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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically calls for and funds a "hospital readmissions reduction program" designed to help hospitals smooth the transition

A new weight-loss medication got an overwhelming endorsement on Wednesday from FDA?s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee. The committee voted 20-2 in favor of approving phentermine/topiramate (Qnexa, Vivus).

A recent study challenges the conventional assumption about how Clostridium difficile infection spreads in hospitals, finding that almost three-quarters of the new cases aren?t transmitted by patients in the same ward.

No significant difference was found in treating patients experiencing clinically diagnosed uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis with antibiotic amoxicillin compared with patients who received placebo, according to a study in the February 15 issue of JAMA.

There are no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids on cancer outcomes in individuals with prior cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online February 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Zinc used in conjunction with antibiotics significantly reduced mortality in children ages 6 months to 59 months with severe pneumonia when compared with antibiotics alone, according to the findings of a recent study done in Uganda.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) wants all US adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough, according to the Associated Press. The panel voted to expand its recommendation to include all those aged 65 years and older who haven?t gotten a whooping cough shot as an adult.

FDA announced a series of steps to increase the supply of critically needed cancer drugs, including temporarily importing an unapproved drug from India. The moves are building on President Barack Obama's executive order to help prevent future drug shortages, FDA said

More than a half million bottles of Infants Tylenol Oral Suspension, 1 oz. grape, have been recalled voluntarily by McNeil Consumer Healthcare because of complaints about using the dosing system, the company announced.

FDA has granted priority review to pertuzumab (Genentech, a member of the Roche Group) in combination with trastuzumbab (Herceptin, Genentech) and docetaxel chemotherapy for certain breast-cancer patients.

Men with ED also were more likely to have had open-angle glaucoma than those without ED, according to a study published in the February 12 online issue of Opthalmology.

Anti-infective drug shortages pose significant problems for clinicians and are a rapidly evolving public-health emergency that may require government oversight, according to an article published online January 19 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Uncontrolled diabetes may result in hearing loss in women, much like it affects vision or kidney function, according to the results of a new study.

Physicians should prescribe oral metformin as a first-line therapy for most patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as for those whose blood sugar cannot be controlled with diet, exercise, and weight loss, according to new guidelines from the American College of Physicians.

Some cancer patients may not get proper treatment because a counterfeit version of the drug sold as Avastin 400mg/16mi has been purchased by as many as 19 medical practices in the United States, FDA warned Wednesday.

The National Quality Forum (NQF) has approved for endorsement four measures on healthcare resource use and costs focusing on diabetes and cardiovascular care costs as well as total primary-care costs.

Surescripts has released study findings that link e-prescribing to a significant increase in first-fill medication adherence and healthcare savings.

Cost concerns continue to dominate benefit design, according to findings from The Zitter Group’s Managed Care Benefit Design Index: Emerging Trends in Access.

GeoBlue, a new insurance product made available to companies through a partnership with Highway to Health Worldwide, Inc., will provide global health plans services to BCBSMA members.

Healthcare systems looking to innovate might do well to avoid completely open or closed models, according to research by the Innosight Institute, a not-for-profit think tank.

FDA has approved tafluprost ophthalmic solution (Zioptan, Merck) 0.0015%, the first preservative-free prostaglandin analog ophthalmic solution for reducing elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension

FDA has approved mitomycin (Mitosol, Mobius Therapeutics) for use in glaucoma surgery.

FDA declined approval of the diabetes drug dapagliflozin (Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca), based on the recommendations of one of its advisory committees.

FDA has approved linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride (Jentadueto, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly) tablets, a new tablet that provides a single-tablet treatment option, taken twice-daily, for adult patients who need to control their blood sugar.

FDA approved axitinib (Inlyta, Pfizer) to treat patients with an advanced kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma who have not responded to another drug for this type of cancer.

An FDA advisory panel recommended against using denosumab (Xgeva, Amgen) to delay or prevent the spread of castration-resistant prostate cancer at risk for bone metastases.

Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are three times more likely to have a fall resulting in injury compared with those who don’t use SSRIs, according a study published online January 18 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

There was an increased risk of acute infection among long-term care residents who visited hospital emergency departments, according to a study published online January 23 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.