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Bush Administration says it opposes Democrats' plan to allow Government to negotiate Medicare drug prices

The Bush administration will oppose any attempts by congressional Democrats to pass legislation that would authorize the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, the New York Times reports.

13 Nov 2006

FDA should return to 'science-based' agency

Congress this month likely will consider a bill to reform FDA, "but the legislation lacks the vision and depth needed for a real return to a science-based FDA," Susan Wood, a research professor for the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and former assistant commissioner for women's health at FDA, writes in a Boston Globe opinion piece.

13 Nov 2006

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

A new California law set to take effect in January 2007 "provides a glimpse of the type of government price controls the drug industry fears," the Boston Globe reports.

13 Nov 2006

Fewer Colorado residents enroll in HMOs, hospital profits increase

Fewer Colorado residents enrolled in HMO plans in 2005, but Denver-area hospitals "enjoyed their strongest profits in recent memory," according to findings released Friday from the Colorado Managed Care Review 2006, the Denver Post reports.

13 Nov 2006

Congress to focus on labor-HHS, other unfinished appropriations Bills during Lame-Duck session

Congress likely will focus on the fiscal year 2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and other unfinished spending bills during a lame-duck session that began on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 Nov 2006

Pharmacy care programs for elderly improve health outcomes

A pharmacy care program for elderly patients increases medication adherence, which results in improved health outcomes, according to a study posted online by JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2006

Faster heart attack patients treated, the better their likelihood of survival

Hospitals that provide the most rapid emergency angioplasty have specific strategies to expedite the care of patients with heart attacks, researchers at Yale School of Medicine report in the November 13 New England Journal of Medicine.

13 Nov 2006

Controlling the amount of TV kids watch crucial to healthy weight

Looking for a simple way to increase your child's physical activity level? Try turning off the television, says University of Toronto research.

13 Nov 2006

Pioglitazone may help slow progression of artery wall thickening

A medication given to diabetics to improve their body's sensitivity to insulin also appears to slow the thickening of their artery walls, according to a study posted online by JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2006

Discovery of a simian immunodeficiency virus infection in wild gorillas

In 2005, 40.3 million people in the world, including 25.8 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, were living with HIV. The question of the origin of HIV-1, responsible for the AIDS pandemic, has been stimulating the scientific community for many years.

13 Nov 2006

Link between common lifestyle factors, immune system and cancer

The immune system is fickle, and easily influenced by more than just viruses and bacteria. It can be swayed by the seemingly unexpected, such as by what we eat, for example, and affected by surprising sources.

13 Nov 2006

Indonesia confirms 74th case of bird flu

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional two cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

13 Nov 2006

Optical amplification of photothermal therapy with gold nanoparticles and nanoclusters

Gold nanoparticles, through their unique ability to convert light into heat, show great promise as miniature heaters capable of cooking cancer cells to death.

13 Nov 2006

Modified silicon-based surfaces provide good home to proteins

Silicon, whether in its elemental form as silicon wafers or in its oxidized form, known as silicon dioxide or silica, is proving to be a valuable material for biomedical nanotechnology, in large part because of the biocompatibility and chemical inertness of these substances.

13 Nov 2006

Polymer coating improves tumor-targeting nanoparticles

Adding a thin coating of the biocompatible polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to the surface of sulfur-modified, or thiolated, nanoparticles designed to fall apart inside tumors, prolongs the time that the resulting nanoparticles remain in tumors.

13 Nov 2006

A single dose of doxorubicin-functionalized bow-tie dendrimer cures mice bearing C-26 colon carcinomas

In a dramatic demonstration of the power of nanotechnology, a team of investigators has designed a nanoscale, polymeric drug delivery vehicle that when loaded with a widely used anticancer agent cures colon cancer in mice with a single dose.

13 Nov 2006

Scientists shed light on the roll of junk DNA

University of Iowa scientists have made a discovery that broadens understanding of a rapidly developing area of biology known as functional genomics and sheds more light on the mysterious, so-called "junk DNA" that makes up the majority of the human genome.

13 Nov 2006

Thiazolidinediones may reduce cardiovascular risks

A drug commonly used to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin may slow the progression of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

13 Nov 2006

Study shows Diovan reduced urinary protein excretion in patients with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure

In patients with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, the blood pressure-lowering medication Diovan (valsartan) significantly reduced urinary protein excretion, with high doses providing the greatest sustained reduction , according to data presented at the Amer ican Heart Association's (AHA) Annual Scientific Sessions.

13 Nov 2006

LaVeist named inaugural William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in health policy

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has named Thomas A. LaVeist, PhD, the inaugural William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy. LaVeist, a leader in the study of minority health and the elimination of health disparities, was officially installed during a ceremony at the Bloomberg School of Public Health on November 10.

13 Nov 2006