health - "government"

U.S. investigators are looking into whether Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Laboratories manufactured substandard generic drugs, including HIV/AIDS medications provided to thousands of HIV-positive people in Africa, the Wall Street Journal reports. Ranbaxy under a U.S. government contract was paid 'millions of dollars' to provide low-cost antiretroviral drugs under the

STOCKHOLM. July 14. KAZINFORM. The Swedish government says a reduction in hormonal therapy has resulted in fewer cases of breast cancer among women 45 and older.

The capital is the most expensive place to die in Britain, according to a new government study.

House Democratic leaders in a July 11 letter requested that the government Accountability Office conduct a review of the Medicare recovery audit contractor program that led to the recovery of $694 million in Medicare overpayments to hospitals and other health care providers between 2005 and March, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 7/14).

Medicare spending on medical imaging increased to $14 billion from 2000 to 2006, and CMS should require prior authorization for imaging services to discourage physicians from ordering the tests for personal profit rather than patient benefit, according to a government Accountability Office report released Monday, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 7/14).

Opponents of the proposed gas-fired power station and data centre in Tuggeranong say they have little confidence the government will take on board the findings of a study into the health impact of the development.

Two new studies published online today in the American Journal of Public health demonstrate the critical need for Congress to enact pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco products. One study found that tobacco companies deliberately manipulate levels of menthol in cigarettes in ways the authors conclude recruit new, young smokers and satisfy long-term smokers. The second study found that tobacco companies, because of public relations and litigation concerns, suppressed their own internal research about the presence of polonium-210, a radioactive, cancer-causing chemical, in cigarettes and cigarette smoke.These studies demonstrate how the current lack of regulation allows tobacco companies to manipulate their products in ways harmful to health and to control what is in their products and what they disclose about them. Currently, no government agency has the authority to regulate menthol, polonium-210 or any of the mor

Black lawmakers are pushing for more government regulation of tobacco, starting with changes to a House bill that would place a ban on menthol cigarettes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three out of four Black smokers buy menthols, making them the most popular type of cigarette among African Americans.The Congressional Black Caucus, along with the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network and other organizations, is leading the movement to make changes to a provision in the bill, entitled the Family smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, that bans additives like cinnamon, clove and other fruit, spice and candy flavors in cigarettes but exempts menthols. Many believe that the exclusion of menthol from the Act is racially charged since mostly African Americans smoke menthol cigarettes.

Yesterday, Tuesday, US Congress quashed President George W Bush's veto of a bill to prevent cuts in doctors' payments from Medicare, the government funded health insurance scheme for seniors and disabled. The House of Representatives voted 383 to 41, and the Senate voted 70 to 26, in both cases more than enough to override the White House veto, for which a two thirds majority in each house is required.

The health Professions Council (HPC) and the Hearing Aid Council (HAC) have launched a joint consultation on the standards of proficiency and the threshold level of qualification for entry to the Hearing Aid Audiologists/Dispensers part of the HPC register. In 2005, the government announced that the Hearing Aid Council was to be abolished and its registration and regulation functions transferred to the Health Professions Council.