Latest California Healthline Stories
NIH Received Few Royalties From Development of Taxol, GAO Report Finds
The NIH spent $484 million between 1977 and 2002 for research on the cancer medication Taxol but received only $35 million in royalties from Bristol-Myers Squibb, which contracted with the agency to manufacture and market the treatment, according to a General Accounting Office report released on Friday, Reuters/Washington Post reports.
SARS Outbreaks Waning Worldwide, World Health Organization Officials Say
International health authorities yesterday said that outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome appear to be waning, the New York Times reports.
Senators Say Compromise on Generic Drug Access Legislation Could ‘Save Billions’
As expected, a bipartisan group of senators yesterday announced a compromise plan they said “could save billions of dollars” by allowing lower-cost, generic versions of prescription drugs to reach the market more quickly, the AP/Orlando Sentinel reports.
Congress May Not Approve NGA’s Medicaid Reform Proposal, Report Says
The Medicaid reform proposal that the National Governors Association executive committee may endorse as early as today would leave states “worse off” and would not likely receive approval from Congress or the Bush administration, according to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, CongressDaily reports.
Federal Judge Blocks Los Angeles County Proposal To Limit Uninsured Patient Transfers
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper on Tuesday signed an order that blocks a proposal by Los Angeles County officials to limit the number of uninsured patient transfers to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center or County-USC Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senate Finance Committee Leaders Reach Agreement on Medicare Reform Legislation
Senate Finance Committee Chair Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the committee’s ranking Democrat, yesterday reached an agreement on a $400 billion, 10-year Medicare reform proposal that would increase use of private health plans and would give an equal drug benefit to all beneficiaries, regardless of whether they join a private plan, the Washington Times reports.
Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. John Edwards Announces Rx Drug Cost Control Proposal
As expected, presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) yesterday unveiled a proposal to reduce prescription drug costs, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports.
The San Francisco Chronicle yesterday examined efforts by state law enforcement and health officials to begin “cracking down” on Latino markets in the Bay Area that sell Mexican versions of U.S. prescription drugs to individuals who do not have the “prescriptions, the money or the inclination to buy the medicines legally.”
Senate Approves Workers’ Compensation Reform Legislation
The Senate on Wednesday voted 37-1 to approve a bill (SB 228) that would limit the amounts that outpatient clinics and pharmacies could charge to treat workers covered under the state workers’ compensation system, the AP/Fresno Bee reports.
Davis Unveils Program Linking Children’s Health Insurance Registration to School Lunch Program
Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday launched the Express Lane Eligibility program, an initiative that will allow low-income parents to register their children for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families when they sign up for the National School Lunch Program, the San Jose Mercury News reports.