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Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Initiates ApoB SNALP Phase 1 Clinical Trial
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX:TKM) announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 human clinical trial for ApoB SNALP. ApoB SNALP, Tekmira"s lead RNAi therapeutic product candidate, is being developed as a treatment for patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol, who are not well served by current therapy. ApoB SNALP is designed to reduce the production of apolipoprotein B (ApoB), a protein produced in the liver that plays a central role in cholesterol metabolism.

Washington Post Examines Lobbying Efforts Of Health Information Technology Industry
The Washington Post on Saturday examined the role of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in lobbying for the national adoption of health information technology as part of health reform efforts. According to the Post, HIMSS has collaborated with various allies, including technology vendors and research groups, "in a sophisticated, decade-long campaign to shape public opinion and win over Washington"s political machinery."HIMSS in the early part of this decade forged a "strategic alliance" with the Center for Information Technology Leadership, a not-for-profit health IT research group in Massachusetts, to develop and distribute data reports on the cost efficiency and benefits of health IT, the Post reports. CITL also had sponsorship ties with several health and technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente and Siemens Medical Solutions. In 2004, CITL issued a report that concluded in part that a national health IT system could reduce spending by as much as $77.8 billion by limiting drug prescribing errors and notifying providers of more cost-effective drug alternatives.According to the Post, the findings of the report were used by the Obama administration in developing the $787 billion federal economic stimulus package, which included billions in new spending for the creation and adoption of health IT systems. Although a Congressional Budget Office report found that the assumptions of CITL report were "overly optimistic" -- a follow-up CBO analysis projected that electronic health records would reduce health care spending by $17 billion over 10 years -- the health IT measures in the stimulus package "represented a triumph" for HIMSS, "whose members now stand to gain billions in taxpayer dollars," the Post reports. The Post notes that HIMSS" "sudden success shows how the economic crisis created a remarkable opening for a political and financial windfall: the enactment of a sweeping new policy with no bureaucratic delays and virtually no public debate about an initiative aimed at transforming a sector that accounts for more than a sixth of the American economy" (O"Harrow, Washington Post, 5/16).Please note: The Kaiser Family Foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.
News of the day
New Red Cross Survey Shows Nearly 50 Percent Of People Have Had A Drowning Scare In Their Lifetime
Approximately half of adults surveyed on water safety say they"ve had an experience where they nearly drowned in their lifetime, and one in four know someone who has drowned, according to an American Red Cross survey.
Mental Health

Antiabortion Group's National Convention Focuses On 'Common Ground' In Abortion-Rights Debate

The National Right to Life Committee last week held its national convention in Charlotte, N.C., attracting as many as 1,300 antiabortion-rights advocates from around the U.S., according to event organizers, the Charlotte Observer reports. According to the Observer, a large part of the convention focused on President Obama"s appeal for "common ground" in the abortion-rights debate, with many participants arguing there is not much in common to be found between abortion-rights supporters and opponents.NRLC Political Director Karen Cross said that Obama is "the most pro-abortion president" in U.S. history, telling convention delegates, "Look at the devastation brought by the first 100 days" of his administration. Cross was referring to Obama"s decisions to ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, lift the "global gag" rule and his intentions to repeal the Bush administration"s provider "conscience" rule.Although Obama has sought to achieve common ground on abortion by promoting adoption and methods of preventing unintended pregnancies, his "view of common ground is not common ground at all" for "people with very strong pro-life positions," John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, said. Green said that the "positive news is abortion is not a priority for many Americans." Green said that results from a recent a Pew Research Center poll could indicate that "pro-life constituencies are becoming more vocal and more strident precisely because there"s a president with more pro-choice sympathies." Similarly, a May Gallup poll found that 51% of U.S. residents consider themselves "pro-life," compared with 42% who call themselves "pro-choice." The poll was the first time Gallup found that more people identified themselves as "pro-life."Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that the Gallup poll "doesn"t square" with the election of Obama and abortion-rights majorities in both chambers of Congress. She said, "Americans want a change in the tone of the debate and that begins with common ground on birth control and sex education." She added, "As long as right-to-life refuses to support better access to contraception, they will continue to be outside the mainstream values of this country" (Morrill, Charlotte Observer, 6/20). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women"s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company. © 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.


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