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NIH awards Charles Drew University $9.8M to reduce cancer health disparities in underserved populations

Charles Drew University has been awarded $9.8 million from three major national funders to support the university's long-term, UCLA partnership aimed at reducing the risk of cancer among minorities in poor and disadvantaged communities.

30 Oct 2009

State watch: Virginia's pharmacy for mentally ill, Michigan dental care lawsuit, Rhode Island insurers

In today's state watch, Virginia plans to close a pharmacy for the mentally ill, Medicaid patients in Michigan are suing over dental care and Rhode Island reports that insurers remain relatively healthy.

30 Oct 2009

House GOP's "Better ideas" remain under wraps

"House Republicans said the newly released Democratic health care reform bill would create an expensive government-run heath care system paid for by those who could least afford it, but they declined to say whether they would introduce a conference alternative," Roll Call reports.

30 Oct 2009

New York and Louisiana crack down on Medicaid fraud

The New York Times reports on unlikely Medicaid fraud suspects including a Manhattan painter and mime with properties in the Hamptons, a freelance artist whose two Manhattan apartments are valued at more than $1 million each and a dentist in the Bronx, all "were among 11 people indicted recently on charges that they fraudulently obtained Medicaid benefits.

30 Oct 2009

Impax Laboratories initiates patent challenge for TRICOR

Impax Laboratories, Inc. today confirms that it has initiated a challenge of the patents listed by Abbott Laboratories in connection with its TRICOR® (fenofibrate) tablets, 48 mg and 145 mg.

30 Oct 2009

CDC study finds swine flu may have infected as many as 5.7 million Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new swine flue estimates that suggest the number of people affected by the disease is much greater than the 43,677 cases confirmed earlier.

30 Oct 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

The legislation on the table isn't perfect, but it's as good as anyone could reasonably have expected. History is about to be made — and everyone has to decide which side they're on (Paul Krugman, 10/29).

30 Oct 2009

Bayer HealthCare's Phase II study results of imaging agent florbetaben

Bayer HealthCare presented results from a global Phase II study of florbetaben, its imaging agent in development for the detection of cerebral beta-Amyloid plaques, at the 19th World Congress of Neurology (WCN).

30 Oct 2009

Cosmetic pesticides cause cancer, CCSBCY calls for government action

The Canadian Cancer Society B.C. and Yukon is calling on the provincial government to accelerate its plans and initiate a defined and timely public consultation on the use of cosmetic chemical pesticides to protect public health and the environment by the end of this year.

30 Oct 2009

New pedestrian safety program launched by TASC and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in partnership with the Toronto Area Safety Coalition (TASC) are officially launching a new pedestrian safety program called iNavigait today, just in time for Halloween and the end of Daylight Savings Time. The new program works to ensure the safety of young and old alike on Toronto's streets.

30 Oct 2009

Aetna’s Medicare Advantage members to benefit from agreement with WellStar Health System

Aetna and WellStar Health System of Marietta, Ga. announced today that they have reached agreement on a three-year contract that provides access for Aetna’s Medicare Advantage members to the hospital’s facilities and physicians.

30 Oct 2009

Explaining the new House bill

Several news outlets have explainers on the House bill, which was unveiled yesterday.

30 Oct 2009

NeoStem completes acquisition of China Biopharmaceuticals Holdings

NeoStem, Inc., announced today that the Company has completed the acquisition of China Biopharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc., a leading Chinese pharmaceutical company.

30 Oct 2009

P&G's global branded prescription pharmaceutical business acquired by Warner Chilcott

Warner Chilcott plc announced today it has completed the acquisition of The Procter & Gamble Company's global branded prescription pharmaceutical business. The acquisition complements Warner Chilcott's existing presence in women's health care and adds new therapeutic and geographic markets.

30 Oct 2009

Government to decide on payment for doctors who use medical-imaging

The government is weighing whether to cut Medicare payments to physicians who use medical-imaging machines to screen patients for diseases like cancer and heart problems. The decision could come as early as Friday. Lawmakers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services see the cuts as a way to prevent overuse of the technology, which drives up health care costs.

30 Oct 2009

Cardio Infrared Technologies receives new orders for Commercial Cardio Cor and Personal Cardio Cor II bikes

Cardio Infrared Technologies, Inc., a leading Health and Wellness technology and marketing company, announced today that it has received orders from a new Florida-based client for two of the Commercial Cardio Cor bikes and six Personal Cardio Cor II™ bikes.

30 Oct 2009

A selection of recent studies and surveys

Health Affairs: Uninsured Adults With Chronic Conditions Or Disabilities: Gaps In Public Insurance Programs - This study examines patterns of uninsurance for low-income working-age adults with chronic health conditions or disabilities, as documented in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

30 Oct 2009

Health Communications' survey calls for a national discussion on the legal drinking age

Health Communications, Inc. (HCI), provider of the TIPS program and host of the Alcohol Responsibility Conference 2009 (ARC 2009), posted the pre- and post-survey results from one of the conference sessions, a debate entitled Should the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Remain 21? Dr. John McCardell, founder and president of Choose Responsibility and former President of Middlebury College, presented the case in favor of reducing the minimum drinking age.

30 Oct 2009

GE takes a swing at health IT networking opportunities

The value of the federal government's investments in health information technology - better, cheaper care - may not be fully realized unless information can be safely and easily exchanged between health care providers, the New York Times blog Bits reports.

30 Oct 2009

Avicenna's work on respiratory diseases highlighted in SAGE journal

For pulmonary ailments, certain mediaeval physicians had a useful medical textbook on hand offering detailed information remarkably similar to those a modern doctor might use today. One of the fathers of medicine, the great Persian scholar Avicenna left a wealth of information in his many works. Iranian academics dust off one of these in an article published today in the SAGE journal Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease, sharing in English details of Avicenna's work that still fascinate both physicians and historians of medicine alike.

30 Oct 2009