Washington Post reports the decision is "opening the way for millions of taxpayer dollars to be used to conduct research that was put off-limits by President George W. Bush.

3 Dec 2009

Caliper Life Sciences releases Living Image 4.0 software for its IVIS in vivo imaging systems

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery and life sciences research, today introduced Living Image 4.0 software for IVIS® in vivo imaging systems. Living Image software drives the more than 800 Caliper IVIS systems currently installed in laboratories worldwide.

3 Dec 2009

Medicare cuts in Senate health bill get support from seniors' groups

Bloomberg: Senate Democratic leaders, who are battling Republican attempts to "block Medicare spending cuts, face an even bigger headache: overcoming concern among members of their own party about the program's future funding."

3 Dec 2009

KHN column: Debating cost control

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, James Capretta explores perspectives related to cost control in health reform.

3 Dec 2009

Medical News

Senate votes to reject Medicare cuts; Reid discusses next anticipated amendments

Multicenter study evaluates effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in reducing brain injury in children

Senate approves women's screening amendment in first health bill vote

Lightlake Therapeutics granted ethical approval for gene testing subjects in obesity treatment trial

American Pain Society supports FDA drug disposal guidelines

Study shows younger, female and Hispanic stroke survivors are less likely to take antithrombotic medications

AP/Businessweek examines efforts to sell low-cost, portable toilets in developing world

Also in global health news: U.S. aid to Philippines, Swaziland, Guyana; Uganda Bills; Botswana HIV/AIDS

AAD SEAL OF RECOGNITION program to be phased out

Report on the type 2 diabetes drug market in Brazil

Last patient visit complete in VIA Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2 FDG-PET trial

Senators prepare to debate abortion treatment in Senate bill

Will 'Cadillac tax' push employers to trim health insurance costs

Shire voluntarily recalls specific lots of its Daytrana ADHD patches

Today's opinions and editorials

Senate leaders say health bill amendment votes to start today

NIH approves new stem cell lines for research

Caliper Life Sciences releases Living Image 4.0 software for its IVIS in vivo imaging systems

Medicare cuts in Senate health bill get support from seniors' groups

KHN column: Debating cost control

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

Latest News