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

Clinical Data, Inc. Announces Approval Of Generic Name Vilazodone, First In A New Class Of Experimental Treatments For Depression
Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA) announced today that the United States Adopted Name Council (USAN) has approved the generic name vilazodone hydrochloride. Vilazodone, if approved, would represent a first-in-class drug for the treatment of depression, due to its novel dual mechanism of action as both a potent and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a partial agonist of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 1a (5-HT1A) receptor. Thus, vilazodone combines first-line therapy for depression with 5-HT1A partial agonism, an accepted adjunctive treatment for depression and a first-line therapy for anxiety disorders. Clinical Data has recently completed the second of two positive Phase III registration studies. Results of these studies will form the basis of a new drug application (NDA) that the Company intends to submit with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of 2009.

Oregon House Passes Preemptive Health Reform Bills
The Oregon House of Representatives passed two health reform bills that a leading Democratic lawmakers says will help Oregon "fit into whatever happens on the national scale," the Portland Oregonian reports. One bill would tax insurers and hospitals more than $300 million over two years to provide coverage to an additional 115,000 Oregonians. These funds would "leverage nearly $1 billion in federal Medicaid matching money." The second measure would create an Oregon Health Authority to replace an existing Department of Human Services, but with a broader mandate to track health care claims data and harness consolidated purchasing power to "pressure insurers and hospitals to use evidence based care." State officials say the measure "would create an estimated 3,600 high-paying jobs in hospitals, medical clinics and other areas" (Graves, 6/8).
News of the day
Leadership The Key To Learning From Tragedies
Commenting on the Care Quality Commission"s report into the West London Mental Health Trust, NHS Confederation Chief Executive Steve Barnett said:
Health Insurance

Journal Of Vascular And Interventional Radiology: New Patient Radiation Safety Guidelines

"Society of Interventional Radiology 2009 Standards Division Guidelines" is the subject of a special supplement to the July issue of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. SIR-a national organization of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving public health through disease management and minimally invasive, image-guided therapeutic interventions-provides a unique collection of new (such as radiation dose management) and previously published clinical practice guidelines developed since 2003 through its Standards Division. "The supplement includes "Guidelines for Patient Radiation Dose Management," a significant new document providing guidance on the safe use of fluoroscopy for interventional radiologists performing procedures on adult patients and children utilizing fluoroscopy. The safe use of fluoroscopy has always been a primary concern for interventional radiologists," said Michael S. Stecker, M.D., FSIR, an interventional radiologist and assistant professor at Brigham and Women"s Hospital in Boston, Mass. This radiation management guideline, tailored to interventional radiology practice, emphasizes the need for increased diligence to safely manage the risks of radiation exposure from such procedures as embolization (including chemoembolization for cancer); transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation for liver disease; and renal and/or visceral artery angioplasty and/or stent placement. "The value of medical imaging is great and the risks of radiation dose are generally negligible compared to the health benefits of having a needed procedure or treatment. However, there are times when a significant radiation dose may need to be administered, and this needs to be properly handled," said Stecker. Due to the scope of the project, the standardized guidelines were developed over the past two years and are for use both in the United States and internationally, having been created in collaboration with and endorsed by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe. "SIR developed the guidelines collection to improve the quality of clinical care and published research relevant to the practice of interventional radiology," said Albert A. Nemcek Jr., M.D., FSIR, editor of JVIR, a peer-reviewed, monthly publication long recognized for its exceptional quality and influence as an academic and professional re. "Members of SIR"s Standards Division have continued to develop new content as well as to revise older documents as appropriate," added the interventional radiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill. The 376-page collection guest-edited by John F. Cardella, M.D., FSIR, includes quality improvement guidelines, safety guidelines new from 2003, consensus documents, credentialing statements, policy and position statements and technology assessment documents. One new feature added since the 2003 supplement is emerging technologies articles; these state-of-the-art works are written by thought leaders in emerging topics, such as nanotechnology, genetic therapy and digital detectors in computed tomography. Also included are position statements, defining not only SIR"s position on a new technique or procedure, but also the societal position on such topics as the role of clinical associates in interventional radiology. There are several such collaborative documents with like-minded societies, adding strength to the collection, said Nemcek. In the supplement"s introduction, Cardella and his collaborating colleagues, Sanjoy Kundu, M.D., FSIR; Donald L. Miller, M.D., FSIR; Steven F. Millward, M.D., FSIR; and David Sacks, M.D., FSIR, offer the hope that "....these documents help you in optimizing the quality of care for patients, assuring consistency and comparability in the publication of clinical and basic science research, establishing quality assurance programs with action thresholds and learn about "new topics on the horizon" for interventional radiology." The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, can be viewed online at http://www.jvir.org. For more information, contact Noemi C. Arthur, SIR director of publications and JVIR managing editor, by sending an e-mail to narthur@SIRweb.org or by calling (703) 460-5593. A yearly subscription to the journal is $404 for individuals and $561 for institutions. A free journal subscription is a benefit of SIR membership. More information about the Society of Interventional Radiology, interventional radiologists and how to find an interventional radiologist in your area can be found online at http://www.SIRweb.org. Society of Interventional Radiology


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

© Copyright 2009