Health Blog

Neglected Diseases – How Should We Pay for R&D?

Betsy McKay — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:00:23 +0000

Last week, the World Health Assembly � the decision-making body of the World Health Organization - debated whether to obligate every country to donate at least .01% of its gross domestic product to R&D to combat these so-called neglected diseases. But the U.S., European Union and Japan opposed the idea. Instead, the assembly agreed to continue discussions and put forth new proposals next year. Why did Washington object? The Health Blog caught up with Nils Daulaire, director of the Office of Global Health Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. representative on the WHO�s Executive Board. He presented the U.S. position last week. In short: The U.S. supports the diagnosis, but not the prescription, Daulaire said.

Reader Consult: Sweet or Sour on FDA’s High Fructose Corn Syrup Decision?

Stefanie Ilgenfritz — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:29:45 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rejection of a request to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to "corn sugar" unleashed a torrent of responses from industry and health experts on both sides of the debate.

A.M. Vitals: Countering Discount Drug Cards

Stefanie Ilgenfritz — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:19:28 +0000

Here's what's making health news this morning: CVS Caremark Keeps Heat on Drug-Maker Discount Cards (WSJ): The increasingly popular cards give patients a break on higher copays for branded drugs at the pharmacy counter. But because health plans typically foot most of the bill, they can get pinched by higher costs behind the scenes. For Some, Exercise May Increase Heart Risk (NY Times): By analyzing data from six rigorous exercise studies involving 1,687 people, a group of researchers found that about 10 percent actually got worse on at least one measure related to heart disease: blood pressure and levels of insulin, HDL cholesterol or triglycerides; the researchers say they do not know why.

A.M. Vitals: FDA Warns of Fake Adderall

Robert Lee Hotz — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:55:19 +0000

Also: Scientists analyzed 19 years of skin cancer records and reported in the journal Cancer that aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers may help protect against skin cancer. They compared the rates of skin cancer in those who took one or more of these drugs with those who didn�t.

Task Force Recommends Against Hormones for Post-Menopausal Women

Jennifer Corbett Dooren — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:25:14 +0000

A federal task force has once again examined the use of hormone replacement therapy, and is again recommending against hormones for preventing fractures, dementia and other chronic diseases in women who are already past menopause. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued the draft guidelines on the use of estrogen and progestin to take into account new findings from the landmark Women�s Health Initiative study that looked at hormone use, along with other studies issued in the past decade. The recommendations don�t apply to women who are experiencing menopause and use hormones to treat hot flashes and other symptoms.

Basic Science: To Respond to Plavix, Don’t Forget to Take It

Ron Winslow — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:45:44 +0000

: Photo Researchers Inc.

For patients with advanced heart disease, an increasingly important question in the 21^st century clinic is: What is your CYP2C19 status? That�s not a secret password to your bank account � it�s the name of a gene that affects how people respond to the blockbuster blood thinner Plavix.� About 30% of us have a variation in the gene that limits the drug�s ability to turn off activated platelets in our blood vessels and prevent them from forming clots that can cause a heart attack. The drug, which accounted for $6.62 billion in U.S. sales for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi last year ($7.09 billion world-wide, if you�re counting), went off patent earlier this month.

A.M. Vitals: Cheaper Blood Thinner Prompts Debate

Robert Lee Hotz — Tue, 29 May 2012 12:08:51 +0000

Also: Pacific Bluefin tuna carried radioactive cesium from Fukushima, Japan, to California waters last year. There may be no public health risk but it raises the possibility that other migrating sea life carried traces of radioactivity from the nuclear disaster vast distances, scientists reported Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A.M. Vitals: Shrinking School Budgets Hit Nurse’s Office

Mark Long — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:05:43 +0000

Also: Researchers say they have identified a gene that's important for producing sperm, a potential target for contraceptive pills; and a study suggests metabolic factors may be more important than obesity in predicting heart-disease risk.

A.M. Vitals: FCC Vote Could Boost Use of Wireless Medical Devices

Mark Long — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:11:07 +0000

Also: An FDA panel votes against expanded use of a blood-thinning drug; a study finds calcium supplements increase the risk of heart attack; and an international group launches an emergency polio-vaccination plan.

Lessons From One Genetic Disorder Raise Hopes for Treating Another, Rarer One

Jonathan D. Rockoff — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:46:06 +0000

Research into the rare eye condition Stargardt disease is raising hopes that sufferers could gain an effective treatment, like patients with another rare and poorly treated disorder resulting from a defective gene: cystic fibrosis.