Latest California Healthline Stories
Pfizer on Thursday suspended U.S. sales of the COX-2 inhibitor Bextra at the request of FDA, which took “sweeping action to address the health risks of widely used painkillers, calling” on manufacturers” to include “sterner warnings” on their labels, the Wall Street Journal reports.
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni Seeks To Revise New Agency Conflict-of-Interest Guidelines
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni on Wednesday at a Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee hearing said that he will seek to alter the agency’s new conflict-of-interest rules because it is “very clear” that a provision requiring employees to divest health-related stock would have a “deleterious impact” on NIH, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Antibiotic-Resistant Strains of Staph Infections Increase Outside of Hospital Settings, Study Finds
Drug-resistant strains of staph bacteria — which typically are spread in hospitals and health care settings and can cause “hard-to-treat” infections — are emerging at an “alarming rate” in other populations in many communities, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the AP/Boston Globe reports.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Files Motion To Terminate Contract with Drew University
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich on Wednesday filed a motion calling for the county Department of Health Services to end its contract with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and contract with another medical school to administer physician-training programs at Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reports.
California Healthline Highlights Recent News on Nurse Staffing Issues
Several newspapers recently published articles on nurse staffing issues.
NIH Officials Criticize Bush Administration Policy on Stem Cell Research at Senate Committee Hearing
NIH officials on Wednesday in written and oral testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies “br[oke] with a tradition of deference to top administration officials” and criticized the Bush administration’s restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, the Washington Post reports.
Report Alleges Financial Conflicts of Interest for Members of ICOC
The Center for Genetics and Society on Wednesday released a report saying that seven of the 29 members of the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the stem cell agency created by Proposition 71, have “significant business connections with companies connected with stem cell research,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Santa Rosa Council Votes To Prevent Openings of New Pot Clubs
Santa Rosa City Council members on Tuesday voted 5-0 to pass a moratorium that prevents new marijuana clubs from opening for the next 45 days, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
Senators Might Block Nomination of Lester Crawford as FDA Commissioner Over Plan B Delay
Democratic Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on Wednesday said they plan to block a full Senate vote on FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford’s nomination to head the agency because of FDA’s delay in issuing a decision about whether to approve Barr Laboratories’ application to allow the emergency contraceptive Plan B to be sold without a doctor’s prescription, Reuters reports.
Senate Banking Committee Approves Bill To Create Universal Health Care System
The Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee on Wednesday voted 7-4 to approve a bill (SB 840) that would create a universal health insurance system — including a state agency, commissioner and medical board — to negotiate fees, establish policy and pay claims, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.