Latest California Healthline Stories
The Washington Times on Thursday profiled Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) — incoming chair of the Republican Study Committee — and examined his efforts to lead the conservative opposition to the Medicare legislation last year, which was opposed by 25 House Republicans.
R.J. Reynolds Settles Advertising Lawsuit for $11.4M in Penalties
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) on Wednesday announced that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has agreed to pay a total of $17.3 million in penalties and costs to settle a lawsuit over its advertising practices, as well as cut back on its advertising in magazines that have large teenage audiences, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Diane Monson, one of two state residents who are plaintiffs in a case seeking to end federal raids of medical marijuana users and providers, said on Tuesday that the state Department of Motor Vehicles had sent her a notice requiring a review of her driving qualifications, a move she called an act of “retaliation” for her legal efforts, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Schwarzenegger Finalizes Medi-Cal Reform Plan, Expected To Release Proposal in January
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) said that he has finalized his plan to reform Medi-Cal and will release the proposal on Jan. 10 as part of his fiscal year 2005-2006 budget plan, the Contra Costa Times reports.
U.S. Consumers Have Confidence in Safety of Prescription Drugs, FDA, Poll Finds
An Associated Press/Ipsos poll, taken after Pfizer last week announced that the pain medication Celebrex could increase patient risk for heart attack and stroke, found that most U.S. consumers have confidence in the overall safety of prescription drugs sold in the United States and the ability of FDA to ensure safety, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
CNA Sues Schwarzenegger, DHS for Delaying Nurse Staffing Ratios
Members of the California Nurses Association on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and the Department of Health Services illegally delayed until 2008 the implementation of a law that would decrease from six to five the number of patients for whom a nurse is responsible, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports.
Orange County Supervisors Reject Pilot Prescription Drug Reimportation Program for Employees
The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected a pilot program that would have allowed county employees and retirees to purchase prescription drugs from Canada, the Orange County Register reports.
Procter & Gamble Withdraws FDA Application for Female Testosterone Patch
Procter & Gamble has withdrawn an FDA application for its Intrinsa testosterone patch for female sexual dysfunction — pre-empting “what many observers saw as a likely rejection” — and announced plans to submit a new application to FDA that will include larger clinical trials, the Wall Street Journal reports
Officials for Tenet Healthcare, the second-largest U.S. hospital chain, on Tuesday announced plans to establish a $395 million fund for more than 769 cardiac patients and their families to settle a civil lawsuit filed over allegations that two physicians at Tenet-owned Redding Medical Center in California performed unnecessary heart bypass and other surgeries between 1992 and 2002, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Data Indicate Defunct Program Had Success in Reducing ED Visits, Medication in Children with Asthma
Data indicate that the state’s Early Childhood Asthma Initiative was successful in improving the health of children ages five and younger, the Monterey County Herald reports.