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Drug Companies Increasingly Use Medical Science Liaisons
The Wall Street Journal reports that drug companies are increasingly using medical science liaisons: "Pharmaceutical companies are barred by the Food and Drug Administration from promoting unapproved drug uses, called off-label use, but they are using employees called "medical science liaisons," who are often physicians and pharmacists, as a legal way to discuss those uses. Medical science liaisons, who are considered medical rather than sales staff, have greater freedom than salespeople as they visit doctors offices to discuss the science behind a medicine, including unapproved uses." It notes: "The FDA requires traditional sales reps to refer information requests to their employers" medical or scientific staff, MSLs are usually on those staffs."
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U.S. Appeals Court Rules To Enforce Illinois Parental Notification Law
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Tuesday lifted, an injunction blocking the enforcement of an Illinois law that requires parental notification 48 hours before minors can undergo abortion procedures, the AP/South Town Star reports. The Illinois Legislature originally passed the law in 1984 and revised it in 1995. In 2007, U.S. District Judge David Coar issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the law. On Tuesday, the appeals court said that the measure was "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law, argued that a provision that allows a notification of a judge, rather than a parent, would be unworkable in practice. In an opinion by Judge Richard Cudahy, the appeals court panel said, "We acknowledge that there might be practical problems with the procedure at issue here" and that "it may be intimidating for a minor to navigate the process of presenting her case to a judge, for instance." It continued, "But we fail to see a better alternative. Abortion, no matter how it is confronted, may present intimidating choices to the minor woman who faces it."The law will take effect within a few weeks unless opponents ask for a stay. Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesperson, said that it is unclear what the next step would be but that the appeals court could be asked to rehear the case (Robinson, AP/South Town Star, 7/15).
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Survey Reveals Public's Concerns About Prescription Medication Overdose Risks Following Death Of Michael Jackson
Survey results released by The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) revealed the effects of publicity around Michael Jackson"s alleged prescription drug misuse. More than 200 pharmacists who work in home, ambulatory, and chronic care practices responded to the survey conducted on July 1, 2009.
Mental Health

Obama, Health Insurers Clash On Public Plan

"President Obama made a detailed case on Tuesday for a new government-administered health insurance plan, but he did not rule out signing a bill that lacks such an option if he cannot win enough support from Democrats in Congress," The New York Times reports. "In a White House news conference, Mr. Obama dismissed as "not logical" the suggestion that a public plan, which is intended to create more competition and therefore act as a brake on the rise of health insurance costs, would undermine the private insurance market. He argued that a government-run plan competing with private insurers would be an "important tool to discipline insurance companies" and scoffed at complaints that it could drive some out of business." Just hours before the President"s news conference, the insurance industry "fired off a new broadside against proposals for a public insurance plan" with a letter to the Senate which said "Regardless of how it is initially structured, a government plan would use its built-in advantages to take over the health insurance market." When asked whether he would sign a bill without a public plan, Obama said "It"s too early to say that. Right now, I will say that our position is that a public plan makes sense" (Zeleny and Pear, 6/23). USA Today adds that "the back-and-forth represented a potential setback for Obama"s goal of overhauling the nation"s health care system ò€" something insurers helped to scuttle 15 years ago under President Clinton with their national "Harry and Louise" advertising campaign." "Tuesday"s sparring was some of the most direct in a year that began with bipartisan "summits" at the White House" (Wolf and Jackson, 6/24). In an interview with ABC News, President Obama acknowledged that "his thinking on the issue [of health care] has "evolved." He "says he could support a law mandating that individuals purchase health care coverage, with fines for those who do not, but he stressed that there must be some kind of waiver for those who are simply unable to afford it." During the campaign, Obama opposed individual mandates. "Obama would not say if he was open to taxing health benefits, but indicated that there was a breaking point in the balance sheets where he would say that the cost of reforming the system is too great for the federal government to handle. "I think that if any reform that we get is not driving down costs in a serious way ... if people say, "We"re just going to add more people onto a hugely inefficient system," then I will say no. Because -- we can"t afford it," he said." ABC will air a special on health care tonight at 10 p.m. (Sawyer, 6/24). In other news, "A group that helped elect President Barack Obama is building a database of complaints from Americans about health care to help him push through an overhaul," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The strategy will test whether Organizing for America, an arm of the Democratic National Committee, can extend its influence beyond the election." The "story bank" is "an online collection of short stories people submitted chronicling their frustrations with American health care. It has organized the stories geographically, plotting them on a Google map, and is encouraging supporters to tell others the stories as a way of building support for the president"s effort to provide near-universal health coverage and cut medical costs" (Adamy, 6/23). Today, Obama will "meet with a bipartisan group of governors who co-hosted regional forums on health reform earlier this year. They include Democrats Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Jim Doyle of Wisconsin and Christine Gregoire of Washington, and Republicans Jim Douglas of Vermont and Mike Rounds of South Dakota," the Associated Press reports (6/24). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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