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Despite aging U.S. population, few physicians specialize in treatment for the elderly

Even as the "population ages and more people ... need them ... geriatricians are in short supply," the New York Times reports.

19 Oct 2006

Wal-Mart expands prescription drug discount program

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday likely will announce the expansion of a generic prescription drug discount program introduced last month in Florida to additional states, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (May, Newark Star-Ledger, 10/19).

19 Oct 2006

Blue Cross of California settles patient accusations that it systematically canceled policies

Blue Cross of California on Tuesday agreed to settle more than 70 lawsuits and claims filed by individual health plan members who alleged that Blue Cross illegally revoked their coverage, the Los Angeles Times reports.

19 Oct 2006

Austrian patent office rules in Pfizer's Favor for Lipitor patent

Pfizer has announced that the Austrian Patent Office has ruled that a claim in the company's basic patent covering the use of atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor, would be infringed by generic manufacturer Ranbaxy.

19 Oct 2006

Victhom files provisional sleep apnea patent application

Victhom Human Bionics announced that, after a series of pilot animal studies on potential medical indications of its Closed Loop System (the CLS Neuromodulator).

19 Oct 2006

NC State researchers receive $3.5 million to tackle HIV

Researchers at North Carolina State University have received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) to develop mathematical and statistical models that will aid in designing new treatment strategies for HIV patients.

19 Oct 2006

Facial expressions run in families

According to a team of Israeli scientists the faces we pull when we are emotional are inherited from our ancestors.

19 Oct 2006

Yellow fever and Poliomyelitis outbreaks in Africa

Yellow fever in Ivory Coast - On 5 October 2006, the Ministry of Health reported 2 cases of yellow fever in the towns of Korhogo and Ouaragahio in Ivory Coast.

19 Oct 2006

New treatment option gives hope to victims of head and neck cancers

More than 640,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year, and more than 350,000 die from the disease annually.

19 Oct 2006

Swiss become the first to bulk buy pre-pandemic bird flu vaccine

Switzerland has apparently ordered enough of an experimental bird flu vaccine to inoculate it's entire population.

19 Oct 2006

Antibiotic gives long acting relief to irritable bowel sufferers

Researchers in the U.S. say that a long-acting antibiotic can help treat the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

19 Oct 2006

Toxic chemical found in 3 more medicines in Panama

A toxic chemical found in contaminated cough syrup suspected to have caused the deaths of 22 people in Panama, has now been found in three more medications made by a government-run factory in Panama.

19 Oct 2006

Adverse drug events means 700,000 end up in emergency departments

According to a recently released study every year, as many as 700,000 people end up in hospital emergency departments because they experience an adverse drug effect, and 117,000 of those have to be hospitalized.

19 Oct 2006

Psychiatrist in the UK up on 10 charges regarding sex change patients

A psychiatrist in Britain well known for dealing with issues of gender has been brought before the General Medical Council (GMC) on 10 charges of serious professional misconduct with regard to his treatment of patients.

19 Oct 2006

Study gives Teflon the 'all clear'

A new study has been released which tracked the health of more than 6,000 employees for more than 50 years, at DuPont plants which use ammonium perfluorooctaonate, also known as C8 or PFOA, to produce the Teflon nonstick coating for pots and pans.

18 Oct 2006

One in four smokers doomed to get incurable lung disease

According to British and Danish researchers the longer someone smokes the higher their risk of developing the incurable lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

18 Oct 2006

Comprehensive review backs health benefits of eating fish

There is ample research advocating the nutritional benefits of eating fish and shellfish because fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

18 Oct 2006

Benefits of breast cancer screening questionable

Danish researchers are claiming that the benefits of breast cancer screening are questionable and that mammograms can lead to women being given unnecessary and harmful treatment.

18 Oct 2006

FDA approves Taxotere for head and neck cancers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate for use in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil prior to radiotherapy for the treatment of patients with inoperable, locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

18 Oct 2006

Global pandemic influenza action plan to increase vaccine supply

If an influenza pandemic were to occur in the near future, there would be a shortage of several billion doses of the pandemic influenza vaccine needed to protect the global population.

18 Oct 2006