New Cure Could Offer Hope For Rare Disease, As Baby Saved
November 5, 2009
Australia (ChattahBox) - A baby in Melbourne suffering from a disease that dissolves the brain has been saved from death. after an experimental drug was used successfully.
First H1N1 case in a cat confirmed
November 5, 2009
(ChattahBox) — A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, “marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza,” according to state officials. Officials said the 13-year-old cat started sneezing and quit eating after two people in its home contracted suspected cases of the flu. The cat was taken to Iowa State University’s veterinary college, where tests confirmed this week that it had the new flu virus. All members of the household, including the cat, recovered. H1N1 has now been documented in cats, humans, pigs, birds, and ferrets.
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Hunger in America: Half of Our Kids on Food Stamps
November 3, 2009
(ChattahBox)—A new study finds that nearly half of all American children will need to use the federal food stamp program to eat at some point in their childhood, with the number much higher for African American children, at a startling 90 percent. And the current recession with persistently high unemployment rates, will cause the numbers of children on food stamps to rise even higher, say researchers. Read more
First Potential Lupus Treatment Achieves Positive Results in Clinical Trial
November 2, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced positive results from BLISS-76, the second of two large-scale phase III clinical trials of BENLYSTA(TM) (belimumab) for treating systemic lupus. A full presentation of results from BLISS-52 was recently shared at the 73rd Annual Scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Both trials succeeded in meeting their primary endpoints, which should make BENLYSTA eligible for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Both trials demonstrate that treatment with BENLYSTA plus standard of care was superior to that of placebo (inactive agent) plus standard of care. BENLYSTA significantly reduced disease activity. Still, the drug did not perform as well in the second trial as in the first. That might temper what was expected to be a big rise in Human Genome’s stock on Monday. If approved by the FDA, BENLYSTA would be the first drug ever developed and approved specifically for the treatment of lupus. Read more
UK Drug Czar Warns That Alcohol Is More Dangerous That Ecstasy
October 30, 2009
UK (ChattahBox) - An official for the British government has released a statement saying that the priority of drug dangers should be changed, putting alcohol and cigarettes ahead of ecstasy, LSD, and other drugs.
House Health Reform Bill Reduces Deficit, Says CBO
October 29, 2009
(ChattahBox)—Soon after the House leadership, led by Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) unveiled its merged health care bill on Thursday, CBO chief Doug Elmendorf released a preliminary score of the bill, and it’s great news. The CBO score shows a reduction in the deficit during the first 10 year period, as well as the second decade after the bill is enacted. The health bill’s cost is estimated at $894 billion, which just comes in under President Obama’s preferred limit of $900 billion. Read more
US House Democrats Release Their Health Care Bill
October 29, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the House’s version of the health-care reform legislation Thursday, unveiling a bill that merged together key aspects of the three bills that had passed the House in the summer.with The reforms, which include raising Medicaid eligibility levels to 150 percent of the federal poverty level and negotiated government health-care rates, would cover some 96 percent of Americans compared with 83 percent now, cost just below $900 billion dollars over a ten-year period, and will not increase the budget deficit for two decades. The bill would actually supposedly cut the deficit by about $30 billion over the next 10 years. The $900 billion price tag is reduced from the previous cost of $1.04 trillion thanks to the Medicaid expansion, which is more cost-effective for covering the poor than subsidies would be. Read more
Suicide Clinics In Switzerland May Be Subject To New Laws
October 29, 2009
Switzerland (ChattahBox) - The Swiss government has drafted two new bills that would heavily regulate assisted suicides, forcing clinics like Dignitas to step up their authorization process.
Lieberman Was for Health Reform Before Two-Faced Against it
October 29, 2009
(ChattahBox)—Senator “Holy Joe” Lieberman must be a very, very bitter man. Why else would he attempt to deny the American people desperately needed health care reform? Why else would he publicly announce that he intends to torpedo the Democratic health reform bill, if it contains a public option? Well, the answer is, yes he certainly behaves as if he is bitter, but he also craves media attention and he has been relishing his position as an Independent, caucusing with the Democrats, while crossing over the aisle to the Republican side, when they pay him greater homage.
Worse, Lieberman is now not only opposing health reform, but also misrepresenting the public option [lying], changing his reasons for opposing the public option from one day to the next. He says he plans to vote against cloture to prevent the Senate health care bill from even getting to the floor for debate. And Lieberman is threatening to break with the Democratic caucus to join the Republicans in a filibuster against the bill, if it includes a public option. But, guess what? Lieberman as usual, is disingenuous. During his 2006 Senate run, Lieberman actually endorsed [government run] universal health care coverage for all. Read more
Vaccine Researcher: Gardasil ‘is a Great Big Public Health Experiment’
October 28, 2009
(ChattahBox)—Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in the development of two human papilloma virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, questioned the effectiveness of the vaccines to reduce cervical cancer and warned of safety issues administering the vaccine to children under the age of 15. She denounced vaccinating girls, as young as 11, as “a great big public health experiment,” which could cause dangerous side effects.
When Harper was asked why she was condemning a vaccine she helped create she responded: “I want to be able to sleep with myself when I go to bed at night.” Read more