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

Offshore Industry Making Good Progress On Safety, But Sustained Effort Required, UK
18 months on from the landmark KP3 report, a "snapshot" review concludes that though the safety of the UK"s offshore installations is improving, the work is by no means complete and will require sustained effort and investment.
generic viagra online
Washington Times Opinion Piece, Editorial Discuss DOJ Nominee Johnsen
The Washington Times recently published an opinion piece and an editorial discussing President Obama"s nomination of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department. Summaries appear below. ~ Mickey Edwards/William Sessions, Washington Times: The Senate should "act expeditiously to approve" Johnsen"s nomination because "her views on the limits of presidential power are precisely what the Constitution envisions and conservatives have long championed," Edwards, vice president of the Aspen Institute and author of "Reclaiming Conservatism," and Sessions, a partner at the law firm Holland & Knight, write in a Times opinion piece. According to the authors, Johnsen "made her views clear" on the limits of presidential power when she joined a bipartisan group of lawyers that declared that the Office of Legal Counsel should promote "presidential adherence to the rule of law." Edwards and Sessions write that Johnsen is being criticized for "being blunt, unserious and critical of presidential policies." However, these attacks are unwarranted, they write, noting that in the legal profession, "a little blunt talk to a client -- in this case, the president of the United States -- might be required." Edwards and Sessions continue, "What is needed in the Office of Legal Counsel is a person with the constitutional understanding to know that even presidents with whose politics she agrees must obey both the Constitution and federal statutes and who has the gumption to say so, even if the advice won"t be well received" (Edwards/Sessions, Washington Times, 5/21).~ Washington Times: The editorial states that Johnsen "is so radical" that 31 Republican Indiana state senators on Monday sent a letter to Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) asking them to oppose her confirmation. The Republican senators called Johnsen"s views supporting abortion rights "extremely radical" and said she often uses "harsh, sensationalizing rhetoric" in her writings on Supreme Court cases, the editorial states. According to the editorial, Johnsen"s "political advocacy shows a profound disregard for the courts" proper role" because she considers the courts "as making up just another political, policymaking branch of government, not as bodies restrained by the Constitution or existing laws." The editorial continues that Johnsen is "guilty" of "asking judges to impose their own policy preferences" in favor of abortion rights "against the dictates of existing constitutional law." The editorial concludes, "Someone with such contemptuous views of the Constitution should not be the Obama administration"s chief constitutional interpreter" (Washington Times, 5/21).
News of the day
Some Medical Providers Slow To Adopt Electronic Records, Prescribing
"Digital medical records could cut down on office visits," and maybe even health care costs, Marketplace reports. "But for doctors, going electronic could be complicated and expensive. And nothing at all like what they learned in medical school." Relatively few doctors have made the switch so far, though new government incentives, funded by the stimulus bill, could shift the industry into gear. The doctors who have pioneered e-health have confronted a newish industry with few standards. One recalled that his early adoption of the records in 2003 was "a disaster," though he is now touted as an example for other practices (Carroll, 7/20).
Cardiovascular

UK Patients To Benefit From Access To Innovative Lung Cancer Treatment

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have today published their recommendation for the use of the innovative chemotherapy pemetrexed (Alimta), in combination with cisplatin - a platinum based chemotherapy, as a 1st-line treatment for patients with adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma non-small cell lung cancer* (NSCLC)1 within their Final Appraisal Determination (FAD). Final Guidance on the use of pemetrexed and cisplatin within this indication is anticipated to be published in September 2009 as a result of the FAD. Lilly welcomes this FAD decision which means that UK patients with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma NSCLC are to benefit from publicly funded access to the combination as 1st line treatment. Lung cancer is the UK"s biggest cancer killer2 and the second most common cancer in the UK after breast cancer2, accounting for one in 20 of all deaths nationwide. Treatment with pemetrexed and cisplatin represents a significant development in non-squamous NSCLC treatment as it has shown to extend life beyond one year in certain patients**3. In addition, pemetrexed with cisplatin offers improved tolerability for non-squamous NSCLC patients3 when compared to the most widely prescribed treatment combination, gemcitabine and cisplatin. In clinical trials comparing the two treatment combinations, patients receiving pemetrexed and cisplatin required fewer transfusions, experienced lower incidence of neutropenia (a disorder leading to a low white blood cell count) and half the number of patients encountered hair loss.3 Professor Nick Thatcher, Professor in Medical Oncology at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust said: "This decision is truly significant and is fantastic news for lung cancer patients in the UK and the clinicians who have been campaigning for access. "It is NICE"s first FAD incorporating the use of histology. A histological diagnosis, the microscopic analysis of a tumour biopsy, allows the determination of exactly which type of NSCLC is present***, thereby allowing treatments to be more targeted and therefore more effective. "This "targeting" of patients has helped NICE confirm that pemetrexed and cisplatin is a clinically and cost effective treatment in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma." "The decision reflects the advancement pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin brings, with clinicians being able to target the right patients with the right treatment based on histological diagnosis. NICE should be commended on allowing UK patients to be the first to have funded access to this combination for the 1st line treatment of non-squamous NSCLC. "We now need to work hard to ensure that there is equitable access to this medicine throughout the UK." Pemetrexed and cisplatin are administered as an infusion every three weeks, providing an additional benefit of reducing the frequency of hospital visits and medication when compared with other treatments.4 The full FAD documentation can be found on the NICE website www.nice.org.uk. Final guidance on the use of pemetrexed and cisplatin for the 1st line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC is expected in September 2009 and will also be published on the NICE website. Notes * For patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ** In patients with adenocarcinoma *** Of the three types of NSCLC, pemetrexed has been shown to be more effective in two types, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma (referred to as non-squamous NSCLC). These two types of NSCLC represent approximately 55% of all NSCLC cases References 1 - National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Pemetrexed for the 1st line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Final Appraisal Determination: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA/Wave18/25 2 - Cancer Research, UK. Cancer Stats, Key Facts on Lung Cancer and Smoking. http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/lung/ (Accessed July 2009) 3 - Scaglotti GV et al. Phase III study comparing cisplatin plus gemcitabine with cisplatin plus pemetrexed in chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol; 2008 Jul 20;26(21):3543-51. Epub 2008 May 27 4 - Alimta SmPC Eli Lilly and Company Limited


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

© Copyright 2009