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Preparing For Worst-Case Scenarios
A new and novel computer modeling platform developed through intensive, multidisciplinary collaboration at New York University can help hospitals and cities to be more prepared for catastrophic public health scenarios, according to an article published in the American Medical Association"s Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal.
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U.S. Marshals Seize Drug Products Manufactured By Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. FDA Acts To Prevent Repeated Drug Quality Problems
U.S. Marshals, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, today seized drug products manufactured by Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. (Caraco), at the company"s Michigan facilities in Detroit, Farmington Hills, and Wixom. The seizure also includes ingredients held at these same facilities. "The FDA is committed to taking enforcement action against firms that do not manufacture drugs in accordance with our good manufacturing practice requirements," said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA"s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Compliance with these standards prevents harm to the public."
News of the day
Physician-Owned Hospitals Under Fire In Reform Bills, While One M.D. Moves Into Franchising
The mood in Washington to compromise with hospitals, pharmaceutical makers and physician groups is not extending to physician-owned specialty hospitals, Time reports. "Any health-reform package passed by Congress will likely deal a major blow to an upstart competitor of many hospitals. Buried in the 850-page House health-reform draft is a provision that could in effect ban further construction of doctor-owned, for-profit specialty hospitals and prohibit existing ones from expanding. ò€¦ Senators Charles Grassley and Max Baucus, who lead the body"s powerful Finance Committee, have been vocal critics of the doctor-owned specialty-hospital model and the industry expects similar language to be included in any upcoming Senate health-reform bill as well."
Public Health

Minimally Invasive Surgery For Esophageal Cancer Reduces Mortality Rates, Length Of Hospital Stays

Patients with esophageal cancer who require surgery may benefit from having minimally invasive surgery instead of an open esophagectomy, or removal of the esophagus, according to a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) phase II study. The results will be presented May 31 at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Fla. "Esophageal cancer rates are rising more rapidly than for any other cancer in world," said James D. Luketich, M.D., associate professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and lead investigator and co-director of UPCI"s Lung and Esophageal Cancer Program. "In the last two decades alone, esophageal cancer cases have grown more than 400 percent." This is the first time minimally invasive esophagectomies (MIE) have been assessed in a multicenter study, although single institution studies have previously demonstrated success with MIEs. The study enrolled 106 patients from 16 institutions across the country. Of those patients, 99 qualified for and received an MIE. While overall survival rates remained the same whether a patient received an MIE or an open procedure, surgical mortality rates were lower and the hospital stays shorter for MIE patients. Co-investigator Arjun Pennathur, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will present this work at the meeting. "The best treatment for this disease is removal of the tumor, and if we can do the necessary surgery with MIE and reduce recovery times and mortality rates, then patients will benefit enormously," he noted. Approximately 16,500 cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. Although symptoms often don"t appear until the disease has progressed into later stages, an increasing number of patients are diagnosed with early stage disease, according to Dr. Luketich. "With this cancer on the rise, we need to do everything we can to increase patients" survival," he said. "MIE is an ideal surgery because it encourages faster healing and less time spent inside the hospital, where patients can be exposed to infections and other complications. The more quickly patients recover, the more quickly they can begin other forms of treatment they might need." This study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute


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