Manila, Philippines -- Lawmakers are divided over the proposal of Health Secretary Enrique Ona to include stem cell therapy among PhilHealth packages. Those opposed say health authorities should first address the basic health care needs of the poor, the rising cases of HIV/AIDS and the snowballing number of maternal deaths before coming up with packages that only benefit the rich. While those in support of the Ona proposal said there is no reason to stop PhilHealth from offering a stem cell treatment package as long as the medical sectorscertifies it as a standard medical procedure. Gabriela party-list Rep. Luz Ilagan said Health Secretary Enrique Ona should refrain from coming up with a health care package that would only benefit the "rich few." "While there is nothing wrong with being pro-active in the pursuit of modern medical advancement, the Secretary should look into the most basic and urgent needs of our people, especially the poor. So many die of TB, a major killer, hypertension and diabetes. So many children are malnourished and many indigents in rural areas will never see a doctor in their lifetime," she said. Ona said they are looking at the possible inclusion of stem cell therapy among … Continue reading →

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SUPN), a specialty pharmaceutical company, received final approval from the Food & Drug Administration (the "FDA") for Trokendi XR, a novel once-daily extended release formulation of topiramate for the treatment of epilepsy. The company expects to launch the product and for it to be available in pharmacies over the next few weeks. The approval letter states that the FDA has completed its review of the application and that Trokendi XR is approved effective August 16, 2013 for use as recommended in the agreed-upon labeling. The FDA granted a waiver for certain pediatric study requirements and a deferral for submission of post-marketing pediatric pharmacokinetic assessments that are due in 2019 followed by clinical assessments in 2025. "We are very excited about the approval of Trokendi XR and its upcoming launch. This is excellent news for Supernus, its shareholders, and patients with epilepsy. We remain committed to the epilepsy community and very much look forward to now having two products, Trokendi XR and Oxtellar XR, available to patients," said Jack Khattar, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of Supernus. About Trokendi XR(TM) Trokendi XR is a novel once- daily extended release … Continue reading →

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc. filed a petition today with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asking the court to direct the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to promptly schedule the company's epilepsy drug so that it can make it available to patients. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120413/MM87168LOGO ) FYCOMPA (perampanel), a new chemical entity (NCE), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2012 as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures in patients with epilepsy age 12 and older. The FDA sent its scheduling recommendation for FYCOMPA to the DEA in January 2013, but seven months later the DEA has not yet begun the scheduling process. In its petition for a writ of mandamus, Eisai asserted that the DEA has "unreasonably" and "egregiously" delayed the scheduling of FYCOMPA, a delay which means that thousands of potential patients suffering with partial onset seizures a serious medical condition for which there is great unmet medical need cannot obtain the drug. The papers also challenge the justification for the delay and highlight the lack of any timetable, predictability, or transparency related to the DEA's … Continue reading →

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Christopher Duffly Amazes Crowd at Autism Speaks Nantucket Event At the "Cruise Night for Autism Speaks" at Nantucket's Don Allen Ford, Christopher Duffly, who is blind and autistic, broke into a rendition of "Lean on Me" ... By: AutismSpeaksVids … Continue reading →

EAST PROVIDENCE The Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment, known as RI-CART, announced Monday that it had received a $1.2 million grant to create a first-of-its-kind confidential registry of every individual diagnosed with autism in Rhode Island. The award from the Simons Foundation will help the consortium of researchers, clinicians and hospitals create a statewide data and resource continuum for thousands of children and adults with autism spectral disorders. The registry project, first reported by Providence Business News on Aug. 5, is also supported by funds from the Brown University Institute for Brain Science, the Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute, and the Warren Alpert Medical School Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. During the next three years, RI-CART hopes to enroll more than 1,000 children and adults with autism, researchers said. This will be the first step in the long-term goal of enrolling all individuals with autism in Rhode Island in this research network. This effort will link families and researchers to spur important and innovative research on the causes and treatments for individuals with autism and related conditions, said Stephen Sheinkopf, a clinical researcher at Women & Infants Hospital, assistant professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of … Continue reading →

A US study has found that pregnant women who take drugs to speed up labour may have a higher risk of bearing children with autism. The study in JAMA Paediatrics is the largest of its kind on the matter, but stops short of stating that induced labour is a cause of the developmental disorder, which affects as many as one in 88 children in the US. Instead, it points to the need for more research, senior author Marie Lynn Miranda, dean of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, says. 'The scientific community has long looked for environmental contributors to the rising rates of autism in the United States,' she said in a statement. 'This study provides preliminary evidence of an association between autism and labour induction/augmentation, especially among male children.' The study examined records for 625,000 births in the state of North Carolina over an eight-year period, and found labour that was both induced and augmented was associated with a 35 per cent higher risk of autism in boys, compared with labour that received neither treatment. A small increased risk was seen in girls born to mothers who had induced, but not augmented, labour. Researchers said … Continue reading →

McLaren Bay Region has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associations Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospitals success in ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations. To receive the award, McLaren Bay Region achieved at least 12 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement indicators and achieved at least 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures during that same period of time, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care. According to the AHA/ASA, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the U.S. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes. With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award demonstrates that our staff is committed to providing care that has been shown in the scientific literature to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols, said Dr. Mohammed Al-Qasmi, stroke program director for McLaren Bay Region. McLaren Bay Region … Continue reading →