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States worry they may not receive expected Medicaid money, prepare contigency plans

The Boston Globe: "Governor Deval Patrick signed a $27.6 billion spending plan yesterday for the budget year that begins today, slashing funding for services across state government, including public education, dental care for the poor, and developmental services for toddlers.

2 Jul 2010

InNexus Biotechnology, NCI amend Collaborative Agreement

InNexus Biotechnology Inc., a leading drug development company commercializing the next generation of antibodies based on its groundbreaking Dynamic Cross Linking (DXL™) technology, today announced the Company and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), have amended the Collaborative Agreement announced on May 27, 2010, involving research on technologies developed by InNexus.

2 Jul 2010

Clinical study proves effectiveness of acupuncture for heart patients

Acupuncture can improve exercise tolerance in patients suffering from chronic heart failure. This was determined in a clinical pilot study by the team headed by Dr. Johannes Backs, physician and study director at the Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology - Medical Director: Professor Dr. Hugo Katus) of Heidelberg University Hospital.

2 Jul 2010

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

In an analysis of genes of more than 1,000 centenarians, American researchers have come to the conclusion that genes play a large role in completing a century in life. The research team studied 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910 and compared them with 1,267 people born later. They claim that there are signatures in the genetic makeup of these people that have a possible link with their longevity.

2 Jul 2010

Healthy diet can reduce age-related eye problems

While 20/20 vision is a symbol of visual acuity, between now and the year 2020, more and more people will experience some extent of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other sight-robbing diseases.

2 Jul 2010

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories commences marketing of rivastigmine tartrate capsules

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd. has started shipping rivastigmine tartrate capsules. These products, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Sun Pharma's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), are therapeutically equivalent to Exelon® capsules from Novartis.

2 Jul 2010

High fructose diet can cause hypertension

People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

2 Jul 2010

Governors urge Congress to extend emergency Medicaid funds

At a press conference in Washington Wednesday, "10 governors said they had already cut millions from their budgets since the recession hit at the end of 2007, and that if the funds were not approved in coming weeks they would have to slash funding for services like hospice care or preschool programs," Reuters reports.

2 Jul 2010

Research shows promising targeted therapies for type 2 diabetes patients

Named for the furballs whose astonishing fecundity made them stars in early Star Trek episodes, the tribbles protein, first identified in fruit flies, aids in regulating many cell processes in humans. Joslin Diabetes Center researchers now have identified mechanisms triggered by a variant of the tribbles gene that cause trouble in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells—and that offer a promising target for therapies for people with type 2 diabetes, even if they don't carry that gene variant.

2 Jul 2010

GSK, Genmab amend ofatumumab agreement

GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab A/S announced today an amendment to the ofatumumab co-development and commercialisation agreement. Under the terms of the amendment, GSK will take responsibility for developing ofatumumab in autoimmune indications whilst continuing to jointly develop ofatumumab with Genmab in oncology indications.

2 Jul 2010

Imbalance in neuroendocrine system linked to depression in MS patients: Study

Now, in the first such study in living humans, researchers at UCLA suggest a cause, and it's not psychological, but physical: atrophy of a specific region of the hippocampus, a critical part of the brain involved in mood and memory, among other functions.

2 Jul 2010

High-risk insurance pools open to people 'locked out' of market

People who have been unable to obtain health insurance in the commercial market because of pre-existing conditions can apply for a new, federally funded high-risk insurance pool beginning Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The program is the first major plank of the health overhaul signed into law in March, and it's designed as a temporary provision to expand coverage until 2014, when a requirement kicks in that insurers accept all applicants."

2 Jul 2010

USPTO awards Furiex method patent for dapoxetine in treatment of premature ejaculation

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent on May 18, 2010, for the method for treatment of premature ejaculation using dapoxetine. Furiex developed dapoxetine in collaboration with Alza Corporation and its affiliates. U.S. Patent No. 7,718,705 includes claims directed to dosing dapoxetine on an as-needed basis, capturing the advantage dapoxetine has over other compounds in the same class, which require a pre-loading period for efficacy.

2 Jul 2010

American Abroad Media examines intersection of religion and public health in Africa

American Abroad Media examines how religious groups and leaders are dealing with public health issues in Africa. The program consists of five segments.

2 Jul 2010

Scientists explain mechanism behind acute myeloid leukemia

New research by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has illuminated in fine detail one of the genetic paths that leads to a particularly aggressive form of leukemia.

2 Jul 2010

United Therapeutics, Lee's Pharmaceutical enter distribution agreement for Remodulin Injection in China

United Therapeutics Corporation and Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd. announced today that they have entered into an exclusive agreement for the distribution of Remodulin (treprostinil) Injection in China. Remodulin is a subcutaneously or intravenously administered prostacyclin analogue for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Lee's Pharmaceutical is a leading Chinese pharmaceutical company with both a strong cardiovascular focus and extensive commercialization experience.

2 Jul 2010

Patients receiving TMP-SMX antibiotics are more likely to develop hyperkalemia: Study

Older adults taking the antibiotic combination trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX)—widely prescribed for urinary tract infections—are at increased risk of elevated potassium levels, called hyperkalemia, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

2 Jul 2010

New York Times: AIDS drug program has growing waiting list

The New York Times: "The weak economy is crippling the government program that provides life-sustaining antiretroviral drugs to people with H.I.V. or AIDS who cannot afford them. Nearly 1,800 have been relegated to rapidly expanding waiting lists that less than three years ago had dwindled to zero. ...

2 Jul 2010

CPMC launches new innovative program to help poor families

For any parent the birth of a new child is a cause for celebration, a magical, unforgettable moment. Now parents who give birth at California Pacific Medical Center will be able to mark that moment, and help families less fortunate than themselves, through a new program called Tiny Treasure Tributes.

2 Jul 2010

DARA BioSciences suspends $10M underwritten public offering

On May 17, 2010, DARA BioSciences, Inc. issued a press release announcing that it had commenced an underwritten public offering of $10 million of units comprised of shares of common stock and warrants. DARA has decided to indefinitely suspend the offering, effective immediately. Several important factors have influenced this decision.

2 Jul 2010