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Department of Justice joins Whistleblower lawsuit alleging overcharging by drug company Dey

The Department of Justice on Monday joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed against California-based Dey, a generic medication division of Germany-based Merck KGaA, over allegations that the company inflated prices reported to federal health insurance programs, the Boston Globe reports.

13 Sep 2006

Four largest Massachusetts insurers plan double-digit premium increases for 2007

The four largest health insurers in Massachusetts -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Fallon Community Health Plan -- in 2007 are expected for most of their insurance options to raise premiums by at least 10% for the seventh consecutive year, the Boston Globe reports.

13 Sep 2006

High copayments for 'specialty pharmacy' medications has little effect on use

Higher copayments have a small effect on usage of "specialty pharmacy" medications, which can cost as much as $10,000 monthly, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

13 Sep 2006

Could quantum dots hold the cure to cancer?

Review of quantum dot technologies for cancer detection and treatment.

13 Sep 2006

Breast and ovarian cancers linked by heredity - women need to know their risks

During September, Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) urges women to learn more about familial breast-ovarian cancer syndrome.

12 Sep 2006

MRI tracks survival of pancreatic islets after transplantation

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with an approved contrast agent may provide a practical way of monitoring the survival of transplanted pancreatic islets.

12 Sep 2006

WiCell and Advanced Cell Technology offer to distribute new stem cell lines

The WiCell Research Institute (WiCell) and Advanced Cell Technology announced today an agreement, in principle, to collaborate to jointly distribute to U.S. scientists a range of new cell lines.

12 Sep 2006

Study compares delivery methods of schizophrenia medicines

More than half of schizophrenia patients don't take their medication as directed and a new study will determine whether biweekly physician visits and injectable drugs can change that.

12 Sep 2006

MIT device to detect and prevent epileptic seizures

Epilepsy affects about 50 million people worldwide, and while anticonvulsant medications can reduce the frequency of seizures, the drugs are ineffective for as many as one in three patients.

12 Sep 2006

Nicotine shows potential medical benefits

Nicotine may improve the symptoms of depression in people who do not smoke, Duke University Medical Center scientists have discovered.

12 Sep 2006

First step to developing effective therapy against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus

Biomedical researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have taken an important early step toward developing effective drug therapies against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) virus, a potential bioterrorist weapon.

12 Sep 2006

New class of super NSAIDs

Building on previous work, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that deleting an inflammation enzyme in a mouse model of heart disease slowed the development of atherosclerosis.

12 Sep 2006

Nitric oxide in blood and side-effects of painkillers

Cardiff University researchers have increased the understanding of why some painkillers increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

12 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu virus vaccines show protection in animal studies

When tested in mice and ferrets, experimental vaccines based on live, weakened versions of different strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus were well-tolerated and protected the animals from a deadly infection with naturally occurring H5N1 flu viruses.

12 Sep 2006

Bird flu tests on Maryland wild Mallard ducks confirm low-pathogenic H5N1

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced final test results, which confirm that an H5N1 avian influenza virus detected in fecal samples collected last month from resident wild mallard ducks in Maryland is a low pathogenic subtype.

12 Sep 2006