Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Revitol Cellulite Cream

Stress And Culture Affect Exercise Motivation
Stress levels and cultural considerations affect how much and for what reasons college students exercise, according to research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine"s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle. Don't forget to buy zoloft online no prescription.

Health Reform Plans Grab Spotlight As Specifics Emerge
President Obama"s carefully worded health care reform letter to key Senate Democrats last week highlighted the growing role the president is taking in overhaul efforts, Politico reports.

generic viagra online


News of the day
Pledges To Reduce Health Care Costs, Spending Growth Could Violate Antitrust Laws, Lawyers Say
U.S. antitrust laws could affect health care industry groups" efforts to work together to rein in health care costs, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/27). In a letter sent to President Obama on May 10, a coalition of groups -- the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- pledged to reduce the annual health care spending growth rate by 1.5%. The groups did not elaborate on what specific measures they would use to achieve such reductions, but the Obama administration has requested specific plans from the groups by June 1 (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/26). According to the Times, many of the plans being considered by the health care industry would require greater cooperation across health care providers. Robert Leibenluft, a former Federal Trade Commission official, said, "Any agreement among competitors with regard to prices or price increases -- even if they set a maximum -- would raise legal concerns." In addition, while Obama is asking for specific plans from the health care industry, the administration has not offered any relief from antitrust laws, the Times reports. Furthermore, during his campaign Obama pledged to increase enforcement of antitrust laws, according to the Times.Antitrust laws have had a negative effect on previous health reform efforts, the Times reports. In 1993, the drug industry established a voluntary cost control plan that limited each drug company"s annual increase in the average price of prescription drugs to the increase in the Consumer Price Index, but the Department of Justice ruled that the proposal would violate antitrust laws. DOJ officials said that the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear that setting price maximums was akin to setting price minimums, which is illegal. In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, AHA wrote that uncertainty regarding the enforcement of antitrust laws "makes it difficult for a hospital and doctors to collaborate to improve care" and reduce costs. AMA has asked Congress to amend antitrust laws to allow physicians to collectively negotiate with insurers over fees and other concerns, but FTC repeatedly has designated the practice illegal price-fixing, according to the Times. FTC officials said that consumers could benefit from cooperation among health care industry groups but that cooperation also could lead to increased bargaining power for physicians and hospitals, making it easier for them to set prices and eliminate competition (New York Times, 5/27). Reform Developments
Nutrition

CombinatoRx Presents Full Data On Synavive Phase 2 Knee OA Trial At EULAR 2009

CombinatoRx, Incorporated (NASDAQ: CRXX) announced the presentation of full data on Synavive (CRx-102) Phase 2 knee osteoarthritis (OA) trial (COMET-1) at EULAR 2009, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Copenhagen on June 12, 2009. The presentation, "CRx-102, a dissociated glucocorticoid (GC), and prednisolone provide safe and effective pain relief in knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial (COMET-1)", Huttner et.al., describes the full, modified intent-to-treat, safety and efficacy results of Synavive in this clinical trial: -- Knee OA efficacy was observed early in treatment and sustained throughout the study in all WOMAC measurement subscales including pain, physical function and stiffness -- Combination effects of Synavive were observed in comparison to prednisolone alone, especially in those subjects with greater disease burden -- In comparison to prednisolone alone, reduction in hand OA pain was observed early with Synavive and sustained throughout the study. -- Safety was established through 14 weeks of treatment: - No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported, - All adverse events, with the exception of headaches, were equally distributed among treatment arms, - A 12-month safety extension trial (N=141 subjects from COMET-1) is nearing completion. "It is common for OA patients to go through phases where inflammation is a significant, painful and debilitating component of the disease. Low-dose prednisolone appears to be effective when combined synergistically with dipyridamole to amplify its anti-inflammatory activity. This suggests that there may be a role for Synavive in the treatment of OA, as it may allow for the use of prednisolone at what appear to be safe but still effective dose levels," said Kenneth Huttner, MD, Medical Director at CombinatoRx. "We look forward to the 12-month safety data which will extend our view of the clean safety profile observed through 14 weeks." About Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint disease and a frequent cause of physical disability among older adults. According to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 21 million people in the United States suffer from the disease. Osteoarthritis affects the hands, lower back, neck, and weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips, and foot joints. Symptoms of osteoarthritis range from stiffness and intermittent mild pain to severe joint pain and impaired biomechanical function. Although there is no cure for most forms of osteoarthritis, various therapies can help patients manage symptoms such as NSAIDs, Coxibs, local analgesics, intra-articular corticosteroid injection and/or surgery. About Synavive Synavive is a novel dissociated glucocorticoid product candidate designed to enhance the anti-inflammatory benefits of glucocorticoids, without associated side effects. Synavive contains the cardiovascular agent, dipyridamole, and a very low dose of the glucocorticoid, prednisolone. Synavive is under development as a uniquely-engineered once-daily aligned-release co-formulation. Synavive is thought to act through a novel multi-target mechanism of action in which dipyridamole synergistically and selectively amplifies prednisolone"s anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities by inhibiting key cell mediators of inflammation. In prior proof-of-concept clinical trials, Synavive demonstrated a powerful anti-inflammatory effect and rapid onset of action in patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and was generally well-tolerated. Synavive is in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of immuno-inflammatory conditions. CombinatoRx


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009