UPI Health Business articles from April 2007

UPI Health Business archives from April 2007

Kidney disease deadly, underfunded.
April 2, 2007... Byline: REBECCA PEARSEY WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Valen Cover-Sheriff was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease at 10. By the time she reached college, her kidneys had grown so large with cysts that she looked pregnant. "The...

Experts eyeing epilepsy cure.
April 2, 2007... Byline: JESSICA BRAUNSCHWEIG BETHESDA, Md., April 2 (UPI) -- New technologies, such as advanced imaging, may someday cure epilepsy, researchers announced at a recent conference. "We're talking less about our (past) great successes and...

HealthTips: Genetic tests, vision, stress.
April 3, 2007... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ PREPARING FOR GENETIC TESTING Before looking into the genetic crystal ball for your future health prospects, the National Society of Genetic Counselors recommends you ask the following questions: -- Of all...

Caregiving: Elizabeth Edwards' choice.
April 3, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN ALBANY, N.Y., April 3 (UPI) -- There appear to be two schools of thought concerning the decision of Elizabeth Edwards to continue campaigning for her husband to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008. One...

Analysis: Nursing home costs soar.
April 3, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 3 (UPI) -- In the United States, a full year of nursing home care comes with an average price tag of $75,000 -- far exceeding the average annual family income, says a new U.S. study. If...

Analysis: Missouri's new Medicaid.
April 3, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 3 (UPI) -- Missouri is proposing dramatic new changes to its Medicaid program, but some health advocates say it's a dangerous experiment. "The devil is in the details," said Richard Blakey,...

Eat To Live: A troubled nature's bounty.
April 4, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- Across the world this week, shoppers are bringing home fish for Passover, Good Friday, Eastern Orthodox and Christian Easter feasts. But we are increasingly in danger of being exposed to...

Analysis: Computers no aid to mammography.
April 4, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 4 (UPI) -- The use of computers to assist doctors in reading mammography scans failed to add to the accuracy of screening women for breast cancer, and might have just increased anxiety and...

Analysis: Cell Genesys soars on GVAX.
April 4, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- Cell Genesys shares jumped 32 percent Tuesday on phase 2 results showing GVAX extended survival of prostate cancer patients by nearly three years. Joe Pantginis, an analyst with...

Analysis: Part D debate moves to Senate.
April 5, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- A Senate bill allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices is expected to make it to the floor shortly after the Congressional recess. Supporters are hard at work to...

Outside view: HIV's grassroots.
April 5, 2007... Byline: LISA STERMAN SAN FRANCISCO, April 5 (UPI) -- Twenty years ago this month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the anti-HIV medicine AZT, the first ray of hope for people living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS community advocates in the...

Analysis: Street mixed on Celgene's drug.
April 5, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- Celgene's Revlimid appears to improve survival in multiple myeloma patients when used with a low-dose course of dexamethasone, but analysts were split between enthusiasm and lukewarm...

Analysis: Emergency health plans that work.
April 5, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. has spent more than $5 billion on public health emergency preparedness -- but planning is not enough, according to a new report. "Preparedness simply isn't about having plans,"...

Menopause may raise risk of depression.
April 5, 2007... Byline: EMILY WALKER WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- The hormonal change a woman faces during menopause doubles her risk for developing clinical depression, new research suggests, but the risk may be lessened by the use of hormone-replacement...

Health Tips: Chasing away dust bunnies.
April 6, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN TOO MANY INFECTIONS Children plagued by ear infections, sinusitis or pneumonia may have a more severe condition called immunodeficiency and should consult with an allergist/immunologist. The American Academy of...

Ped Med: Honing autism treatments.
April 6, 2007... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ SAN FRANCISCO, April 6 (UPI) -- Scientists are proposing ways to take some of the hypothesizing -- and hyping -- out of autism treatments. One team has devised a classification tool for sorting out autistic...

Eat To Live: Now, the low-carbon diet.
April 6, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- Students and office workers, you'd better brush up your math skills. On top of counting calories, you can now calculate how much what you're eating is adding in carbon cost. It's a new...

Analysis: Beckman's Biosite buy favored.
April 6, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- Inverness' bid this week to acquire Biosite tops Beckman Coulter's previous offer of $1.55 billion and it remains unclear which company will win the acquisition battle, but analysts tend...

Analysis: Cancer spouses have mental ills.
April 6, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 6 (UPI) -- Researchers said Friday that the partners of cancer survivors take a mental beating while their loved one fights the disease, and often, those survivors require psychological...

Analysis: Rural hospitals unique, troubled.
April 6, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- Rural hospitals in the United States are seemingly struggling against the odds to provide the same level of care as their urban counterparts. Hospitals in remote areas wrestle against...

Analysis: Nausea drugs pulled off market.
April 6, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- Federal regulators ordered several prescription brands of nausea medication off the U.S. market Friday because the drugs had not cleared the Food and Drug Administration. The agency...

EcoWellness: Dubious cell phone/cancer tie.
April 9, 2007... Byline: CHRISTINE DELL'AMORE WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- Radiofrequency waves from cell phones, base stations and wireless networks do not cause harm to people, a new work group report says, but the book on the much-debated issue is not...

Eat To Live: Eau dear! Bye, bottled water.
April 9, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- Now that "food flyer miles" has become the latest catchphrase in the lexicon of the socially aware foodie, bottled water is in for a hard time. It has been banned recently from Chez...

Analysis: Synagis drives MedImmune profits.(Financial report)
April 9, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- MedImmune said it anticipates its first-quarter earnings will nearly triple, a performance that would significantly beat Wall Street's expectations. In a preannouncement of its final...

Analysis: Medical technology gets personal.
April 9, 2007... Byline: JESSICA BRAUNSCHWEIG WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- While the future for personalized medicine has far exceeded expectations, funding is critical in order to continue taking the necessary steps, health experts said Monday. "We...

Analysis: India's biotech 'baby elephant'.
April 9, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- Low costs and growing expertise have led to a biotechnology explosion in India, but that very success could hurt the developing world as companies look toward the lucrative global drug...

Caregiving: Life-saving defibrillators.
April 10, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN ALBANY, N.Y., April 10 (UPI) -- Hockey players don't have the height and heft of some other professional athletes, but their stamina is extremely impressive. So it was a shock when a defenseman for the Detroit Red...

Analysis: Negotiating good -- to a point.
April 10, 2007... Byline: LAURA GILCREST WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- Giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices on Part D prescription drugs for seniors might lower the program's overall cost, but such power should only...

Analysis: Adolor plunges on Entereg woes.
April 10, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- Shares of Adolor plunged after the company and its development partner GlaxoSmithKline said they were suspending their program for Entereg due to concerns about a potential risk of...

Analysis: Chinese healthcare gap widens.
April 10, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- Pressing healthcare problems are on the rise just as the Chinese healthcare system is reaching its weakest point in recent history, experts said Tuesday. The country's ability to shore...

HealthTips: Cancer, weight, hypertension.
April 10, 2007... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ HIV DRUG MAY RAISE CANCER RISK Babies exposed to AZT, a drug used to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child, should be monitored over the long term for cancer, researchers recommend. That precaution is...

Eat To Live: Yo-yo dieting a health gamble.
April 11, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- How many of us who are overweight or just looking to fit into some favorite clothes have endured a miserable diet only to find, several months later, that we are heavier than we were when...

Analysis: U.S culture hurting EU livers?
April 11, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN BARCELONA, Spain, April 11 (UPI) -- Fatty liver, a condition that can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and the need for organ transplantation, appears to be another part of the import of American fast-food culture to...

Analysis: HIV market to top $10 billion.
April 12, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- The HIV market will grow to $10.6 billion by 2015, driven in part by new drugs from Merck, Pfizer and Tibotec, according to an analyst report released Wednesday. The market, which...

Analysis: Senate defies Bush on stem cells.
April 12, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- The Senate moved Wednesday to repeal the Bush administration's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, marking the second time in less than a year Congress has voted by wide...

Analysis: Medicaid goes high-performance.
April 12, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Soon almost all state Medicaid programs will tie physicians' pay to performance, a study released Thursday says. "The motivation is the same as for any other payer," said Thomas...

Analysis: Total hepatitis C cure possible.
April 12, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN BARCELONA, Spain, April 12 (UPI) -- Researchers meeting in Spain said Thursday that hepatitis C patients who achieve a complete response to treatment can be considered completely cured of the disease that can result in...

Analysis: Merck's COX-2 bid quashed.
April 12, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) -- A federal advisory panel on Thursday rejected Merck's bid to market a new osteoarthritis medication amid concerns that it may carry cardiovascular risks akin to Vioxx. The 20-to-1...

Analysis: Genentech's Q1 disappoints.
April 12, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) -- Genentech's first-quarter earnings beat Wall Street's expectations, but analysts were disappointed with the performances of the biotech giant's key products, including Avastin, Rituxan...

Survey: Workers want healthcare from jobs.
April 12, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) -- U.S. businesses and workers may not be ready to sound the death knell for employer-sponsored health insurance, a new employer/employee poll suggests. Most workers like getting health...

Analysis: Injected cells zap liver failure.
April 13, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN BARCELONA, Spain, April 13 (UPI) -- For many patients who go into acute liver failure -- often due to ingestion of toxic substances -- doctors can do little but hope the remarkable regenerative powers of the organ snap...

Eat To Live: Obesity's officially genetic!
April 13, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON LONDON, April 13 (UPI) -- It's official: Obesity is genetic. Scientists at Oxford University have isolated a gene they believe contributes to obesity. Known as the FTO, it could lead to drugs designed to help...

Health Tips: Rx for more exercise.
April 13, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN PRESCRIPTION FOR MORE EXERCISE Physicians could play an important role in communicating the benefits of exercise, but too often the opportunity is missed. "We know from experience that there are a number of...

Analysis: Merck surges on revised forecast.
April 13, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended against approval of Merck's painkiller Arcoxia, but the company's stock surged on news its first-quarter earnings may...

Analysis: Health costs cost businesses.
April 13, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 13 (UPI) -- The skyrocketing price of health insurance may be costing businesses more than just premiums, health policy analysts said Friday. "If your healthcare costs go up, you can't afford to...

Analysis: Shorter therapy for hepatitis C?
April 16, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN BARCELONA, Spain, April 15 (UPI) -- Hepatitis C virus patients today face a yearlong, grueling treatment regimen in hopes they can achieve a virtual cure of the disease, but preliminary trial results indicate a drug in...

Eat To Live: High-end hotel goes green.
April 16, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON LONDON, April 16 (UPI) -- Pending certification (not an insignificant detail), the just-opened Town House Galleria in Milan's historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping arcade will become the world's first official...

Facing tanning booths' cancer risk.
April 16, 2007... Byline: REBECCA PEARSEY WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- Spring has arrived and with it the desire for a good tan, but getting one won't be so guilt-free this year. Half of all states have passed legislation that requires indoor tanning...

Analysis: Mixed views on Lilly's strong Q1.
April 16, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- Eli Lilly's first quarter earnings beat Wall Street's expectations and the company boosted its financial guidance for the year, but analysts offered mixed reactions to the news. ...

Analysis: Fewer resident hours could cost.
April 17, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- New limits on the hours that medical residents work could have serious unintended consequences, a new study says. Reducing resident workload to 60 hours per week would cost $2.9...

The Age of Autism: Mercury link to Case 2.
April 17, 2007... Byline: DAN OLMSTED WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- In 1943, a child known only as Frederick W. became part of the first medical report of a strange new disorder. Frederick was Case 2 of 11 children whose behavior differed "markedly and...

Health Tips: Heart, alcohol, cleaning.
April 17, 2007... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ GIVE YOUR HEART A BREAK TODAY Most adults follow at least one of three ways heart specialists recommend for keeping the old ticker healthy -- but only a handful engage in all three. The American Heart Association...

Analysis: Senate Part D bill on the brink.
April 17, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- Democrats' bid to infuse Medicare with the power to negotiate prescription drug prices appears headed for failure Wednesday, lawmakers and aides said Tuesday. If the bill does fail it...

Analysis: HIV treatment goal elusive.
April 17, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- The world has made great strides toward its pledge of getting HIV treatment to everyone who needs it, but there is still a long way to go, a new report says. "In many ways we are still...

Analysis: J&J Q1 clouded on stent worries.
April 18, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- Johnson and Johnson's first quarter earnings soundly beat Wall Street's expectations, but analysts expressed concern about the company going forward due to the safety issues revolving...

Eat To Live: Cured meats equal weak lungs.
April 18, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON LONDON, April 18 (UPI) -- Beware the hot dog. And the BLT sandwich, possibly one of the world's finest portable meals, a brilliant balance of contrasting tastes and textures. They both may damage our lungs and increase...

Analysis: Senate defeats Part D bargaining.
April 18, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- In a defeat for Democrats, a bill giving the U.S. government the power to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for lower Medicare prices was blocked Wednesday in the Senate....

Analysis: Street lukewarm on Abbott.
April 18, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- Abbott's first-quarter earnings beat Wall Street's expectations, but analysts were mixed on the long-term outlook for the company. Goldman Sachs analyst Lawrence Keusch said the...

Analysis: Report decries Medicaid gaps.
April 18, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- Massachusetts, Nebraska and Vermont rank among the states with the most comprehensive benefits under the Medicaid low-income health program, according to study released Wednesday by the...

Analysis: Gilead's future looks bright.
April 19, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- Gilead's first-quarter earnings jumped 55 percent primarily due to strong sales of its HIV products, and analysts expect the company to maintain that performance for the rest of the...

Analysis: Access is next HPV front.
April 19, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN LOS ANGELES, April 19 (UPI) -- New studies show that human papillomavirus vaccines -- treatments that potentially could wipe out the vast majority of cervical cancer in the world -- are maintaining their potent anti-viral...

Analysis: User fees could help, hurt FDA.
April 19, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- User fees have made Food and Drug Administration drug reviews faster, but as Congress debates reauthorizing the legislation that created the fees, a growing number of policymakers and...

Caregiving: Va. Tech's impossible grief.
April 19, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN Family caregivers of the elderly stare death in the face every day, but we deal with decline and know that someday the end will come, but how much more difficult it is to suddenly lose a child. Before I was born, a...

EcoWellness: Climate change and health.
April 19, 2007... Byline: CHRISTINE DELL'AMORE MELBOURNE, April 19 (UPI) -- Climate change may have already set in motion serious and drastic impacts to public health, a trend that requires swift reactions from governments to adapt, experts said Wednesday....

Health Tips: Flowers brighten mood.
April 20, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN FIGHTING OBESITY EARLY One-third of U.S. children and teens are overweight or obese, but healthy eating can begin for children when they are infants. "Even people with a genetic tendency to be overweight can...

Eat To Live: French alarm at food miles.
April 20, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON NICE, France, April 20 (UPI) -- In the Place Saint-FranAs.ois market in Nice, stalls are mounded high with fish at their peak of freshness. Walk down to the Quai des Etats-Unis -- the United States Quay -- and you can...

Ped Med: Medicines for autism symptoms.
April 20, 2007... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ SAN FRANCISCO, April 20 (UPI) -- An estimated one-third of youngsters with autism are prescribed psychotropic drugs to control their behavior and outlook, scientists report. The more common pharmaceutical aids...

Analysis: Pfizer solid despite earns dip.
April 20, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Pfizer's first-quarter earnings dipped 14 percent but still beat Wall Street's expectations, and some analysts think the performance shows the pharmaceutical giant is on solid ground....

Analysis: Playgrounds as obesity weapon.
April 20, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Part of the solution to the nation's costly childhood obesity crisis could be nearly free, a new study said Friday. Girls who do not live within a half-mile radius of a school...

HealthSmarts: Under 30? Rethink the Pap.
April 23, 2007... Byline: DR. KAREN DENTE NEW YORK, April 23 (UPI) -- Have you ever been informed after your routine visit to your doctor that some of the cells from the Pap smear turned out to look a little abnormal, and that you tested positive for a...

Eat To Live: Cut back on salt.
April 23, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON CANNES, France, April 23 (UPI) -- In a side street behind the grand hotel lining La Croisette, the beach-front avenue at Cannes, is "Edouard," a small fish shop named after the owner where you can buy that morning's...

Analysis: Former drug rep reveals tactics.
April 23, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 23 (UPI) -- A former pharmaceutical company insider and a physician who researches drug marketing reveal the tactics used by drug reps to manipulate physicians' prescribing habits in an article...

Analysis: Learning from a tragedy.
April 23, 2007... Byline: ADRIANNE APPEL BOSTON, April 23 (UPI) -- While the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech were the result of unique circumstances, the incident highlighted the need for more schools to make mental-health services a priority and for...

Analysis: Tennessee cuts too deep?
April 24, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Drastic state-level Medicaid restructuring can have far-reaching impact on the lives of state residents, according to a new report released this week on changes in Tennessee. "The...

Analysis: Experts warn on Gambia AIDS cure.
April 24, 2007... Byline: ED SUSMAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 24 (UPI) -- Officials of the International AIDS Society Tuesday urged caution over reports that treatment derived from natural herbs in Gambia can cure AIDS. The purported cure is...

Analysis: Street mixed on Amgen.
April 24, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Amgen's first-quarter earnings rose 19 percent to meet Wall Street's expectations, but analysts were mixed in their assessment of the biotech firm's outlook. "Amgen's quarterly call...

Caregiving: Factors pointing to suicide.
April 24, 2007... Byline: ALEX CUKAN ALBANY, N.Y., April 24 (UPI) -- It may take years or we may never learn exactly why Virginia Tech student Cho Seung-hui decided to kill peers and lecturers and himself, but the odds are he suffered from depression,...

Analysis: Report has dire Medicare outlook.
April 24, 2007... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Public trustees again have issued dire warnings about Medicare's finances, saying the program is rapidly depleting the U.S. government's ability to pay for it. The trustees' annual...

Health Tips: Surgery, vitamin D, HRT, salt.
April 24, 2007... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ QUESTIONS ABOUT ANESTHESIA If you or your children are to undergo surgery, there are some caveats you should know about anesthesia, U.S. doctors say. New research points to potential problems if too much or too...

CostRx: Kucinich's not-for-profit plan.
April 25, 2007... Byline: LAURA GILCREST WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, a Democratic presidential contender, tells United Press International about his plan for national healthcare reform, which is centered on covering all...

Eat To Live: Unraveling the food code.
April 25, 2007... Byline: JULIA WATSON LONDON, April 25 (UPI) -- At the start of a long-haul flight from London Heathrow to Bangkok, this correspondent reaches deep into her backpack ("One carry-on bag only, sir, madam, and you there, in the pink overalls")...

Analysis: CEOs back work-based healthcare.
April 26, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- The familiar duel between employer- and individual-based healthcare played out on stage this week, but this time, the audience was high-ranking business executives who overwhelmingly said...

Analysis: Betting on GSK's future.
April 26, 2007... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, April 26 (UPI) -- GlaxoSmithKline's first-quarter profits were flat due to generic competition in the United States, but some analysts think the pharmaceutical giant has a bright year ahead of it. ...

Analysis: The 'Medicare for All' strategy.
April 26, 2007... Byline: OLGA PIERCE WASHINGTON, April 26 (UPI) -- A plan for covering the uninsured by two stalwart liberals in Congress seems like a throwback to the past, but it could be a smart move for the future. The Medicare for All Act,...