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BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois adds coverage for MammoSite

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois after meeting with experts last week has decided to cover the partial-breast radiation therapy known as MammoSite for patients with early stage breast cancer, officials for the insurer said, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Jury dismisses lawsuit against Wyeth in first Pempro case

A jury in a U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., on Friday dismissed negligence charges in the first of about 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, and found the drug's design was not defective, Reuters reports.

20 Sep 2006

Many Australian physicians not applying for permission to import Mifepristone

Many Australian physicians are not applying for permission to supply mifepristone to women in the country and instead are prescribing women a combination of methotrexate -- a drug licensed to treat cancer patients -- and misoprostol to induce a medical abortion.

20 Sep 2006

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Casey says Democratic Party becoming more open to those opposing abortion rights

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey (D), a candidate for the U.S. Senate who opposes abortion rights, on Friday said he has been "encouraged to see Democrats in this new century becoming more open to people who are pro-life," the AP/Phillyburbs.com reports (Hefling, AP/Phillyburbs.com, 9/15).

20 Sep 2006

Women who quit smoking during pregnancy less likely to remain nonsmokers because of concerns about weight

Women who quit smoking before pregnancy are less likely to remain nonsmokers after giving birth largely because of concerns about gaining weight, according to a study to be published in the October issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

USAID issues $15M grant to Ugandan religious coalition

USAID through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief issued a $15 million three-year grant to the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda -- a coalition of five religious groups that promote faith-based strategies to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic, AFP/Today Online reports.

20 Sep 2006

HIV testing should become routine, especially in hard-hit countries

As AIDS-related illnesses kill 8,000 people worldwide each day and 14,000 people become HIV-positive daily, "[i]t's time to move to routine [HIV] testing" in countries with high HIV prevalence, Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist writes in a Times opinion piece.

20 Sep 2006

HIV/AIDS advocates say India's law criminalizing homosexuality hinders HIV prevention

International human rights groups and gay rights advocates in India on Saturday in an open letter called on the government to repeal its law criminalizing homosexuality, saying the law is affecting the fight against HIV/AIDS, the New York Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Five countries to tax airline travel to raise money for HIV/AIDS

Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the United Kingdom on Tuesday at the 61st session of the U.N. General Assembly are expected to announce a plan to impose an airline ticket tax to fund an international drug purchase facility and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria treatment and prevention programs, a French official said Monday, the New York Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

160 HIV-positive delegates at XVI International AIDS conference make refugee claims in Canada

About 160 HIV-positive people who entered Canada from other countries to attend the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto last month have made refugee claims to stay in the country, Toronto's Globe and Mail reports.

20 Sep 2006

Ugandan lawmakers draft bill seeking death penalty for HIV-positive people who perform sexual acts with minors

Ugandan lawmakers are drafting a bill that if passed would seek the death penalty for HIV-positive people who perform sexual acts with minors with or without consent, South Africa's Mail and Guardian reports.

20 Sep 2006

Southern health officials call on congress to approve Ryan White CARE act reauthorization

A group of Republican senators and health officials from Southern state held a news conference in Washington, D.C., to call on Congress to approve reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Evans, AP/Contra Costa Times, 9/14).

20 Sep 2006

Jamaica launches ad campaign against discrimination of HIV-positive people

Jamaica has launched an advertising campaign that aims to curb HIV/AIDS-related stigma, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports.

20 Sep 2006

Federal law allows consumers to qualify for Medicaid, retain assets

Under a new federal law, residents of about 20 states in 2007 will be able to purchase simplified, long-term care coverage, and if that coverage runs out, they could qualify for Medicaid, even if they have assets totaling more than $2,000, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

20 Sep 2006

Some Senators concerned about plan to address Medicare premium refund checks sent erroneously

Some senators have raised concerns that a plan developed by CMS Administrator Mark McClellan and Social Security Administration Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart to address errors in the deduction of Medicare prescription drug benefit premiums from Social Security checks "might be too harsh" for low-income beneficiaries, The Hill reports.

20 Sep 2006

Senate majority leader Frist hopes to hold vote on revised 'Association Health Plan Bill' this month

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) this month hopes to hold a floor vote on a revised version of a bill (S 1995) that would allow small businesses and trade associations to form association health plans across state lines, according to a Frist spokesperson, CongressDaily reports.

20 Sep 2006

Alliance between disability advocates, Bush administration officials helped develop program to encourage home care for Medicaid beneficiaries

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday examined how an "unlikely alliance" between a group of disability advocates and Bush administration officials resulted in a major change to federal funding for long-term care of Medicaid beneficiaries (Shapiro, "Morning Edition," NPR, 9/15).

20 Sep 2006

Medical Centers should follow Stanford's lead in banning gifts from drug companies

Stanford University Medical Center's decision to prohibit physicians from accepting any gifts from pharmaceutical sales representatives is "an austere measure that other medical centers should follow," a Los Angeles Times editorial states.

20 Sep 2006

Thousands of prescription drug products sold in the U.S. not approved by FDA

Drugs that have not been approved by FDA make up nearly 2% of prescription drugs on the market, and some of them "might not only be ineffective but also might actually be harmful," USA Today reports.

20 Sep 2006

CDC creates committee to evaluate process of rewarding grants

CDC has formed a committee to consider the equitability of the agency cash awards process in response to analyses that found non-science employees in recent years have received most of the awards, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Young, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/19).

20 Sep 2006

Medical News

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois adds coverage for MammoSite

Jury dismisses lawsuit against Wyeth in first Pempro case

Many Australian physicians not applying for permission to import Mifepristone

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Casey says Democratic Party becoming more open to those opposing abortion rights

Women who quit smoking during pregnancy less likely to remain nonsmokers because of concerns about weight

USAID issues $15M grant to Ugandan religious coalition

HIV testing should become routine, especially in hard-hit countries

HIV/AIDS advocates say India's law criminalizing homosexuality hinders HIV prevention

Five countries to tax airline travel to raise money for HIV/AIDS

160 HIV-positive delegates at XVI International AIDS conference make refugee claims in Canada

Ugandan lawmakers draft bill seeking death penalty for HIV-positive people who perform sexual acts with minors

Southern health officials call on congress to approve Ryan White CARE act reauthorization

Jamaica launches ad campaign against discrimination of HIV-positive people

Federal law allows consumers to qualify for Medicaid, retain assets

Some Senators concerned about plan to address Medicare premium refund checks sent erroneously

Senate majority leader Frist hopes to hold vote on revised 'Association Health Plan Bill' this month

Alliance between disability advocates, Bush administration officials helped develop program to encourage home care for Medicaid beneficiaries

Medical Centers should follow Stanford's lead in banning gifts from drug companies

Thousands of prescription drug products sold in the U.S. not approved by FDA

CDC creates committee to evaluate process of rewarding grants

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

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