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Meridian Bioscience Receives FDA Clearance For New Rapid Campylobacter Test
Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO) announced that it has received FDA clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new rapid test for Campylobacter, ImmunoCard STAT!® CAMPY. This new test provides fast and accurate detection of Campylobacter bacteria, one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness and the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 20 million stool culture tests are conducted each year in the U.S. to detect the illness, known as Campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter is most often transmitted by poorly cooked poultry or person-to-person contact.
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European Scientific Committee Positive Recommendation From For A New Once Daily Mirapexin(R) Formulation For The Treatment Of Parkinson's Disease
Boehringer Ingelheim announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending the approval of a once daily formulation for Mirapexin®/ Sifrol® (pramipexole), in all countries of the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The CHMP recommendation states that the new prolonged-release formulation is indicated for treatment of the signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson"s disease, alone (without levodopa) or in combination with levodopa, i.e. over the course of the disease, through to late stages when the effect of levodopa wears off or becomes inconsistent and fluctuations of the therapeutic effect occur (end of dose or "on off" fluctuations).
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In Joint Statement, Industry Groups Reiterate Commitment To Reduce Health Spending Growth
The six industry groups that pledged to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over 10 years on Friday issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to work toward the goal, Roll Call reports (Murray, Roll Call, 5/15). The industry groups in a letter sent to President Obama on May 10 wrote, "We will do our part to achieve your administration"s goal of decreasing by 1.5 percentage points the annual health care spending growth rate. ... This represents more than a 20% reduction in the projected rate of growth." The letter -- which was signed by the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- did not elaborate on what specific measures the groups would take to achieve such reductions (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/12). Obama in a May 11 public announcement of the groups" pledge said the coalition"s goal was to cut the growth rate by 1.5 percentage points "each year," which would total $2 trillion over 10 years (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).However, industry leaders who attended the meeting with Obama said that they did not promise specific year-by-year savings, but instead agreed to a more incremental approach (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/15). Richard Umbdenstock, president of AHA, said, "There"s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members." AHA sent its members a bulletin stating that "the groups did not support reducing the rate of health spending by 1.5 percentage points annually," and that the pledge was to eventually reduce the growth rate by 1.5 percentage points (CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).In response to media reports that said they were backing away from their pledge, the groups on Friday in a joint statement reiterated their vow. They wrote, "Our organizations are currently engaged in an intensive process to develop proposals to reduce the rate of increase in future health care costs" (Young, The Hill, 5/15). The statement also said, "We are committed to working together to bend the health care cost curve" and "to doing our part to make reform sustainable and to make the system more affordable and effective for patients and purchasers" (Budoff Brown, Politico, 5/18). It continued that "to be successful, we must take action in public-private partnership. We look forward to offering cost-savings recommendations in the weeks ahead." The Obama administration has requested specifics on the coalition"s cost-cutting plans by June 1. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag on Friday in a blog post wrote that it is "understandable" that the groups need to "ramp up" to the 1.5 percentage point reduction in spending. According to Orszag, "The groups have committed to significant reductions in the growth rate, thereby recognizing that substantial efficiencies can be captured in the health system. Some ramp-up time also does not materially affect the long-term impact from reducing the growth rate, on either national health expenditures or the federal budget" (CQ HealthBeat, 5/15). Orszag"s blog posting is available online.
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Tenet Nurses, Healthcare Workers Take Action To Protest Sick Leave Cuts, California And Florida

Registered nurses and hospital workers who provide care at hospitals owned by Tenet Healthcare Corporation organized an unprecedented national protest against attempts to cut their access to sick leave. Tenet healthcare workers who belong to both the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association (NNOC/CNA) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare leafleted at nine hospitals in Florida and California. The caregivers called on Tenet management to reverse its decision to restrict or eliminate access to employees" extended sick leave. "Every day, we are on the frontlines for responding to health threats like the H1N1 virus. It"s basic common sense that nurses and other caregivers should not go to work if we"re sick ourselves. But these cuts will make it harder for us to take care of ourselves. It"s not too late for Tenet to rethink and redo this by restoring our extended sick leave," said Sherri Stoddard, an RN at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, California and a member of NNOC/CNA. "It was shocking that Tenet didn"t even consult with us before making this decision. Every day we work together as a team to provide high-quality care to every patient we admit. But with a decision like this-one that hurts how we work as a team of caregivers-we got no input," said Besty Marville, an RN in the Trauma/ICU unit at St. Mary"s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida and a member of SEIU Healthcare Florida. Previously, Tenet employees could earn leave for up to 30 days to be deposited into an "Extended Illness Bank" to tap into in the event that they were ill for more than one week. Tenet unilaterally took away current caregivers" ability to build up new hours in their banks and eliminated the bank for new hires. The cutbacks to employees" ability to manage their own health come as direct caregivers continue to respond to infectious outbreaks. The World Health Organization has raised the worldwide pandemic alert level of the influenza A (H1N1) virus to Phase 6. At least 55 healthcare workers have been infected with the swine flu virus. "Tenet is one of the largest for-profit hospital chains in the United States. It made a profit in the last quarter. We"re standing with Tenet co-workers who are dealing with these cuts to ensure that they can protect their health with good sick leave benefits," said Teri Baro, an OR Materials Coordinator at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and a member of SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West. California Nurses Association


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