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CBO: Proposal Would Pound Budget, Dent Number Of Uninsured
The Congressional Budget Office has found that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee"s health reform proposal would cost taxpayers about $1 trillion over the next decade and only insure 16 million people, about one-third of uninsured Americans, Politico reports. More individuals would lose employer-provided insurance they already have, or move away from government programs, prompting Republicans to say in a memo, "For all of the money the bill spends, the coverage increase is relatively anemic."

Zavesca(R) (miglustat) First Treatment Available In UK And Ireland For Rare Progressive Niemann-Pick Type C Disease
Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) announced the launch of Zavesca® (miglustat) in the UK and Republic of Ireland; the first and only licensed treatment available for people with Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) disease [1]. NP-C is a rare, genetic disease with significant neurological deterioration that can be fatal and affects infants, children and adults [2,3].
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Needle Exchange Restrictions Included In House Bill Could Hinder Programs, Advocates Say
A recently passed House spending bill that lifts the ban on the use of federal funding for needle exchange programs, which included an amendment addressing the locations of needle exchanges, "according to many health and human rights advocates, has been diluted to the point that it won"t help the same urban areas most afflicted by" blood-borne illnesses such as HIV, the Washington Independent reports. House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.) added an amendment to the bill that prohibits needle exchanges from operating "within 1,000 feet of schools, daycare centers and other areas where children are likely to congregate," according to the Independent. Obey "included the restriction, not because he supports it, but to appease conservative critics who might have killed the entire provision otherwise," the article states. William McColl, political director for AIDS Action, said, "In an urban environment, that really is a restriction on almost anywhere."
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New Radiotherapy Technique Proven Safe, Less Toxic For Cancer Patients, University Of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Study Finds

A new technique known as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is safe for patients with recurrent head and neck cancers and may improve their quality of life, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). Results of the phase I study were reported today in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. Each year approximately 500,000 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck are diagnosed worldwide. While treatment has improved with advances in surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, more than half of patients will die from recurrent disease. Treatment options for patients with recurrent disease are limited, and for many, surgery may not be an option, according to principal investigator Dwight E. Heron, M.D., director, Radiation Oncology Services, UPMC Cancer Centers. "Chemotherapy alone can provide this patient population some palliation and pain relief, but it doesn"t prolong survival," said Dr. Heron. "A few patients may be able to receive additional radiation treatments, but head and neck cancers, by their very nature, develop in very delicate areas of the body, which provide significant retreatment challenges." SBRT may offer these patients an alternative, noted Dr. Heron. "At the completion of our study, we found this treatment was tolerated very well. No maximum tolerated dose was reached, and no toxicities occurred that caused us to limit the dosing." SBRT is a relatively new technique using CyberKnife® technology, which delivers high doses of radiation with more precision than conventional techniques. The vast majority of patients complete treatment within 10 days. In the trial, 31 patients with recurrent, inoperable head and neck cancers were treated over a two-week period. PET-CT also was used to develop an individualized radiation treatment plan for each patient, allowing radiation oncologists to more accurately target the cancer while sparing healthy tissue. "Ultimately, SBRT offers patients a better quality of life. Instead of having to go through six or seven weeks of treatments that are often associated with significant toxicities, patients can receive treatment over a shorter course and still get the same outcomes compared to the current standard of care," said Dr. Heron. Study co-authors include Robert L. Ferris, M.D., Ph.D., Michalis Karamousiz, M.D., Regiane S. Andrade, M.D., Erin L. Deeb, B.S., Steven Burton, M.D., William E. Gooding, M.S., Barton F. Branstetter, M.D., James M. Mountz, M.D., Ph.D., Jonas T. Johnson, M.D., Anthanassios Argiris, M.D., Jennifer R. Grandis, M.D., Stephen Y. Lai, M.D., Ph.D., all of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. This study was funded by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute


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