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Sanofi-aventis to acquire Oforta, oral chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment

Sanofi-aventis U.S. announced today that it has acquired from biotechnology company Antisoma plc the U.S. commercial rights to Oforta (fludarabine phosphate film-coated tablets), an oral B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) drug. Oforta is currently approved in the United States for use as a second-line therapy to treat adults with B-cell CLL.

12 May 2009

Start taking a vitamin with folic acid before pregnancy

Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLOS Medicine.

12 May 2009

Oxidation of potassium channel in cells linked to loss of neuronal function in aging

Researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are one step closer to determining how human cells can be protected against the affects of age-related neurodegeneration including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

12 May 2009

DHEA supplement combined with vitamin D and calcium significantly improves spinal bone density in older women

"The results of our study are very promising. Similar studies have demonstrated much smaller benefits for bone than we found. However, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, which are present in half of older adults, may have prevented DHEA from improving bone density in the earlier studies," said Edward Weiss, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences and lead author of the study.

12 May 2009

CDC to review vaccine policies; immigrant, women's rights advocates anticipating repeal of HPV vaccine requirement

A coalition of more than 100 groups representing women, immigrants, and public health and reproductive rights advocates are hoping CDC will repeal its rule requiring female immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, the AP/Newark Star-Ledger reports (Garay, AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 5/7).

12 May 2009

Obama ensures Hispanic community they will be included in H1N1 flu outbreak efforts

In a town hall-style meeting at the White House on Friday, President Obama ensured Hispanic community leaders and advocates that the U.S. will not alienate the group as a result of the recent H1N1 flu outbreak believed to have started in Mexico, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports. Obama also assured the group that they will receive treatment related to the virus regardless of legal status.

12 May 2009

West Virginia Gov. Manchin vetoes Medicaid mental health reimbursement hike

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) on Thursday vetoed a $1.5 million bill to increase Medicaid reimbursements for mental health care services over three years, but said that the state will direct $12.7 million in state and federal money to community-based mental health services and reduce overcrowding in psychiatric hospitals, the Charleston Gazette reports.

12 May 2009

Hospitals' efforts to reduce readmissions not recognized under current payment model

Hospitals' efforts to reduce the portion of patients who are readmitted for follow-up care are proving successful in many cases, but even though the moves often result in savings for insurers, the hospitals do not necessarily benefit financially, the New York Times reports. Because insurer payments are based on treatments provided rather than the health of patients, hospitals can "actually lose money by providing better care," the Times reports.

12 May 2009

HHS will release guidance on 'meaningful use' of health IT this summer, Blumenthal says

HHS soon will issue guidance and specifications on the definition of "meaningful use" of health information technology, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal said on Friday, CongressDaily reports (Noyes, CongressDaily, 5/8). "Meaningful use is very much on our mind," he said, adding, "We hope to provide a direction and some specifications in the late spring, early summer" (Goldstein, "Health Blog," Wall Street Journal, 5/8).

12 May 2009

Job losses have negative effect on health, study finds

Workers who lost their job through no fault of their own were twice as likely as continuously employed workers to report over the next 18 months that they developed a new illness, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, according to a study released last week, the New York Times reports.

12 May 2009

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer examines college graduates' search for health insurance

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday examined health insurance for young adults, many of whom lose coverage after they graduate from high school or college or reach a certain age.

12 May 2009

Lawmakers considering changing tax rules to allow employers to encourage wellness, prevention among workers

A plan being developed by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) would give tax credits to employers offering wellness programs, such as periodic screenings for health problems and counseling, to encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles, the New York Times reports.

12 May 2009

Health industry members vow to reduce spending by $2 trillion over next 10 years; savings could help finance reform

Leading health care industry groups on Monday are expected to pledge to President Obama that they will attempt to reduce $2 trillion in expected health care spending increases over the next 10 years, Obama administration officials said on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reports (Adamy, Wall Street Journal, 5/11).

12 May 2009

Stigma, gender violence placing women in Caribbean at increased risk of HIV

Inter Press Service on Thursday examined how an increasing number of women living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean face stigma, discrimination and gender-based violence that is linked to the spread of the disease. UNAIDS reports that women overall now account for half of the population living with HIV in the Caribbean, compared with 30% in 1999. Women ages 15 to 24 account for 62% of the entire HIV-positive population in the Caribbean.

12 May 2009

Botswana announce HIV-prevention project to circumcise 80% of eligible men over five years

Botswana's Ministry of Health is launching a project that aims to circumcise nearly 500,000 men over the next five years in an effort to prevent the spread of HIV, the AFP/Daily Telegraph reports.

12 May 2009

Researchers developing pasteurization technique to help HIV-positive women breastfeed

VOA News on Thursday examined a project to help HIV-positive women in developing countries breastfeed their infants and reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

12 May 2009

Africa should manufacture its own antiretrovirals, A.U. official says

African countries should produce their own generic antiretroviral drugs in order to continue the fight against HIV/AIDS during the global economic crisis, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Bience Gawanas said recently during a conference for health ministers in Ethiopia, Reuters UK reports.

12 May 2009

HIV/AIDS advocates express concern about Obama's continuation of needle-exchange funding ban

Although President Obama previously has expressed support for needle-exchange programs as part of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, advocates recently expressed concern that the administration's 2009-2010 budget proposal intends to continue a funding ban for such programs that dates back to the 1980s, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

12 May 2009

Researchers screen the smallpox proteome

University of Florida researchers have learned more about how smallpox conducts its deadly business - discoveries that may reveal as much about the human immune system as they do about one of the world's most feared pathogens.

12 May 2009

Omega-three fatty acid rich foods lower risk for eye disease

Regularly eating fish, nuts, olive oil and other foods containing omega-three fatty acids and avoiding trans fats appears to be associated with a lower risk for the eye disease age-related macular degeneration, according to two reports in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

12 May 2009

Medical News

Sanofi-aventis to acquire Oforta, oral chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment

Start taking a vitamin with folic acid before pregnancy

Oxidation of potassium channel in cells linked to loss of neuronal function in aging

DHEA supplement combined with vitamin D and calcium significantly improves spinal bone density in older women

CDC to review vaccine policies; immigrant, women's rights advocates anticipating repeal of HPV vaccine requirement

Obama ensures Hispanic community they will be included in H1N1 flu outbreak efforts

West Virginia Gov. Manchin vetoes Medicaid mental health reimbursement hike

Hospitals' efforts to reduce readmissions not recognized under current payment model

HHS will release guidance on 'meaningful use' of health IT this summer, Blumenthal says

Job losses have negative effect on health, study finds

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer examines college graduates' search for health insurance

Lawmakers considering changing tax rules to allow employers to encourage wellness, prevention among workers

Health industry members vow to reduce spending by $2 trillion over next 10 years; savings could help finance reform

Stigma, gender violence placing women in Caribbean at increased risk of HIV

Botswana announce HIV-prevention project to circumcise 80% of eligible men over five years

Researchers developing pasteurization technique to help HIV-positive women breastfeed

Africa should manufacture its own antiretrovirals, A.U. official says

HIV/AIDS advocates express concern about Obama's continuation of needle-exchange funding ban

Researchers screen the smallpox proteome

Omega-three fatty acid rich foods lower risk for eye disease

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

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