Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

All Global Announces Panel Expansion In The U.S. And Europe
All Global, the world"s

Federal Legislation Needed To Improve Oversight Of In Vitro Fertilization, Opinion Piece States
The Family Building Act of 2009 (H.R. 697, S. 1258) "takes an important first step toward improving the way insurers view infertility," but it is "not a silver bullet for improving the way [in vitro fertilization] treatments are conducted and covered," John Zhang, founder and director of the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill. The bill, introduced by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) in the House and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in the Senate, would require health insurance companies that cover obstetrical services to cover non-experimental treatment of infertility, including IVF.Zhang writes that one of the "most significant issues is that multiple-embryo transfers have become common practice," which increase the risk for premature delivery, contribute to infant mortality rates and add to costs. According to Zhang, the lack of federal guidelines, "coupled with failure by the insurance industry to cover IVF treatment in the U.S., has encouraged patients to insist on multiple embryo transfer to get the most out of the enormous out-of-pocket fees they incur per cycle." In addition, "because doctors are rewarded for better success rates, the emphasis moves from quality to quantity so that clinics may boost their success rates despite potentially dangerous and expensive health complications," Zhang writes.Zhang continues that if IVF "were more accessible and reimbursed by health insurers, and if embryo transfers were regulated, there would be consequences for clinics and physicians who practice irresponsibly," and it "would be nearly impossible for IVF to lead to high-order multiples with their attendant risks." Although the Family Building Act "addresses this problem from an insurance perspective, it does not incorporate all the critical pieces that would encourage more responsible IVF practices among patients and physicians," according to Zhang.Zhang suggests that lawmakers "set age limitations on insurance coverage to encourage responsible spending" and that regulators "revise the outdated IVF reporting system and start providing incentives that encourage responsible medical practices." He concludes that it is "crucial that legislators and doctors work together to create a regulated and safe environment for IVF patients that upholds the integrity of our country"s medical profession" (Zhang, The Hill, 6/22).
News of the day
Amy Vega Takes A Novel Approach To Nursing Education
When you think of continuing education for nursing, you may imagine medical textbooks, complicated graphs and loads of acronyms. Well, Amy Glenn Vega hopes to transform continuing education by taking nursing lessons and crafting them into steamy page-turners nurses can read while cozying up next to the fireplace in their favorite comfy chairs.
Diagnostics

Mabthera(R) (Rituximab) Available On NHS For UK's Most Common Leukaemia

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) today issued its recommendation for the use of MabThera® (rituximab) in the UK"s most common form of leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).1,2,3 NICE"s final guidance recommends rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) chemotherapy as an option for previously untreated patients with CLL.4 The addition of rituximab to FC chemotherapy has been proven to halt progression of the disease by 10.5 months longer than chemotherapy alone, and more than doubles the number of CLL patients achieving complete remission, compared to chemotherapy.5,6 More than 20,000 people in the UK are living with CLL and there are an estimated 3,700 new cases every year.7,8 Professor John Gribben, Consultant Haematologist and Medical Oncologist, Barts and The London NHS Trust, commented: "The ability to add rituximab to chemotherapy is a major advance in the way we can treat chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Where previously our goal was just to improve symptoms, for the first time we now have a treatment combination that is capable of producing much higher remission rates and more durable responses. This is great news for patients and clinicians, who have been waiting many years for an advance that provides significant benefits compared to chemotherapy alone." In the pivotal clinical trial, the addition of rituximab to FC chemotherapy extended the period of time after treatment in which the disease progression is halted ("progression-free survival") by 10.5 months when compared to chemotherapy alone (3.5 years vs. 2.7 years).6 In addition, the number of patients achieving complete remission was more than twice that of chemotherapy alone (36 per cent vs. 17 per cent).5 Tony Gavin, Director of Campaigning and Advocacy, Leukaemia CARE, said: "This NICE recommendation means many more people with the most common form of leukaemia should be able to Roche Products Limited access rituximab on the NHS. Now Final Guidance is granted, rituximab should be made available immediately to all patients eligible for this treatment." Jane Barnard, Chair of the CLL Support Association, said: "This is great news for CLL patients, many more of whom will now have the potential to gain additional time in remission and relief from debilitating symptoms such as extreme fatigue and the pain and discomfort of swollen glands." CLL is a blood cancer caused when abnormal white blood cells (B-cells) grow out of control. They then outnumber healthy cells in the bone marrow and prevent the immune system from working normally. CLL accounts for approximately one third of leukaemias.2 "Roche welcomes this NICE recommendation for MabThera. CLL is a devastating disease that has no cure. Longer, deeper remissions allow people to return to work and family life with reduced or eliminated symptoms," said John Melville, General Manager, Roche Products Ltd. Adding rituximab to chemotherapy in CLL results in an overall manageable tolerability profile, which helps maintain patients" quality of life. In the pivotal trial, adding rituximab to FC led to a higher incidence of haematological toxicity (where the bone marrow is suppressed, making it harder for the body to produce blood cells). Specifically, the increased incidence of neutropenia (a reduction in a specific type of white blood cell) was statistically significant, but this did not lead to a significant difference in infections between the two types of treatment.5 Please refer to the rituximab Summary of Product Characteristics for full details, available at: http://www.emc.medicines.org.uk. About CLL Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a blood cancer caused by a type of abnormal white blood cell (B-cells). Healthy B-cells are involved in fighting infection by producing antibodies. CLL leads to the suppression of the immune system, failure of the bone marrow and infiltration of malignant cells into organs. CLL can spread to the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system and other organs. It does not usually form a solid mass or tumour.2 Further information in the CLL backgrounder (COMM00333a). About Rituximab (MabThera) Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody (sometimes shortened to "MAB"), a type of man-made molecule that targets specific cells, or parts of cells, for destruction. Rituximab binds to a particular protein, the CD20 antigen, which is expressed on the surface of normal and malignant mature B-cells, a type of white blood cell vital to the body"s immune system. Disruption to the normal function of B-cells is a hallmark of many diseases, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis and CLL. The way in which rituximab targets B-cells means it is capable of tackling more than one disease. Rituximab is licensed in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. CLL8 Trial CLL8, the pivotal trial on which rituximab"s first-line CLL licence is based, was an international, multicentre study. It included 817 patients with CLL who needed treatment for the first time. The study was conducted at 191 study sites across 11 countries. The trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of rituximab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for initial treatment. The primary endpoint of the study was progression-free survival. References 1. CLL Support Association: http://www.cllsupport.org.uk/aboutcll.htm Accessed 1 July 2009 2. Cancer Research UK: http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=17964Accessed 1 July 2009 3. Byrd JC et al. "Randomized phase 2 study of fludarabine with concurrent versus sequential treatment with rituximab in symptomatic, untreated patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia: results from Cancer and Leukemia Group B 9712 (CALGB 9712)", Blood 2003; 101: 6-14 4. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Single Technology Appraisal TA174, July 2009: Rituximab for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. http://www.nice.org.uk/TA174. 5. Rituximab (MabThera®) Summary of Product Characteristics, March 2009 6. Hallek H. ASH presentation, December 2008. Data on file. MAB015 7. The estimated 20-year prevalence of CLL in the UK is 20,185. Figure has been calculated by applying the 2005 Scottish prevalence rates (http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/183.html) per 100,000 to the 2005 UK population. Accessed 1 July Roche


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009