Insurance

Cervical Cancer :: Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil in CDC’s Vaccines for Children

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine, GARDASIL? [Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Recombinant Vaccine] to the CDC’s Vaccines for Children (VFC) contract for girls and women aged 9 to 18. GARDASIL was approved on June 8 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26 years. GARDASIL is the world’s first and only vaccine available for the prevention of HPV types 16- and 18-related cervical cancer, cervical pre-cancers (CIN 2/3 and AIS), vulvar pre-cancers (VIN 2/3) and vaginal pre-cancers (VaIN 2/3) and for the prevention of genital warts and low-grade cervical lesions (CIN 1) caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.

Osteoarthritis :: Acupuncture show improvements in osteoarthritis patients

Osteoarthritis (OA) has a major impact on patients’ mobility and quality of life but the anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat it are associated with a number of side effects. In recent years, patients have turned increasingly to acupuncture to relieve the chronic pain associated with OA. A new study published in the November 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism examined the use of acupuncture as an extension of routine medical care and whether the effects of treatment last after therapy is discontinued.

Herpes :: Merck’s shingles vaccine Zostavax, Zoster Vaccine Live for herpes zoster

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend that adults 60 years of age and older be vaccinated with ZOSTAVAX? [Zoster Vaccine Live (Oka/Merck)] to help prevent shingles (herpes zoster), a frequently painful disease marked by a blistering rash.

HIV :: Most HIV infected individuals with inadequate outpatient medical care

In a first-of-its-kind study, UCLA researchers have shown that segments of the HIV-infected population who have little to no consistent outpatient medical care ? and yet are most in need of such services ? are overwhelmingly minorities, the poor and substance abusers.

Health :: Racial disparities in preventive health care persist

The racial gap in preventive health care — such as Pap tests, mammograms, and prostate and colorectal cancer screenings — persists and might be larger than previously thought, a study published online in BMC Heath Services Research finds, the Washington Post reports. For the study, Kevin Fiscella, an associate professor of family medicine and community and preventive medicine at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine, and colleagues compared self reports from patients and Medicare claims from their physicians to see when they were eligible for and last had screenings for several conditions.

Breast Reduction :: Insurance companies deny medically necessary breast reductions

What if you couldn’t perform daily activities, such as exercising or running with your children, because of overly large breasts that caused unending pain? Despite existing scientific studies that outline the medical necessity for breast reduction, many insurance companies are denying thousands of women the procedure each year because of rigid, unfounded conditions to secure coverage, according to a study presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2006 conference in San Francisco.

Cancer :: The leukemia & lymphoma society launches program to ease the return to school for children with cancer

Each year approximately 9,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with cancer in the United States, with leukemia representing more than 30% of these cases. Thanks to research advances, the survival rate for the most common pediatric cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), has improved from a dismal 4 percent in the 1960s to more than 85 percent today. However, for children who survive cancer, the challenges continue long after the treatments are over.