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Removal Of Ban On Federal Funding For Needle Exchange Programs To Be Debated In Congress
An amendment to the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for health, labor and education programs that opposes the lifting of the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs will come to the House floor for debate today along with four others, CQ Today reports. Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) "will offer an amendment to strip language that would lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs," CQ writes. According to CQ Today, "Conservatives are concerned that eliminating the ban on federal funds for such programs, which are designed to reduce the transmission of HIV and other diseases, would be tantamount to helping fund addicts" drug habits. Democrats say science has shown that such programs, when coupled with comprehensive prevention strategies, can reduce the rate of [HIV] infections and do not promote drug use." House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.) "added compromise language in the committee this week that would prohibit funds from going to needle exchange programs within 1,000 feet of facilities that serve children, such as schools and parks," the article states. The House is expected to vote on the amendment and the appropriations bill today (Wolfe, 7/23).
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Small Businesses, Doctors Voice Concerns About Health Reform
"Small business is suddenly playing a big role in negotiations over health care," NPR reports. "Supporters and opponents of various plans to overhaul the system are all trying to paint themselves as champions of mom and pop entrepreneurs." The National Federation of Independent Business is "not happy with the health care bill taking shape in the House this week - especially its requirement for all but the smallest employers to provide health insurance or pay a penalty." Meanwhile, "the Democratic National Committee quickly lined up its own panel of small business owners to defend the House plan."
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Pfizer To Give Away 70 Of Its Most Widely Prescribed Drugs To Those Who Lost Jobs
Pfizer on Thursday announced a new program that would provide some of its existing customers access to more than 70 types of medications at no cost if they have recently been laid off or lost their prescription drug coverage, USA Today reports. The program -- called MAINTAIN, or Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need -- will begin July 1. To receive the drugs, individuals must show that they have been unemployed since Jan. 1 and that they no longer have prescription drug insurance. They also must prove that they cannot pay for their medications and that they were taking a medication listed under the program for at least three months prior to losing their jobs. Those who meet the eligibility requirements would receive their medications at no cost for up to one year, or until they have insurance coverage. Pfizer will accept applications through Dec. 31 (Petrecca, USA Today, 5/15).According to the AP/Detroit News, medications listed for the new patient drug-assistance program include some of Pfizer"s "top money makers," such as the anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor, the painkiller Celebrex, the fibromyalgia treatment Lyrica and the impotency treatment Viagra (Johnson, AP/Detroit News, 5/14).Ray Kerins, a spokesperson for Pfizer, declined to reveal how much the program would cost the pharmaceutical company or how many potential customers might benefit from it (Bloomberg/Miami Herald, 5/15).According to the AP/News, the program "could earn Pfizer some goodwill" after "long being a target of critics of drug industry prices and sales practices" (AP/Detroit News, 5/14). Scott Morgan, president of ad agency Brunner, said, "It goes beyond goodwill. There"s definitely a marketing strategy behind this about defending against generics and maintaining your consumer base. ... It"s a pretty savvy move" (USA Today, 5/15).
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Undiagnosed Celiac Disease More Common Today Than 50 Years Ago Say US Researchers

US researchers said that undiagnosed cases of celiac disease, where the immune system has a strong adverse reaction to the protein found in wheat and other grains, appear to have increased dramatically in the last 50 years. They also found, over a 45 year follow up, that people with undiagnosed celiac disease have a nearly four-fold increased risk of premature death from any cause. The study was led by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and appears online in the July issue of the journal Gastroenterology. For the study the researchers analyzed blood samples taken from 9,133 healthy young adults from Warren Air Force Base between 1948 and 1954, and compared them to those of 12,768 more recently recruited, gender-matched individuals who were born around the same time (5,558 people) as the Air Force group, or who were of similar age (7,210 people) when they gave their blood samples. They tested the blood samples for signs of celiac disease (by first looking for tissue transglutaminase and, if abnormal, for endomysial antibodies). The researchers measured survival of the Air Force base group over 45 years, and compared the prevalence of undiagnosed celiac disease between that group and the more recently recruited one. The results showed that: *14 (0.2 per cent) of the Air Force group had undiagnosed celiac disease. *In the Air Force group, over 45 years of follow up, death from all causes was nearly 4 times greater among individuals with undiagnosed celiac disease than those whose blood samples did not show signs of the disease (hazard ratio = 3.9; while the 95 per cent confidence interval ranged from 2.0-7.5 with P *Undiagnosed celiac disease was found in 68 (0.9 per cent) of individuals with similar age at sampling and 46 (0.8 per cent) in those born around the same time. *The rate of undiagnosed celiac disease was 4.5-fold and 4-fold in these more recently sampled groups than in the Air Force group that was sampled over 50 years ago. The authors concluded that: "During 45 years of follow-up, undiagnosed [celiac disease] was associated with a nearly 4-fold increased risk of death." "The prevalence of undiagnosed [celiac disease] seems to have increased dramatically in the United States during the past 50 years," they added. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein present in wheat, rye, and barley, and other foods. The protein is mostly present in food, but is also used as an ingredient in other every day products that enter the digestive tract, such as medicines, vitamins and lip balms. The disease damages the small intestine and stops the body properly absorbing nutrients from food. There are people all over the world living with the disease, which was originally thought to be a childhood syndrome, but we now know that it is a common genetic disorder. In the US there are some 2 million people with celiac disease, or around 1 in 33 individuals. If you have a biological parent, sister, brother or child with the disease, the chances of you having it are around 1 in 22. The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet, and for most people avoiding gluten their whole life will stop the symptoms, heal any existing intestinal damage, and stop further damage, with improvements noticeable within days of starting the diet. A healed intestine can then absorb nutrients from food during digestion. If you are diagnosed with the condition you need to spend time with a dietician to learn about foods that are and aren"t safe to eat, including how to read labels and packaging so you know which foods to buy. If a person with celiac disease isn"t diagnosed early enough then because their body can"t get the nutritients it needs, they will probably develop longer term symptoms such as shorter stature and dental enamel problems. "Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease." Alberto Rubio-Tapia, Robert A. Kyle, Edward L. Kaplan, Dwight R. Johnson, William Page, Frederick Erdtmann, Tricia L. Brantner, W. Ray Kim, Tara K. Phelps, Brian D. Lahr, Alan R. Zinsmeister, L. Joseph Melton, Joseph A. Murray. Gastroenterology, Volume 137, Issue 1, Pages 88-93 (July 2009). DOI:10.1053/j.gastro.2009.03.059 Additional National Digestive Diseases Home Digestive Diseases Clearinghouse (NDDIC). Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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