Health Industry Donations Favor Democrats Over Republicans-WSJ Health Blog

Health Industry Donations Favor Democrats Over Republicans-WSJ Health Blog: "From Jan. 1, 2007 through March of this year, people and political action committees in the health sector have contributed $42 million and to Democratic candidates for congress and the presidency, compared with $34.6 million to Republicans, Dow Jones Newswires reports."

S.E.C. Backs Health Care Balloting - NYTimes.com

S.E.C. Backs Health Care Balloting - NYTimes.com: "WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission, shifting its position, has told companies they must allow shareholders to vote on a proposal for universal health insurance coverage."

McCain And Obama Campaign in New Mexico - washingtonpost.com

McCain And Obama Campaign in New Mexico - washingtonpost.com: "ALBUQUERQUE, May 26 -- The two leading candidates for president made Memorial Day pilgrimages on Monday to this critical swing state, where a closely divided electorate may help determine the outcome of the 2008 battle for the White House."

Drug & Device Industries Support Disclosure of Payments to Doctors-WSJ Health Blog

Drug & Device Industries Support Disclosure of Payments to Doctors-WSJ Health Blog: "Big business is lining up behind a Senate bill that would require drug and device makers to publicly report their payments to doctors."

Data System to Help FDA Spot Dangerous Products - WSJ.com

Data System to Help FDA Spot Dangerous Products - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- U.S. health officials, facing criticism for drug-safety scares, unveiled a data-sharing plan to help the Food and Drug Administration more quickly discover harmful side effects of prescription drugs and medical devices."

EDITORIAL: A healthier FDA - Los Angeles Times

EDITORIAL: A healthier FDA - Los Angeles Times: "The FDA commissioner's figure [of $275 million to hire more inspectors] was quickly written into legislation and passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. It deserves equally swift approval by Congress and the president to ensure that the government can protect the integrity of our medicines and the safety of our daily bread."

Doctors moving to limit gifts from drug firms -- -- baltimoresun.com

Doctors moving to limit gifts from drug firms -- -- baltimoresun.com: "Dr. Barry Meisenberg is among a growing number of doctors and researchers who have decided to stop taking money and gifts from medical companies."

In Hospitals, Simple Reminders Reduce Deadly Infections - New York Times

In Hospitals, Simple Reminders Reduce Deadly Infections - New York Times: "Timeouts to wash hands and put on hairnets, a simple checklist to ensure that such seemingly obvious precautions are done, and advertising campaigns directed at everyone from the most senior doctors to the poorest of patients have been credited with drastically reducing the number of serious infections at New York City’s public hospitals."

Kennedy Diagnosed With Malignant Brain Tumor-National Journal Online

Kennedy Diagnosed With Malignant Brain Tumor- National Journal Online: "Boston physicians announced Tuesday that Edward Kennedy, a 46-year veteran of the Senate, has a malignant brain tumor that caused the seizure Kennedy suffered this weekend."

Medical Journal’s Article Questions TV Ads for Stent - New York Times

Medical Journal’s Article Questions TV Ads for Stent - New York Times: "A television advertisement for a heart stent that promotes the product’s potential benefits but seems to play down the medical risks may deceive the public and should be reviewed by federal regulators, according to an op-ed article published on Wednesday by a leading medical journal."

Obama Takes Delegate Majority - washingtonpost.com

Obama Takes Delegate Majority - washingtonpost.com: "Sen. Barack Obama crossed another threshold last night in his march toward the Democratic presidential nomination, splitting a pair of primaries with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and claiming a majority of the pledged delegates at stake in the long nomination battle."

EDITORIAL: A Regulatory Agency in Need - New York Times

EDITORIAL: A Regulatory Agency in Need - New York Times: "The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the $275 million increase, which would raise the F.D.A.’s total budget above $2.5 billion for fiscal year 2008. For the sake of American consumers, Congress would be wise to come up with the additional funds."

OPINION: Medical companies celebrate death of patent reform - ZDNet.com

OPINION: Medical companies celebrate death of patent reform - ZDNet.com: "Medical device makers and drug companies are celebrating the apparent death of the 2008 Patent Reform Act. Why were AdvaMed, PHRMA, and the rest of the industry so dead-against an end to forum shopping and a closer examination of patent claims? It has to do with the nature of the industries. . . . If technology wants industry-specific protection, it should stand for that and not try again to roll the medical industry."

Biovail Agrees to Pay $24.6 Million To Settle Probe of Doctor Payments - WSJ.com

Biovail Agrees to Pay $24.6 Million To Settle Probe of Doctor Payments - WSJ.com: "A Biovail Corp. unit agreed to plead guilty and pay the Department of Justice $24.6 million to settle charges that it paid doctors to promote its products."

Google Helps Organize Medical Records - WSJ.com

Google Helps Organize Medical Records - WSJ.com: "Google Inc. unveiled its health service, which allows consumers to manage their medical records and receive health advice online."

Heart Device Recipients Often Not Aware of Recalls - Forbes.com

Heart Device Recipients Often Not Aware of Recalls - Forbes.com: "Two new surveys suggest that many heart patients with implanted devices aren't aware of recent recalls and don't understand the dangers they might face."

U.S. Could Ban Some China Exporters - WSJ.com

U.S. Could Ban Some China Exporters - WSJ.com: "U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt confirmed that the U.S. will bar Chinese companies that don't meet product-quality certification standards from the U.S. market"

Congress tackles FDA cosmetics oversight | Reuters

Congress tackles FDA cosmetics oversight Reuters: "Democratic lawmakers seeking to bolster Food and Drug Administration oversight of imported products took aim at medical devices and cosmetics on Wednesday, saying the agency lacks the money and power to properly regulate them."

New Findings Show Xience Stents Are as Safe and Effective as Others - WSJ.com

New Findings Show Xience Stents Are as Safe and Effective as Others - WSJ.com: "A drug-coated stent made by Abbott Laboratories that is awaiting U.S. regulatory approval is as safe as, and potentially more effective than, the market-leading version of the heart device made by Boston Scientific, according to findings presented Tuesday at the EuroPCR conference in Barcelona."

FDA Issues Updated Heparin Alerts to Medical Facilities - WSJ.com

FDA Issues Updated Heparin Alerts to Medical Facilities - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration stepped up its heparin alerts to hundreds of hospitals, medical societies and pharmaceutical organizations on Friday after learning that some medical facilities still had the contaminated blood thinner among their supplies."

FDA Official Sees Push for Clinical Trial Rules

FDA Official Sees Push for Clinical Trial Rules: "The FDA also is working to improve its internal processes to address “why it takes so long to disqualify clinical investigators” caught in wrongdoing, Lepay said. Recently, U.S. Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) asked the Government Accountability Office to examine why the agency has been so slow to discipline investigators."

Proposal Would Limit Medicare-Plan Marketing - WSJ.com

Proposal Would Limit Medicare-Plan Marketing - WSJ.com: "Addressing a flood of consumer complaints, the Bush administration proposed to bar insurance agents from using aggressive tactics to enroll seniors in Medicare's fast-growing private plans and its prescription-drug program."

For Hillary Clinton, no 'clear path to victory' -- nor to an exit - Los Angeles Times

For Hillary Clinton, no 'clear path to victory' -- nor to an exit - Los Angeles Times: "WASHINGTON -- She's darting around the country like a full-fledged presidential candidate, but within Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's circle of advisors and donors, the conversation has turned to how she can make a dignified exit from the race."

Obama Seeks To Unify Party For November - washingtonpost.com

Obama Seeks To Unify Party For November - washingtonpost.com: "Sen. Barack Obama began taking the first steps to unify the fractured Democratic Party for a general-election battle against Sen. John McCain, even as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton continued to insist that she has the backing of a broader coalition that could carry the party to victory in November."

Obama's got a confident new strategy - Los Angeles Times

Obama's got a confident new strategy - Los Angeles Times: "CHICAGO -- Barack Obama hasn't managed after months of political combat to force Hillary Rodham Clinton out of the presidential race, so he's about to try another approach: ignoring her."

White House May Soften Health Policy - WSJ.com

White House May Soften Health Policy - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration appears to be softening a policy that states have complained hindered their efforts to expand health-care coverage for poor children under a popular state-federal insurance program."

Obama takes North Carolina; Clinton wins Indiana - Los Angeles Times

Obama takes North Carolina; Clinton wins Indiana - Los Angeles Times: "Barack Obama handily won North Carolina and Hillary Rodham Clinton eked out a victory in Indiana on Tuesday, keeping the Democratic contest alive and underscoring the chasm between their supporters."

Healthcare costs pinch employers - Los Angeles Times

Healthcare costs pinch employers - Los Angeles Times: "U.S. manufacturers who provide health insurance spend an average of $2.38 per worker per hour on healthcare -- more than twice as much as their foreign competitors, an analysis released Tuesday found."

CA Assembly speaker proposes ethics plan as rival initiative is filed - sacbee.com

CA Assembly speaker proposes ethics plan as rival initiative is filed - sacbee.com: "Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez proposed a ballot measure targeting legislative ethics Tuesday, hours before backers of a rival measure filed voter signatures to qualify for the November ballot. The two developments sparked questions about whether Núñez is grandstanding or attempting to confuse voters and derail the competing measure, championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Uncertainties Mark Clinton’s Itinerary - New York Times

Uncertainties Mark Clinton’s Itinerary - New York Times: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is bracing for one of the most difficult days of her presidential race on Wednesday, anticipating new pressure to quit the race and facing a set of financial and logistical decisions that will determine just how robust a campaign she can continue to wage against Sen. Barack Obama, according to several advisers and political allies."

California Sued Over Health-Care Cuts - WSJ.com

California Sued Over Health-Care Cuts - WSJ.com: "A coalition of California hospitals, doctors, dentists and other health-care providers has sued the state to block a 10% cutback in payments to them for treating the poor who are covered by Medi-Cal, a joint federal and state program."

Lawmakers Question Medicare Bidding Plan - WSJ.com

Lawmakers Question Medicare Bidding Plan - WSJ.com: "Members of Congress are expressing concern and scheduling hearings about a Medicare plan to use competitive bidding for products such as wheelchairs and walkers, in a sign that lobbying by medical-equipment companies is gaining traction"

Who's More Red, White and Blue-Collar? - washingtonpost.com

Who's More Red, White and Blue-Collar? - washingtonpost.com: "The presidential race has turned into a riveting competition for ordinariness, as both campaigns have concluded that whoever does a better job of winning over voters like Winschief -- an average blue-collar man in an average American town of 60,000 -- is more likely to triumph in Tuesday's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina."

Democrats, FDA Official at Odds Over Inspection Plan - WSJ.com

Democrats, FDA Official at Odds Over Inspection Plan - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- A top Food and Drug Administration official rebuffed calls by congressional Democrats to support their proposals for tougher regulations on imported drugs and new fees on drug makers, in the latest round of conflict between lawmakers and the administration over drug safety."

Study Warns Job Losses Will Strain Government Health Programs - New York Times

Study Warns Job Losses Will Strain Government Health Programs - New York Times: "Leading health researchers projected Monday that each percentage-point rise in unemployment during the economic downturn would swell the uninsured by 1.1 million, stoking demand for government health coverage just as states face pressure to cut benefits."

Clinton May Be Hopeful, but Obama Rolls On - New York Times

Clinton May Be Hopeful, but Obama Rolls On - New York Times: "Have Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s chances of winning the Democratic presidential nomination improved as Senator Barack Obama has struggled through his toughest month of this campaign?"

Democrats, FDA Official at Odds Over Inspection Plan - WSJ.com

Democrats, FDA Official at Odds Over Inspection Plan - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- A top Food and Drug Administration official rebuffed calls by congressional Democrats to support their proposals for tougher regulations on imported drugs and new fees on drug makers, in the latest round of conflict between lawmakers and the administration over drug safety."

The candidates' prescription for fixing health care - May. 1, 2008

The candidates' prescription for fixing health care - May. 1, 2008: "NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Reducing health care costs - and insuring the 47 million Americans who have no coverage - is the Rubik's Cube of policy puzzles. And it's one that the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates say they can solve."

McCain Health Plan Could Mean Higher Tax - New York Times

McCain Health Plan Could Mean Higher Tax - New York Times: "ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Though Senator John McCain has promised to not raise taxes, his campaign acknowledged Wednesday that the health plan he outlined this week would have the effect of increasing tax payments for some workers, primarily those with high incomes and expensive health plans."

FDA to Hire Additional Scientists To Expand Drug Safety Operations - WSJ.com

FDA to Hire Additional Scientists To Expand Drug Safety Operations - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration announced that it will hire 1,300 scientists and pharmacologists as part of a new expansion of its drug approval and safety operations mandated by Congress last year."

Vital Signs in Health-Care Debate - WSJ.com

Vital Signs in Health-Care Debate- WSJ.com: "Republican John McCain and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are laboring with understandable vigor to contrast Republican solutions to the ailments of the American health system with Democratic ones. The differences are sharp."