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Trial shows Daclizumab therapy improves multiple sclerosis outcome

A small clinical trial of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who did not respond to interferon alone found that adding the human antibody daclizumab improved patient outcome. Patients who received the combined therapy had a 78 percent reduction in new brain lesions and a 70 percent reduction in total lesions, along with other significant clinical improvements.

24 May 2004

Medicare Drug Discount Card pricing is lower than internet and mail-order pharmacy prices

A new study by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that prices available from Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards are lower than current Internet and mail-order pharmacy prices.

24 May 2004

Data from Indiana youth health survey released

Indiana State health officials today released data from a 2003 health survey of Indiana youth in grades 9 through 12 that assess whether teens are engaging in certain risk behaviors.

23 May 2004

FDA finalizes new rule on donor eligibility for human tissues and cells

FDA today published a final rule establishing donor eligibility criteria for donors of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) to help prevent the transmission of communicable disease when these products are transplanted.

20 May 2004

CMS announces jump in number of hospitals reporting quality care data

Hospital participation in the National Voluntary Hospital Reporting Initiative is booming as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMA) posts its second web site refresh of hospital quality of care data, CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., announced today.

20 May 2004

HHS creates task force to encourage medical technology innovation

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced that the department is forming an internal task force to weigh new ideas and promote new solutions to encourage innovation in health care and to speed the development of effective new medical technologies, such as drug and biological products and medical devices.

19 May 2004

$600 credit and discounts help low income Medicare beneficiaries

Seven million Medicare beneficiaries who are eligible for low-income transitional assistance and additional discounts can see very large savings on their prescription drugs through their Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards.

19 May 2004

CMS to take steps to protect the Medicare-approved Discount Drug Card Program from fraud

Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), said today government and public partners are taking further steps to protect the new Medicare-approved Discount Drug Card Program from any possible fraudulent activities.

19 May 2004

CMS will undertake pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the voluntary compliance programs used by many hospitals

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. today announced CMS will soon undertake a pilot program in partnership with hospitals in 13 states and the District of Columbia to determine the effectiveness of the voluntary compliance programs used by many hospitals.

19 May 2004

Prescription drugs imported by patients into the United States may be unsafe

Prescription drugs imported by patients into the United States may be unsafe, ineffective, adulterated, misbranded, expired or counterfeit, and could result in harm or death, according to AMA Trustee Rebecca J. Patchin, MD, who testified before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Task Force on Drug Importation on May 14.

19 May 2004

HHS launches new web pilot project for consumer health information

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the launch of a 9-month pilot project with WebMD Health to make HHS consumer health information more widely and more rapidly available to the public on a new HHS "channel" on WebMD.

17 May 2004

HHS to ensure safe, effective drugs delivered to developing countries under the President's $15 billion plan for AIDS relief

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced an expedited review process to ensure that the United States is providing safe, effective drugs to developing countries under the President's $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

16 May 2004

The federal government should expand its role in the financing of HIV/AIDS treatment for low-income Americans

The federal government should expand its role in the financing of HIV/AIDS treatment for low-income Americans to ensure that the thousands of HIV-infected people currently not receiving care through existing programs gain access to the services they need, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

16 May 2004

Plans for once-daily, fixed-dose combination of three anti-HIV drugs

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. have announced that they are in discussions on the development of a once-daily, fixed-dose combination of three anti-HIV drugs and are also considering certain co-packaging options for the individual products.

16 May 2004

Medicare drug discount cards continue to drop prices

After the first full week of making information on assured drug price discounts available to beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' review of the savings offered by drug card sponsors shows that more cards will be offering lower prices to beneficiaries, compared with prices posted last week.

15 May 2004

Health and Human Services News and Research

Trial shows Daclizumab therapy improves multiple sclerosis outcome

Medicare Drug Discount Card pricing is lower than internet and mail-order pharmacy prices

Data from Indiana youth health survey released

FDA finalizes new rule on donor eligibility for human tissues and cells

CMS announces jump in number of hospitals reporting quality care data

HHS creates task force to encourage medical technology innovation

$600 credit and discounts help low income Medicare beneficiaries

CMS to take steps to protect the Medicare-approved Discount Drug Card Program from fraud

CMS will undertake pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the voluntary compliance programs used by many hospitals

Prescription drugs imported by patients into the United States may be unsafe

HHS launches new web pilot project for consumer health information

HHS to ensure safe, effective drugs delivered to developing countries under the President's $15 billion plan for AIDS relief

The federal government should expand its role in the financing of HIV/AIDS treatment for low-income Americans

Plans for once-daily, fixed-dose combination of three anti-HIV drugs

Medicare drug discount cards continue to drop prices

Technique to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn may help to understand how memories form

People with pre-diabetes can make changes to prevent serious illness

Twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980's

Study of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe, treatment-resistant lupus

Minority women are disproportionately impacted by the autoimmune disease lupus

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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