Review of NHS drugs assessment ordered

31 January 2016
From the section Scotland

An independent review is to be carried out of the way drugs are assessed for use on the NHS in Scotland.

Former medical director for NHS Fife Dr Brian Montgomery will lead the study.

The review will look at how changes made to the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) process in 2014 have affected patient access to medicines for rare and end-of-life conditions.

It will also examine how the system for getting patients access to newly-licensed drugs is working.

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More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women infected with Zika virus

More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country’s national health institute said on Saturday, as the disease continues its spread across the Americas.

The virus has been linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly, which prevents fetus’ brains from developing properly. There is no vaccine or treatment.

There are 20,297 confirmed cases of the disease in Colombia, the national health institute said in a epidemiology bulletin, among them 2,116 pregnant women.

There are so far no reported cases of microcephaly or deaths from the virus in Colombia.

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Remicade co-developer funds new microscopy facility on Scripps Florida campus

The co-developer of Remicade®, one of the three top-selling drugs in the world, has donated more than $500,000 to fund what will be known as the Iris and Junming Le Foundation Super-Resolution Microscopy Facility on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).

“We are grateful to Junming and Iris for their generous contribution,” said Chair of the TSRI Department of Neuroscience Ronald Davis, who will oversee the new facility. “The gift will have a dramatic and highly positive effect on the brain science pursued by our department. This is the perfect opening to what will be a genuinely state-of-the-art facility right here in Jupiter.”

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Proton cancer therapy 'proves effective'

Proton beam cancer therapy ‘effective with fewer side effects’

By Dominic Howell
BBC News

30 January 2016
From the section Health

Image caption

Ashya King left the UK to have proton beam therapy in the Czech Republic

A cancer treatment at the centre of an NHS controversy in 2014 causes fewer side effects in children than conventional radiotherapy, according to new research.

The study, published in The Lancet Oncology, suggests proton beam therapy is as effective as other treatments.

Researchers looked at 59 patients aged between three and 21 from 2003 to 2009.

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Did Brazil, global health agencies fumble Zika response?

Last January, long lines formed outside health clinics in Recife, a city in Brazil’s northeast hit hard in recent years by outbreaks of dengue, a painful tropical disease.

Doctors were on guard because federal health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) had warned 2015 would be a bad year for dengue and possibly another viral disease, chikungunya, both spread by the same type of mosquito.

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Race for Zika vaccine gathers momentum as virus spreads

Companies and scientists are racing to create a Zika vaccine as concern grows over the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas.

Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. Brazil, the hardest-hit country, has reported around 3,700 cases of the devastating birth defect called microcephaly that are strongly suspected to be related to Zika.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), stung by criticism that it reacted too slowly to West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, convenes an emergency meeting on Monday to help determine its response to the spread of the virus.

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Too Few Older Adults Tell Doctors About Memory Loss: Study

News Picture: Too Few Older Adults Tell Doctors About Memory Loss: Study

Latest Alzheimers News

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Do you worry that forgetting names, or where you put your keys, might be a sign of impending dementia? If you’re like most older Americans, you don’t bring this up with your doctor, a new study shows.

Researchers who looked at federal government data on more than 10,000 people found that in 2011, only 1 in 4 adults aged 45 or older discussed memory problems with a health care professional during a routine checkup.

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In these last days of Open Enrollment, immigrant families need to know affordable coverage options are available

January 29

In these last days of Open Enrollment, immigrant families need to know affordable coverage options are available

Affordable coverage options are available in the Health Insurance Marketplace for eligible immigrant families. In fact, most people shopping for coverage on the Marketplace can find a plan with monthly premiums of $75 or less. But, act soon: January 31, 2016 is the final deadline for you to sign up at HealthCare.gov or CuidadodeSalud.gov for 2016 coverage. Don’t miss out on getting coverage for 2016 and risk owing a fee of $695 or more.

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In these last days of Open Enrollment, immigrant families need to know affordable coverage options are available

January 29

In these last days of Open Enrollment, immigrant families need to know affordable coverage options are available

This is a preview of In these last days of Open Enrollment, immigrant families need to know affordable coverage options are available. Read the full post (731 words, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

TSRI scientists reveal workings of key 'relief-valve' in cells

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has solved a long-standing mystery in cell biology by showing essentially how a key “relief-valve” in cells does its job.

The relief valve, known as VRAC (volume-regulated anion channel), normally keeps cells from taking in too much water and swelling excessively. But VRAC’s importance to cellular health is just beginning to be understood—already it has been tentatively linked to stroke-induced brain damage, diabetes, immune deficiency and even cancer treatment resistance.

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