Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Study finds conflict-affected countries receive less money for reproductive health

A recent study found developing countries affected by war receive less money for reproductive health than other developing nations, despite having acute needs, Reuters reports.

9 Jun 2009

Indian Government delays implementation of ruling for graphic images to appear on tobacco products

Despite a recent ruling by India's Supreme Court that all tobacco products must have pictorial warnings by May 31, one week after the ruling was to go into effect, the warning labels have yet to appear on packaging, the National reports.

9 Jun 2009

Hospital infection prevention resources cut

Hospitals are cutting staff, resources and education for infection prevention at a time when the prevalence of many healthcare-associated infections is increasing, according to a report released today by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

9 Jun 2009

High blood pressure among lower-status employees lingers well into retirement

Retirement from some occupations may not provide relief from the potentially devastating health effects of work-related hypertension, according to a new study from UC Davis.

9 Jun 2009

Novel approach for treating cognitive impairments

Researchers have been seeking a safe and effective way to treat cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia by enhancing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Functional deficits in NMDA receptors may contribute to the underlying neurobiology of this disorder.

9 Jun 2009

EU unions send message to ministers on healthcare

"We cannot let market forces run healthcare systems or we will end up with a two-tier system of healthcare delivery."

9 Jun 2009

Reform bill details emerge, lobbyists gear up for fight

Industry groups reacted "warily" this weekend to a draft of the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee's health overhaul plan. The first details emerged late Friday and lobbyists began speaking up, USA Today reports.

9 Jun 2009

'Roll call' solicits strong opinions on health reform

Roll Call published a special section today that pulls together opinion pieces from 20 major players from all corners of the health care debate, including Tom Daschle, Michael Tanner, Dick Gephardt and Tommy Thompson and Newt Gingrich and Jim Frogue.

9 Jun 2009

Democrats prepare message as congress reacts to Kennedy's health reform draft

Congressional Democrats are preparing the message to go with their sweeping health reform in both the House and the Senate, after Sen. Edward Kennedy's draft reform bill was circulated, CNN.com reports.

9 Jun 2009

Republicans react to Obama insistence on public plan inclusion

President Obama's insistence on having a government-run public insurance option for the middle class risks bipartisan support for reform, Senate Republicans said in a letter to the White House released Monday, The Associated Press reports.

9 Jun 2009

Researchers discover why Lou Gehrig's disease speeds along more rapidly in some patients than others

University of Florida scientists have discovered why a paralyzing brain disorder speeds along more rapidly in some patients than others - a finding that may finally give researchers an entry point toward an effective treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

9 Jun 2009

Increase in diabetes among Canadian children

Ontario children are more likely to get diagnosed with diabetes than their American counterparts. A study out of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) has found a 3 per cent increase per year in the rate of diabetes in Ontario children from 1994 to 2004.

9 Jun 2009

Key health IT definition expected soon

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's number-two man, Charles Friedman, told industry members that an official definition of the term "meaningful use" of health information technology is "in the works" and they should expect its release "in the not too distant future."

5 Jun 2009

Panel discusses health care issues in Black America

CNN's Soledad O'Brien hosted a panel discussion on health care issues facing African-Americans in preparation for "Black in America 2, a CNN investigation about the most challenging issues facing African-Americans that will premiere July 22 and 23. The video touches on health care disparities in the African-American community and concurrent social issues that affect care.

5 Jun 2009

Senate Finance ‘Dems’ back public plan, ‘Blue Dogs’ back away

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Finance Committee expects the Senate's health care overhaul proposal to include a public health insurance plan, Dow Jones Newswire reports, adding that Baucus was "following the lead of President Obama and drawing a line in the sand on the controversial issue." The President strongly supported the public option in a letter to senators Wednesday.

5 Jun 2009

Abbott and AstraZeneca to co-promote Trilipix (fenofibric acid)

Abbot and AstraZeneca have announced that they have entered into an agreement for AstraZeneca to co-promote Abbott's Trilipix (fenofibric acid), a medication for use alone or in combination with a statin to treat certain lipid disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will obtain the non-exclusive right to co-promote Trilipix alongside Abbott in the United States, excluding Puerto Rico. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.

5 Jun 2009

Australia in top five countries worse hit by swine flu

The latest update from the World Health Organization, #43, says as of 3rd June, 66 countries have officially reported 19,273 cases of influenza A H1N1 infection (swine flu), including 117 deaths.

4 Jun 2009

Medical bills underlie 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies

"Medical bills are involved in more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, an increase of 50 percent in just six years, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday," according to Reuters.

4 Jun 2009

Government-run insurance program gets Presidential push

President Barack Obama yesterday detailed his support for "government-run insurance program that would compete with private insurers," CQ Politics reports.

4 Jun 2009

African health advocates meet in Kenya to discuss need for governments to improve basic healthcare services

Health advocates at a civil society meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, called for African governments to improve access to basic health care, IRIN reports. "African governments are failing to offer even the most basic healthcare that could save lives, speakers warned," writes IRIN.

4 Jun 2009