Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

TV advertising of prescription drugs may increase visits to doctor not actual sales

TV advertising of prescription drugs may be prompting more people to visit their doctors rather than substantially increasing sales of advertised drugs, according to research led by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

12 Sep 2006

Allocating HIV drugs to cities prevents the greatest number of infections

The most effective way to control the AIDS pandemic in hard-hit South Africa would be to concentrate the allocation of scarce antiretroviral drugs in urban areas.

12 Sep 2006

Drug ads and their influence on patients and doctors

Television ads for prescription drugs are everywhere, enticing people to ask their doctors for this drug or that one, but the effect this type of ad has on American healthcare may be more complicated than simply inducing patients to choose one brand or the other, according to a team of researchers.

12 Sep 2006

Johns Hopkins ACG team releases pharmacy-based predictive model

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed Johns Hopkins ACG Rx-PM - new predictive modeling software based on retail pharmacy claims information.

11 Sep 2006

Reps. Price, Baldwin urge passage of bill that would encourage State health coverage expansion proposals

Reps. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on Wednesday at a joint event by the Brookings Institution and Heritage Foundation encouraged lawmakers to back a bill (HR 5864) that would "allow states to act as laboratories where lawmakers could test methods to reduce the number of uninsured Americans," CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 Sep 2006

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital learning from 9/11

With the nation's busiest burn center and the metropolitan area's largest hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) fleet, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital rescued and treated many survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

7 Sep 2006

When it comes to surgery EU official says shop around

The European Commission's (EU) top health official has said that patients in the EU should have the right to be reimbursed by their national authorities for treatment taken anywhere in any of the 25 member countries.

6 Sep 2006

Dementia patients battle to receive proper information

People who suffer from dementia and those that care for them, say they are fighting a constant battle to receive proper information about their condition and its treatment according to new research launched today at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester.

4 Sep 2006

Effective method of multidimensional work sampling in nursing homes

A study to develop an effective method of multidimensional work sampling (MDWS) in nursing homes has found that, initially, the proportion of time pharmacists spend in non-professional or semi-professional activities compared with professional activities is 3:1.

4 Sep 2006

New drug improves blood flow in diseased arteries

A new drug has been shown to improve blood flow in diseased arteries, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks, a Monash University study published today reveals.

4 Sep 2006

Bang & Olufsen Medicom and AstraZeneca to develop new patient monitor that measures patient compliance

Bang & Olufsen Medicom has announced that it has entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca on the development of a new patient monitor that measures patient compliance.

4 Sep 2006

Tumor necrosis factor A antagonist use and cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune, inflammatory disease marked by progressive joint and organ damage, face a high risk of developing cancer.

31 Aug 2006

Researchers analyze increases in medical expenses versus improvements in health

Despite dramatic increases in health expenses since 1960, the return on medical spending is high, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University and the University of Michigan.

30 Aug 2006

Ranbaxy wins two additional Atorvastatin patents in Norway

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited has announced that a Norwegian court handed down a favorable decision for Ranbaxy in its case against Pfizer, involving two patents on atorvastatin in Norway.

30 Aug 2006

New organs can be grown in body

A novel technique enabling vital new organ tissue to be grown in a special bio-chamber in the body has been developed by scientists at the University of Melbourne and the Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery (BOBIM).

30 Aug 2006

Massachusetts Council adopts new regulations on embryonic stem cell research

The Massachusetts Public Health Council on Tuesday adopted new regulations on human embryonic stem cell research that Harvard University and several state research centers and hospitals say could expose scientists to criminal penalties for conducting certain research activities, the Boston Globe reports.

30 Aug 2006

XVI International AIDS conference characterized by 'guarded optimism'

The XVI International AIDS Conference, which was held Aug. 13 through Aug. 18 in Toronto, was characterized by "guarded optimism," the Los Angeles Times reports.

30 Aug 2006

End of moratorium on new specialty hospitals likely to prompt 'building boomlet'

The decision earlier this month by CMS not to extend a moratorium on approval of new specialty hospitals likely will prompt a "building boomlet" of the facilities, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Aug 2006

Decline in participation in employer-sponsored health plans

Large companies that employ 1,000 or more workers are experiencing a decline in participation in employer-sponsored health plans because of increases in out-of-pocket costs, the Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Aug 2006

Simpler and less expensive method of controlling the progression of HIV

There might be a simpler and less expensive method of controlling the progression of HIV, according to several preliminary studies presented last Thursday at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Los Angeles Times reports (Chong, Los Angeles Times, 8/18).

20 Aug 2006