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Senate Finance bill protects some Medicare advantage patients

An amendment to the Senate Finance Committee bill, sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., would allow most Medicare Advantage patients in southern Florida to keep their current benefits.

15 Oct 2009

IQPC to hold the 8th Annual Polymorphism & Crystallization Scientific Forum

Organized by IQPC, the 8th Annual Polymorphism & Crystallization Scientific Forum will be held October 26-28, 2009 at the Hub Cira Center in Philadelphia, PA (www.polymorphismforum.com).

From IQPC Ltd 15 Oct 2009

Protective effect of moderate alcohol intake is related to life-style factors

According a new study of over 3,000 adults aged 70-79, the apparent association between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of functional decline over time did not hold up after adjustments were made for characteristics related to lifestyle, in particular physical activity, body weight, education, and income.

15 Oct 2009

Marker genes help determine the effectiveness of targeted molecular drug regimen for treating GIST

Analysis of a small number of marker genes may determine in a matter of hours if a patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) would respond to a targeted molecular drug regimen. This analysis could allow clinicians to determine if they have chosen the best course of action or need to consider another alternative.

15 Oct 2009

NYU Langone Medical Center to establish a schizophrenia research center with $10M NIMH grant

NYU Langone Medical Center has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to establish a Silvio O. Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders. The center, named after the late Silvio O. Conte, a U.S. congressman and advocate for mental health research, will study the onset of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a disease with cognitive dysfunction, affecting approximately one percent of the population worldwide.

15 Oct 2009

Opinions: Pragmatic vs. moral approach to health care access; Pres. Bush's PEPFAR

"[T]he global campaign to equalise access to healthcare has had a surprising result: it has made global healthcare more unequal," William Easterly, a professor of economics at New York University and co-director of its Development Research Institute, writes in a Financial Times opinion piece.

15 Oct 2009

Commonwealth Biotechnologies to acquire GL Biochem

Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. has recently announced a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire Shanghai-based GL Biochem and associated businesses (the “GL Group”), the largest global supplier of research-grade peptide products and peptide reagents.

15 Oct 2009

SHEA urges CDC to remove the use of N95 respirators from its recommendations for routine care

Today's announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that it is modifying its guidance regarding measures that should be taken by healthcare workers who are in contact with either confirmed or suspected cases of H1N1 was met with concern by the scientific community that had submitted its recommendations to CDC.

15 Oct 2009

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals completes public offering of common stock shares

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the completion of its previously-announced public offering of shares of its common stock. The offering included an aggregate of 38,333,332 shares of Lexicon's common stock after the exercise in full by the underwriters of their over-allotment option and by Invus, L.P., Lexicon's largest stockholder, of its associated right to purchase additional shares.

15 Oct 2009

Much remains to be done for autism spectrum disorders, say experts

Scientific understanding and medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have advanced significantly over the past several years, but much remains to be done, say experts from the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who published a scientific review of the field today.

15 Oct 2009

Unions run newspaper ad to critizice Finance Committee bill

Unions largely oppose the bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.

15 Oct 2009

Eden Biodesign to manufacture Biotecnol's Cardiotrophin-1

Eden Biodesign, a globally-integrated provider of biopharmaceutical process development, cGMP manufacturing and consultancy services, today announced it has been selected by Biotecnol SA to manufacture Cardiotrophin-1 for potential use in certain liver indications.

15 Oct 2009

Genetic mutation implicated in breast and ovarian cancers could also have a role in causing heart failure: Study

A genetic mutation implicated in breast and ovarian cancers could also have a role in causing heart failure, according to a new study reported at the 95th annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

15 Oct 2009

Orthopedic device industry rattled by proposed tax

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, in partnership with USA Today, explores the impact health reform proposals could have on one part of the orthopedic device industry.

15 Oct 2009

Federal money for COBRA has helped many but may soon end

Keeping health care after being laid off from a job is a serious concern for many people. COBRA is a health insurance program that allows people to temporarily continue their coverage, although the worker must pick up the cost of the plan. "That price, however, is one that all but a fraction of laid-off workers find much too high.

15 Oct 2009

DNA authentication technology to distinguish between in-vivo and in-vitro DNA

Nucleix, Ltd., an emerging life science company specializing in forensic DNA analysis, announced that company researchers today presented its DNA authentication technology, a novel assay to distinguish between in-vivo (real) and in-vitro (fake) DNA, at the 20th International Symposium on Human Identification in Las Vegas, Nevada.

15 Oct 2009

Press Ganey Associates collaborates with HMA to improve patient care

Press Ganey Associates, Inc. today announced a broad partnership with Health Management Associates, Inc. to help measure and improve satisfaction and engagement among patients, employees, and physicians. The company started working with HMA on October 1, 2009.

15 Oct 2009

AMP congratulates SACGHS on the publication of their DNA patenting report

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) provided comments at the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society (SACGHS) meeting on October 8. AMP opposes the patenting of all naturally occurring genetic material and has signed on as a lead plaintiff in the ACLU case challenging Myriad Genetics' patents on the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes. AMP thanked SACGHS for studying how both patents and restrictive licensing limit patient access and potentially reduce the quality of tests.

15 Oct 2009

Curemark commences enrollment in Phase III CM-AT clinical trials for autism treatment

Curemark, LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that it has enrolled the first patients in Phase III clinical trials for its autism treatment, CM-AT. The first clinical trial patients have been enrolled at Lake Mary Pediatrics in Orange City, Florida, one of 12 clinical trial sites with a total 170 children across the country.

15 Oct 2009

Samsung launches campaign to support breast cancer care and prevention

Today, Samsung launches its very first European Breast Cancer Awareness Day with a star-studded celebratory Afternoon Tea event at the UK’s Westfield London – Europe’s largest shopping centre.

15 Oct 2009