WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials, criticized for declaring that a controversial chemical is safe, have refused to back down and instead plan more research.
The Food and Drug Administration, in a letter to independent scientific reviewers released Monday, said it is re-evaluating its research on Bisphenol A and carrying out additional studies. The letter was the agency’s initial response to an independent report that found deep flaws Read the rest of this entry »

Fifteen days before the election, serious gaps remain in the public’s knowledge about the health of the presidential and vice-presidential nominees. The limited information provided by the candidates is a striking departure from recent campaigns, in which many candidates and their doctors were more forthcoming.
In past elections, the decisions of some candidates for the nation’s top elected offices to withhold health information turned Read the rest of this entry »

A group of Democratic congresswomen today seized on the grim economic news to portray Barack Obama as the presidential candidate best able to improve American women’s financial lot.
The congresswomen, led by House speaker Nancy Pelosi, this morning attacked John McCain’s opposition to expansion of a children’s health insurance programme and to legislation seeking equal pay for women, and said his healthcare plan could leave millions of women without Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use a dietary supplement called Venom Hyperdrive 3.0 because of potential safety risks.
The FDA said the product might contain sibutramine — a potent controlled substance with risks for abuse or addiction.
“Sibutramine is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved prescription drug used as an appetite suppressant for weight loss,” said Dr.
, director Read the rest of this entry »

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday its safety experts have concluded that eating a minuscule amount of melamine _ 2.5 parts per million _ would not raise health concerns, even if a person ate food every day that was tainted with the chemical.
“It would be like if you had a million grains of sand and they were all white, and you had two or three that were black, that’s kind of the magnitude,” said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, September 11, 2008
EITHNE DONNELLAN, Health Correspondent
THE FAMILY of a 53-year-old woman who died of breast cancer earlier this year has called for an independent review of all X-rays read at Ennis General Hospital after two internal Health Service Executive (HSE) reports found serious errors were made in her case.
The reports, which have not yet been published, reveal a chest X-ray on Ann Moriarty at Ennis hospital on June 11th, Read the rest of this entry »

The future of personalized cancer drugs could be determined in a crucial debate Tuesday at the Food and Drug Administration.
An FDA advisory panel is set to debate what standards need to be applied before gene tests are recommended with cancer drugs to select which subset of patients are likely to benefit. At issue is what should be done when a drug is first approved for everyone, and only later researchers figure out that it only works in patients Read the rest of this entry »

nTelagent, Inc. has developed The Retail Application for the healthcare
industry, called the Self-Pay Management System (SPMS). Similar to
applications used in the retail industry at the point of sale, the
company’s proprietary, automated system tells
healthcare registrars and financial counselors exactly what to do and
what to say to each patient at the point of service regarding financial
responsibilities. Read the rest of this entry »

CIBC donates $500,000 to Women’s College Hospital to speed breast cancer diagnosis
TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) –
CIBC (CM: TSX;NYSE) today announced a $500,000 donation to Women’s College Hospital (WCH) to introduce the CIBC Breast Cancer Rapid Diagnosis Program, a new and innovative program designed to reduce the amount of time it takes for patients to get a diagnosis, once breast cancer is suspected. The donation will Read the rest of this entry »

Chinese-made drywall imported during the height of the housing boom is suspected of being responsible for the corrosion and failure of metal components, as well as foul odors, in homes in the Sarasota area and down both coasts of Florida.
State and federal health officials are trying to determine whether gases emitted by the drywall are hazardous to humans.
The Sarasota County Health department was at the forefront of the issue, beginning an investigation Read the rest of this entry »