Latest California Healthline Stories
Pharmaceutical Companies Launch First Television Advertisement Addressing Prescription Drug Measures
A coalition of pharmaceutical companies on Monday launched a 30-second statewide television ad in support of Proposition 78 on the Nov. 8 special election ballot, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Lawsuits Allege Prominent Universities Misused NIH Research Grants
The amount of NIH grants awarded to medical researchers has doubled since the late 1990s, and a number of prominent universities recently have paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits in which the federal government alleges that university researchers “pledged to do one thing with their NIH money and then spent it on something else,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Brand-Name Prescription Drug Prices Increased by 6.6% Between 2004, 2005, AARP Finds
Wholesale prices for brand-name prescription drugs between 2004 and 2005 increased by an average of 6.6% — more than twice the inflation rate — according to a study released on Tuesday by the Public Policy Institute at AARP, the New York Times reports.
Berkeley Health Economist To Serve on President’s Economic Council
William Dow, an assistant professor of health economics at the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, on Monday began a one-year leave of absence to serve on President Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, the Argus reports.
Crawford Travels To Address Questions, Concerns About FDA
FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford beginning Sept. 13 will hold three public hearings as part of the Vision 2006 campaign to answer questions and hear comments about the agency, the Boston Globe reports.
Number of Uninsured California Residents Remains Steady Despite Drop in Employer-Sponsored Coverage
The number of uninsured California residents has remained steady at about 6.6 million in recent years in part because of increased enrollment in public programs such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, while rates of employer-sponsored health insurance have declined, according to a study released Tuesday by the University of California-Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
State Workers’ Compensation Reform Efforts Do Not Address Some Prescription Drug Costs
Recent reforms to the workers’ compensation system that placed new limits on prescription drug prices sold through pharmacies do not address physicians and clinics who sell “so-called repackaged drugs” directly to their patients, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Government Health Officials Investigating Deaths of Four California Women Who Took Mifepristone
The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined investigations by state and federal health officials to determine whether the deaths of four California women are linked to their taking Danco Laboratories’ Mifeprex, a treatment known generically as mifepristone.
Judge Postpones Hearing on Legality of UC Nurse Strike
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster has postponed until Aug. 25 a hearing on the legality of a nursing strike at University of California teaching hospitals, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Emergency Rules To Address Heat-Related Illnesses Approved
The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board on Friday voted unanimously to adopt emergency regulations to address heat-related illnesses among California workers, the Sacramento Bee reports.