Latest California Healthline Stories
Stem Cell Committee Lays Framework at Second Meeting
Independent Citizens Oversight Committee Chair Robert Klein on Thursday announced he has resigned as chair of the California Research and Cures Coalition, the not-for-profit group he formed after leading the Proposition 71 campaign, during the oversight committee’s second meeting, the Sacramento Bee reports.
GAO Cites Bush Administration Antidrug Segments for Violations
The Government Accountability Office on Thursday said that the Bush administration violated two federal laws through made-for-television “news segments” about the effects of illicit drug use among young people, the New York Times reports.
Some Industry Officials Allege Bush Is Behind Proposed Canadian Limits on Reimportation
Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh in the next few months plans to ask for regulatory limits on mail-order pharmacies in the country, Dosanjh spokesperson Ken Polk said on Thursday, an announcement that prompted some industry officials to allege that President Bush is “behind the move,” the Washington Post reports.
PhRMA Announces Industry Plan To Post Clinical Trial Data on Web Site
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, in conjunction with three other large pharmaceutical industry trade groups in Europe and Japan, on Thursday announced that their members plan to voluntarily post on a Web site more clinic trial results, the New York Times reports.
Letters To the Journal Science Raise Concerns Over 2003 Breast Cancer Study
A “landmark” 2003 study that linked mutated forms of two genes with an increased risk for breast cancer might have contained “worrisome flaws” that led to “a significant overestimate” of the risk, according to letters from two separate teams of scientists to the journal Science, which published the study, the Wall Street Journal reports.
California Children in Working Poor Families More Likely To Be Uninsured, Study Finds
Children in families considered working poor in California are more likely to be uninsured than those from other households, according to a study published this month in the journal Medical Care, News Medical reports.
Former Alvarado Administrator Pleads Guilty in Kickback Case
Former Alvarado Hospital Medical Center Administrator Mina Nazaryan on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy in a federal criminal trial that alleges Tenet HealthSystem Hospitals — a Tenet Healthcare subsidiary — Nazaryan and another Alvarado administrator paid illegal kickbacks to physician groups to increase patient referrals and revenue, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
KCET ‘Life & Times’ Special Focuses on Health Care in Southern California
KCET’s “Life & Times” on Tuesday aired a special with three segments examining health care issues in Southern California.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is expected on Monday to propose about $3 billion in spending reductions in his fiscal year 2005-2006 state budget, funding cuts that likely will “hit health care and social services the hardest,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Legislation To Create California Rx Program Introduced
Sens. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) and Chuck Poochigian (R-Fresno) on Thursday introduced a bill (SB 19) that would implement Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) California Rx plan, which “relies on voluntary cooperation from drug companies” to provide low-income state residents with prescription drug discounts of about 40%, the Sacramento Bee reports.