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FDA approves Risperdal to treat irritability associated with autism

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Risperdal (risperidone) orally disintegrating tablets, an adult antipsychotic drug, for the symptomatic treatment of irritability in autistic children and adolescents.

8 Oct 2006

FDA statement on foodborne E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach

To date, 199 cases of illness due to E. coli O157:H7 infection have been reported to CDC, including 31 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), 102 hospitalizations and three deaths.

8 Oct 2006

Los Angeles group launches HIV/AIDS prevention campaign targeting homosexual men

The L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center has launched an advertisement campaign that describes HIV as a "gay disease" in an effort to target men who have sex with men who have become complacent about HIV/AIDS, the Los Angeles Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

New York State law prevents new CDC testing recommendations from being implemented

A New York state law passed in the 1980s prevents the state from implementing CDC's revised recommendations on HIV testing in the U.S. that say HIV tests should become a routine part of medical care for residents ages 13 to 64 and that requirements for written consent and pretest counseling should be dropped, the New York Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

More 'eco-friendly' hospitals being built

Hospitals are beginning to build "more efficient, eco-friendly facilities with 'sustainable' design features" as the industry "embarks on a $200 billion construction program over the next decade to replace or rebuild decaying facilities and meet growing demand from aging baby boomers," the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 Oct 2006

India doubles treatment centers offering HIV/AIDS drugs at no cost

India has nearly doubled the number of government health facilities offering antiretroviral drugs at no cost to HIV-positive people as part of a campaign to increase access to HIV/AIDS treatment, Sujatha Rao, head of India's National AIDS Control Organization, said recently, the AP/Boston Herald reports (George, AP/Boston Herald).

5 Oct 2006

Palm Beach Post profiles physician John May's donation of expertise

The Palm Beach Post has profiled the work of John May -- chief medical officer for Coconut Creek, Fla.-based Armor Correctional Health Services and founder of Health Through Walls, which brings "support and supplies" to prisons in the Caribbean and Africa to fight the spread of HIV.

5 Oct 2006

New York Times examines efforts to obtain FDA approval for Abraxane to treat earlier-stage cancer

The New York Times has examined efforts by the pharmaceutical company Abraxis BioScience to obtain FDA approval for its late-stage breast cancer drug Abraxane as a treatment for earlier-stage breast cancer.

5 Oct 2006

Debate between antiabortion, abortion-rights supporters now focusing on contraception

"If you're among the millions of Americans who don't like the idea of abortion but also don't like the idea of banning it, good news is on the way" in the form of two bills recently introduced in the House, William Saletan, science and technology reporter for Slate magazine, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

5 Oct 2006

USA Today examines debate surrounding New Jersey bill (S 494)

USA Today on Tuesday examined the debate surrounding a New Jersey bill (S 494) that would establish a needle-exchange program in six cities and provide $10 million to drug treatment programs in the state.

5 Oct 2006

New York City increases HIV testing in health clinics, jails and hospitals

New York City has increased the number of HIV tests administered in health clinics, jails and hospitals by nearly 50% in the last year as part of a campaign launched in 2004 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) to incorporate HIV testing into routine health exams, officials said Monday, the New York Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

Ho Chi Minh City to expand access to HIV/AIDS treatment for pregnant women

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, will expand access to no-cost HIV/AIDS treatment for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, city health officials said Saturday, Vietnam News Service/Viet Nam News reports (Vietnam News Service/Viet Nam News).

5 Oct 2006

Physician errors are a factor in about 60% of medical malpractice claims

Physician errors are a factor in about 60% of medical malpractice claims that involved patients allegedly injured because of missed or delayed diagnoses, according to a study published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

5 Oct 2006

U.S. Customs to stop seizing Canadian drugs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Tuesday said that as of Oct. 9 they will no longer seize prescription drugs sent by mail to U.S. residents from Canadian pharmacies, the Wall Street Journal reports (Carreyrou, Wall Street Journal, 10/4).

5 Oct 2006

New Mexico considers expanding Medicaid enrollment after containing costs in recent years

New Mexico Medicaid spending has been contained enough to ease eligibility rules, New Mexico Human Services Department Secretary Pam Hyde told state legislators last week, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.

5 Oct 2006

Socioeconomic improvement for poor women has little effect on risk of delivering low-birthweight infants among blacks

Although improvement of socioeconomic status for poor women might reduce a white woman's risk of delivering a low-birthweight infant by nearly 50%, such upward mobility seems to have little effect for black women with similar socioeconomic status, according to a study published in the Oct. 3 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health, CQ HealthBeat reports (Crowley, CQ HealthBeat, 10/4).

5 Oct 2006

Health department for four Michigan counties overcharged low-income women for contraceptives

The health department that serves Michigan's Alcona, losco, Ogemaw and Oscoda counties from 2003 through 2005 violated federal rules by overcharging low-income women for birth control and contraceptive supplies, according to a report conducted by the state Department of Community Health's Office of the Auditor General, the Bay City Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

Teenage birth rate in Alabama continues to decline

The number of births among teenage girls in Alabama declined in 2005 from the previous year, continuing a downward trend in the teen pregnancy rate over the last 10 years, according to a new report from the Alabama Department of Public Health's Center for Health Statistics, the Birmingham News reports.

5 Oct 2006

U.S. still leader in medical innovation

The "American health care system may be performing better than it seems at first glance" because the U.S. "is the world leader" in medical innovations, which "improve health and life expectancy in all wealthy countries," Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

5 Oct 2006

U.S. must do more to protect integrity of pharmaceuticals

The business of counterfeit prescription drugs "has grown to frightening proportions," and the U.S. must do more to "protect the integrity of pharmaceuticals dispensed" in the nation, Henry Miller, a physician and Hoover Institution fellow, writes in a Washington Times opinion piece.

5 Oct 2006