Popular Articles

Students Win Challenge To Bring Clean Water To Slums Of Mumbai, India
A team of University of Minnesota-Twin Cities students from a civil engineering class will head to India later this month to share their ideas and plans for helping bring clean water to thousands of residents living in the slums of Mumbai - the same impoverished area that provided the backdrop for the 2009 Oscar Award-winning movie, "Slumdog Millionaire."

MS Patients Report Greater Treatment Satisfaction With TYSABRI
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) have announced interim results from an ongoing, one-year longitudinal health-outcomes study in which patients reported significantly higher levels of treatment satisfaction after three infusions with TYSABRI® (natalizumab) when compared to multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies used previously. The findings from the study, which were reported by patients on therapy, further demonstrate the benefits of TYSABRI in treating MS and are helping to redefine successful treatment of the disease. The study, which was performed in conjunction with HealthCore Inc., a health-outcomes research company, is being presented in a poster today during the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.
News of the day
Majority Of School Nutrition Programs Now Offer Vegetarian School Lunches
School Nutrition Association president Dr. Katie Wilson, SNS announced new data today on the widespread availability of vegetarian school lunch options. Almost two thirds of school nutrition programs now offer a vegetarian school lunch on a consistent basis, up from 22% in 2003, according to the Association"s soon to be released 2009 School Nutrition Operations Report. The availability of vegetarian school lunches in a majority of districts is consistent with the overall trend in the past five years towards more nutritious school lunches emphasizing whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and low-fat dairy. The vegetarian choices also come in spite of federal school lunch reimbursements that have not kept pace with increased food and labor costs. Dr. Wilson presented the research findings at the National Conference on Childhood Obesity in Washington, DC today.
Medical Devices

Members Announced For The MHRA's Agency Board

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Appointments Commission are pleased to announce two new appointments and two reappointments of non-executive directors to the Agency Board. Sir John Lilleyman is a newly appointed member to the Agency Board. He is currently a Department of Health nominated director of the Appointing Authority for Independent Research Ethics Committees. He has spent 30 years as a consultant paediatric haematologist and oncologist as well as holding the post of medical director for the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). In that role he assumed responsibility for the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees and continued as a part-time strategic advisor following retirement in 2007. Mr John Williams, CBE, is a newly appointed member to the Agency Board. A consultant surgeon specialising in oral and maxillofacial surgery, he was president of both the British and European Associations as well as the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He has also previously been appointed as the chairman of the Committee on the Safety of Devices. Ms Lisa Arnold has been a non-executive director of the MHRA since 2003 and has held the position of chair of the Risk and Audit Committee since 2007. She holds a number of board appointments, particularly relating to occupational pension schemes. In the voluntary sector she is a trustee of The Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT), a medical research charity, and is a governor of Cheltenham Ladies College. Lisa also has more than fifteen years experience in investment banking as a senior pharmaceuticals and healthcare marketing analyst. Mr Michael Fox has been a non-executive director of the MHRA since 2003. He is currently a member of the MHRA"s Risk and Audit Committee and chairman of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. Prior to this, he held a number of chief executive positions within the not-for-profit sector and the NHS. The Agency Board of the MHRA is responsible for monitoring the implementation of ministers" objectives for the strategic direction of the Agency, taking into account the perspectives of its stakeholders and advising ministers and the Agency accordingly. The Agency Board is chaired by the MHRA Chairman, Alasdair Breckenridge, and consists of seven non-executive directors and the chief executive officer. Ms Lisa Arnold and Mr Michael Fox have been re-appointed for a further three years. Sir John Lilleyman and Mr John Williams are newly appointed for a four year term. All appointees are paid a remuneration of ÷£7,247 per annum, plus expenses. Appointments to the Agency Board are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees" political activity (if declared) to be made public. No appointees declared any political activity. Notes 1. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone - the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry - to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action. http://www.mhra.gov.uk 2. Details of the Agency Board is available on the MHRA website 3. Details of the Appointments Commission is available on their website http://www.appointments.org.uk/ 4. Details of the Nolan Recommendations can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments website http://www.publicappointmentscommissioner.org/ MHRA


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