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Congress approves global AIDS bill which will save millions of lives

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) lauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing legislation (today's House vote to concur on the Senate amended House PEPFAR bill: 303 to 115) re-authorizing PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the successful US global AIDS program.

24 Jul 2008

U.S. authorities seize Xiadafil VIP tablets after company refuses to recall product

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals seized nearly $74,000 worth of Xiadafil VIP tablets, Lots 6K029 and 6K209-SEI, distributed by SEI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Miami, Fla. Although marketed as a dietary supplement to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) and for sexual enhancement, these lots represent an illegally marketed drug containing an undeclared ingredient.

24 Jul 2008

A dangerous precedent in HIV

Infection with HIV could quadruple in certain populations if people with HIV follow potentially misleading advice contained in a statement from the Swiss Federal Commission for HIV/AIDS, University of New South Wales (UNSW) research warns.

24 Jul 2008

Study shows emergency physicians have good first instincts in diagnosing heart attacks

A study out of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center demonstrates emergency room doctors are correctly identifying patients who are having a heart attack, even when laboratory tests haven't yet confirmed it.

24 Jul 2008

Energy drinks associated with risk-taking behaviors among college students

Over the last decade, energy drinks -- such as Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar -- have become nearly ubiquitous on college campuses. The global market for these types of drinks currently exceeds $3 billion a year and new products are introduced annually.

24 Jul 2008

Life expectancy of HIV patients increases

HIV-infected patients in high income countries are living some 13 years longer thanks to improvements in combination antiretroval therapy (cART), according to new research by the University of Bristol published in a HIV Special Issue of The Lancet today.

24 Jul 2008

Researchers find key mechanism of cell damage in aging and disease

Researchers have taken a first snapshot of how a class of highly reactive molecules inflicts cellular damage as part of aging, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease to name a few. According to a study published today in the journal Cell, researchers have discovered a tool that can monitor related damage and determine the degree to which antioxidant drugs effectively combat disease.

24 Jul 2008

Food and drink giants pledge big money to tackle Britain's obesity problem

A group of food and drinks companies in Britain have pledged more than £200 million to help tackle the UK's obesity problem.

24 Jul 2008

Breastfed babies get a taste for good food

Danish researchers say babies who are breastfed get a taste for fruit and vegetables from their mother's milk and are more likely to be healthy.

24 Jul 2008

Raltegravir drug combo works against highly resistant strain of HIV

A study involving an international team of scientists has discovered that a new drug when combined with other anti-HIV medications, is particularly effective against a highly resistant strain of the HIV virus.

24 Jul 2008

CDC to release revised HIV/AIDS estimates in August JAMA

CDC on Tuesday announced that it will release new estimates of annual HIV incidence in the U.S. in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Reuters reports.

24 Jul 2008

Sexual taboos hampering HIV/AIDS efforts in Pakistan

Taboos about sex in Pakistan make it difficult to address HIV/AIDS and are hindering efforts to curb the spread of the disease, according to a study published recently in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the New York Times reports.

24 Jul 2008

Australia, Fiji establish coalition to address impact of HIV/AIDS on business

The Fiji Australia Business Council and UNAIDS on Monday agreed to a partnership under which they will develop a business coalition in Fiji to strengthen the private sector's response to HIV/AIDS, the Fiji Times reports (Fiji Times, 7/22).

24 Jul 2008

Washington Post examines HIV/AIDS among Hispanics in U.S.

HIV/AIDS among the Hispanic community in the U.S. is reaching what some public health experts are calling a "simmering public health crisis," the Washington Post reports.

24 Jul 2008

Schwarzenegger signs law that bans insurers from linking employee bonuses to health insurance coverage limits, cancellations

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday signed legislation (AB 1150) that prohibits health insurance companies from rewarding employees who cancel or limit an enrollee's coverage, the Los Angeles Times reports.

24 Jul 2008

NYT examines potential for cost savings in Obama's health plan

A promise from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) that his health care proposal would reduce health insurance premiums for the average family by $2,500 "is one of the most audacious promises in a campaign that has been thick with them," the New York Times reports. In addition, Obama has promised to implement a health plan by the end of his first term as president.

24 Jul 2008

Senate passes legislation that would reauthorize federal funding for community health centers

The Senate on Monday by unanimous consent approved a bill (S 901) that would reauthorize through 2012 three federal programs that provide services to rural and underserved areas, CongressDaily reports.

24 Jul 2008

Amerigroup settles Medicaid lawsuit over denial of coverage to pregnant women for $225 million

Amerigroup on Tuesday said it will enter a $225 million settlement agreement with Illinois and the federal government over allegations that it denied coverage to eligible pregnant women, the Baltimore Sun reports (Baltimore Sun, 7/23).

24 Jul 2008

Parliamentarian memo says SCHIP resolution filed too late to be given fast-track status

The Senate Finance Committee canceled a vote scheduled for Wednesday on a resolution to block Bush administration rules limiting the expansion of SCHIP, after being informed by the Senate parliamentarian that the deadline for "privileged" status of the resolution had passed, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 7/22).

24 Jul 2008

America's Health Insurance Plans launches campaign in Ohio for nationwide universal health

America's Health Insurance Plans on Tuesday launched a new grassroots campaign designed "to build support for workable health care reform based on core principles shared by the American people: coverage, affordability, quality, value, choice and portability," the organization said, CQ HealthBeat reports.

24 Jul 2008