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Oklahoma Antiabortion Lawmakers Try To Revive Vetoed Bill To Ban Stem Cell Research
Antiabortion lawmakers in Oklahoma on Wednesday attempted to revive vetoed legislation that would have banned embryonic stem cell research in the state by adding the ban to an unrelated bill (HB 1114) that would prohibit human cloning, the AP/CNBC.com reports. House members on Wednesday also added a prohibition on human cloning to that measure. According to Tony Lauinger, chair of Oklahomans for Life, the measure is "narrower" than the vetoed bill and would "ban reproductive cloning, as well as the creation of human embryos for the purpose of harvesting their stem cells."Gov. Brad Henry (D) had vetoed the measure that would have banned stem cell research three weeks ago. The veto subsequently was overwridden by the House and sustained by the Senate. The House on Wednesday also voted 88-6 to approve a measure (HB 1595) that would ban gender selection for genetically modified embryos and ban sex-selective abortions. The measure also would require physicians who perform abortions to report abortion-related information to the state Department of Health. In addition, the bill would require the department to publish annual abortion reports on its Web site and conduct periodic inspections of abortion clinics (AP/CNBC.com, 5/14).
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Sixteen States, DOJ Join Whistle-Blower Lawsuits Alleging Wyeth Defrauded Medicaid Programs
The U.S. Department of Justice and 16 states have joined two whistle-blower lawsuits filed in federal District Court in Massachusetts alleging that Wyeth defrauded the government by not offering the same discounts on two medications to Medicaid that it offered to hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The lawsuits were initiated following a grand-jury investigation by the U.S. Attorney"s Office in Massachusetts (Johnson, Wall Street Journal, 5/19). The other states included in the lawsuits are California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia (Barrett, AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/18).According to the lawsuits, Wyeth from 2000 to 2006 sold hospitals a bundled package called the Protonix Performance Agreement, which included its acid-reflux drugs Protonix Oral and Protonix IV. The suits allege that Wyeth gave hospitals up to a 94% discount for the oral version under the deal, with the understanding that when patients were released from hospitals they would be switched from the intravenous version of the drug to the oral version. According to the complaint, Wyeth hoped to gain an edge in a competitive market for acid-reflux pills by taking advantage of its standing as the only company offering an IV acid-reflux drug. The Journal reports that Wyeth charged hospitals $20 per vial for the IV version of Protonix and $3 for the oral version.Medicaid rules stipulate that the program is entitled to the lowest price on prescription drugs, and drugmakers are required to pay states rebates if they offer discounts to any other entities. The lawsuits state that Wyeth avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars to state Medicaid programs because it did not offer the programs the same discounts or provide rebates (Wall Street Journal, 5/19).The lawsuits are seeking financial penalties against Wyeth of up to three times the amount lost by Medicaid. Assistant Attorney General Tony West said, "By offering massive discounts to hospitals, but then hiding that information from the Medicaid program, we believe Wyeth caused Medicaid programs throughout the country to pay much more for these drugs than they should have." Wyeth spokesperson Doug Petkus said that Wyeth "believes that its pricing calculations were correct and intends to defend itself vigorously in these actions" (AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/18).
News of the day
City University London Joins Forces With Linking London And Six London Institutions To Improve Access To Nursing Courses, UK
Students wishing to pursue a career in nursing will have a helping hand thanks to an innovative partnership between City University London, five London colleges and one other university, in an agreement brokered by Linking London, a Lifelong Learning Network. The partners have signed a unique Progression Agreement which facilitates student progression, from Access Diploma courses and Certificates of Higher Education, to studying adult nursing at City University"s School of Community and Health Sciences.
Cardiovascular

U.S-Mexico Border Office Chief, Dr. Maria Teresa Cerqueira Corrects Deceptive Statement About Antiviral Resistance Cases Along The Border

During a presentation about the Health Agenda for the Americas at the "Seventh Latin American Seminar on Science and Health Journalism," for Latin American journalists, held at the Institute of the Americas in La Jolla, CA, Dr. Maria Teresa Cerqueira, Chief of the PAHO/WHO U.S.-Mexico Border Office was challenged with questions regarding the current situation of influenza A (H1N1), she was asked questions about antiviral resistant cases along the U.S.-Mexico Border Region. Reporters at the seminar asked the following questions among others: 1. What cities on the border had cases of H1N1? 2. Are there any Tamifluò€resistant cases along the Texasò€Mexico Border? The following statements were inadvertently published in a news article that has circulated worlwide: *"We have found resistance to Tamiflu on the border. We have observed some cases, few to be sure, in El Paso and close to McAllen, Texas," said Maria Teresa Cerqueira, head of the Panò€American Health Organization office in La Jolla, California. * "Experts had gathered in La Jolla on Monday to discuss the response to the outbreak, and warned that resistant strains were likely emerging because of overuse of antivirals like Tamiflu." *"In the United States Tamiflu is sold with a prescription, but in Mexico and Canada it is sold freely and taken at the first sneeze. Then, when it is really needed, it doesn"t work," said Cerqueira. Dr. Maria Teresa Cerqueira would like to reinstate her responses and clarify that this was not an influenza experts"gathering, with the following statements: * "I stated that there are influenza A (H1N1) cases along the U.S.ò€Mexico Border, I knew of several in El Paso, McAllen and San Diego among others; however I was unaware of any antiviral resistant cases. *I added that, we recommended surveillance for this possibility as people on the border often go back and forth for medical care and to buy medicines, but I had no information on any antiviral resistant cases, I repeated this several times. I also indicated that with limited res it is difficult to this much needed surveillance." * "I reinstated during the seminar the importance of not calling it the "swine flu", since April 30, 2009, WHO has been referring to this influenza virus as influenza A (H1N1). In addition, clarified that contrary to initial suspicions, the current influenza A (H1N1) epidemic has not been linked to contact with either live pigs or the consumption of pork or pork products." Dr. Maria Cerqueira adds, that "individuals are advised and encouraged to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and to seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenzaò€like illness, to avoid selfò€medication of antivirals or antibiotics, and to maintain social distance. Resistance can develop to antiviral drugs used for influenza. Therefore, WHO and its partners are monitoring antiviral drug resistance." Since the level of overall influenza increased, WHO has been collecting global data about the influenza A (H1N1) virus resistance to oseltamivir phenomenon from multiple laboratories participating in Global Influenza Surveillance Network. A comprehensive table of influenza A(H1N1)virus resistance to oseltamivir (Fourth quarter 2008 ò€ 31 January 2009) can be found here Monitoring for antiviral resistance is an ongoing practice and clinicians and state health departments should continue to follow state and national guidance for submission and testing of clinical specimens from persons with suspected novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. There is no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of wellò€cooked pork and pork products. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities. Pan American Health Organization


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