December 5th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Breast Cancer Treatment, Breast Tumors, Correction In Health Reporting, Dr. Ivan Oransky, Failure To Report, Gary Schwitzer, Healthcare Transparency, HealthNewsReview.org, Medical Journals, Medical Publishing, News Releases, Oncology, Pharmacology, PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Responsible Reporting, Retraction Watch, Science Reporting, Scientific Information Retractions, Transparency In Medicine
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Interesting case study raised by the Retraction Watch blog.
A 2009 journal article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) — promoted in a news release by the journal and picked up by many news organizations — has now been retracted by the authors. But the journal issued no news release about the retraction — an issue of transparency that the RW blog raises. And you can guess how much news coverage the retraction will get.
And this was all over a molecule that could supposedly “make breast tumors respond to a drug to which they’re not normally susceptible” — as the RW blog put it. But it was also a molecule, RW points out, that wasn’t even in clinical trials yet.
He or she who lives by the journal news release risks one’s long-term credibility.
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
December 4th, 2010 by Glenn Laffel, M.D., Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, Antibiotic-Resistant Gene, Arjun Srinivasan, Cardiff University, CDC, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Contaminated Medical Equipment, Dr. Glenn Laffel, E. Coli, Epidemiology, Genetics, Global Health, India, Infectious Disease, International Health, Medical Tourism, Medical Tourists, Medical Treatment Abroad, Microbiology, NDM-1, Pakistan, Pizaazz, Plasmids, Poor Santitation, Public Health, South Asia, Superbug, Timothy Walsh, Washington Post
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Scientists have discovered a new, highly-transmissible gene that could, quite easily in fact, open a frightening new front in the ongoing global war against superbugs.
The antibiotic-resistant gene, NDM-1, was first identified in 2008 a Swedish patient that had received hospital care in New Delhi. NDM-1 produces an enzyme that allows bacteria to destroy most antibiotics. It exists on plasmids, which are pieces of genetic material that are easily shared between bacteria including E coli and other species that can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and blood stream infections.
NDM-1 probably evolved in parts of India where poor sanitation and overutilization of antibiotics provide a perfect environment for the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The gene has been identified in three U.S. patients. All had received medical treatment in India, and all recovered from their infections. It has been found sporadically in Britain, Australia and nearly a dozen other countries as well. Most affected patients were “medical tourists” — that is, people seeking less expensive medical care in India.
“We need to be vigilant about this,” said Arjun Srinivasan, an epidemiologist at the CDC told the Washington Post. “This should not be a call to panic, but it should be a call to action. There are effective strategies we can take that will prevent the spread of these organisms.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Pizaazz*
December 3rd, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: ACP Advocate, American College Of Physicians, Bob Doherty, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services, CMS, Cutting Healthcare Costs, Ezra Klein, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Healthcare spending, Medical Education, Medical Liability, Medicare Payments, Medicare Reimbursement, Medicare SGR Cut, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Physician Payment System, Pilot Programs, PPACA, Primary Care Incentive Program, Teaching Hospitals, Washington Post
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In assessing the “best and worst” of the recommendations from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein accuses the Commission of “cowardice” in addressing healthcare spending:
“The plan’s healthcare savings largely consist of hoping the cost controls . . . and various demonstration projects in the new healthcare law work and expanding their power and reach. . . In the event that more savings are needed, they throw out a grab bag of liberal and conservative policies . . . but don’t really put their weight behind any. . .[their] decision to hide from the big questions here is quite disappointing . . . ”
Pretty harsh words, considering that in other respects Klein gives the Commission high marks. But I think there is a lot more to the Commission’s recommendations on healthcare spending than meet’s (Klein’s) eyes, even though I have my own doubts about the advisability and political acceptability of many of them. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
December 3rd, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Cambridge Consultants, Consistent Drug Dose, Deep-Lung Drug Delivery, Dry Powder Inhaler, Inhaled Drugs, Inhaling Medications, Medgadget, Pharmacology, Pulmonology, SPARC, Strength Of Breath, Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company
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Cambridge Consultants and India’s Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) have developed a new dry powder inhaler. According to the companies, the device delivers an even, consistent drug dose deep into the lungs regardless of how strong the inhalation is performed by the patient.
From the press release:
The device employs a novel de-agglomeration engine to separate the drug from the lactose ‘carrier’ particles. Based on a highly efficient airway design, the patented drug separation mechanism has successfully completed clinical trials and demonstrated that it is capable of delivering significantly more of the drug to the deep lung than traditional inhalers. In practice, this will minimise side effects from drug build-up in the back of the throat, reduce non-systemic load and wastage, and means almost 50% less active drug needs pre-loading into the device in comparison to a standard inhaler. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
December 3rd, 2010 by Linda Burke-Galloway, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
Tags: Bart Stupak, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway, Essential Health Benefit, Health Insurance Coverage, Henry Waxman, Individual Healthcare Policies, Los Angeles Times, Maternal-Child Health, Maternity Care, Michelle Andrews, OB/GYN, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Pre-existing Condition, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1987, Pregnant Women, Women's Health
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Women who own individual healthcare policies, please take note. Should you become pregnant in the future, your individual healthcare policy might not cover your pregnancy.
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times by Michelle Andrews was revealing. Andrews described the plight of a North Carolina biology teacher who subsequently left teaching after the birth of her twins. She became a small business owner and was covered under individual health insurance policies. However, when she became pregnant again, she had a rude awakening. Despite paying an insurance premium of $400 per month, her pregnancy wasn’t covered unless she had paid for a special rider, prior to becoming pregnant. Since half of all pregnancies are “unplanned” how can you pay for coverage six months in advance of an unplanned event?
On October 12, 2010, the Committee on Energy and Commerce produced a dismal report that revealed a total disregard and absence of concern for pregnant women and their unborn babies by the insurance industry. The Committee’s chairmen, Congressmen Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak revealed the following: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway*
