Year: 2014

By Paul Ingram TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) – Arizona regulations that would limit the use of the most popular abortion-inducing drug risk harming women seeking to end their pregnancies, attorneys for a women’s health provider argued in federal court in Tucson on Wednesday. The controversial regulations would require any medicine used to induce an abortion to be administered strictly according to protocols issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and subject to instructions on the label. The FDA in 2000 approved it for use within seven weeks of a pregnancy, but doctors in many parts of the country have begun using a new protocol that simplifies the use of the drug for women. Federal courts have upheld similar laws in Ohio and Texas, but state courts in Oklahoma and North Dakota have rejected such measures, according to Planned Parenthood Arizona.

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline is linking with two top bioscience centres on an open-access research project to tap into "big data" generated by gene research, in a move highlighting how drug companies are learning to share. The new public-private Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation (CTTV) is being created by GSK working alongside the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute, both of which are based in Cambridge, England. "I fully expect others to join," Patrick Vallance, GSK's head of pharmaceuticals research and development, told Reuters. As a result, there is a growing trend among pharmaceutical companies to become more open about sharing early-stage – or pre-competitive – research work, rather than keeping their science locked up behind high walls.

Americans in most states who tried to apply for medical coverage under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law by a March 31 deadline but met with technical difficulties will get an automatic extension to enroll, officials said on Wednesday. The new federal guidelines apply to consumers in the 36 states served by the federal health insurance marketplace and its website, HealthCare.gov. Monday is the cut-off date for choosing a health plan in 2014. We won’t close the door on those who tried to get covered and were unable to do so through no fault of their own,” said Julie Bataille, spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the healthcare law rollout.

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) – The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is to take a broader view of the value offered by new medicines under proposals that may make it more likely that it will say “yes” to novel drugs in future. Chief Executive Andrew Dillon told Reuters that wider uptake would only occur, however, if pharmaceutical manufacturers kept a tight rein on prices. NICE, which determines the use of treatments on the state-run health service, will in future look at the “wider societal impact” of therapies, as well as their cost-effectiveness on more limited clinical grounds.

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) – British healthcare cost agency NICE is to take a broader view of the value offered by new medicines under proposals that may make it more likely that it will say “yes” to novel drugs in future. Chief Executive Andrew Dillon told Reuters that wider uptake would only occur, however, if pharmaceutical manufacturers kept a tight rein on prices. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which determines the use of treatments on the state-run health service, will in future look at the “wider societal impact” of therapies, as well as their cost-effectiveness on more limited clinical grounds.

The White House on Wednesday defended extending some enrollments for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act past a March 31 deadline, saying doing so was comparable to allowing voters who are in line when polls close to cast their ballots. The administration late on Tuesday granted an extension until mid-April to people who say they have started to apply for coverage through the HealthCare.gov website but are unable to complete the process before the deadline. “We expect there to be increasing numbers as the deadline approaches,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. The administration expects criticism of the extension “by those who want to deny Americans quality, affordable health insurance, and want to put insurance companies back in control,” he told reporters traveling with the president to Europe.

By Philip Pullella and Jeff Mason VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Despite differences on moral issues, U.S. President Barack Obama will find in Pope Francis a welcome ally on issues of poverty and social justice when they meet for the first time at the Vatican on Thursday. Obama, a Christian, has kept his religion a mostly private affair, rarely attending church in Washington, D.C., since his election in 2008.

By Susan Cornwell and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House and Senate leaders said on Wednesday they were working to avert looming Medicare pay cuts for doctors, with a House vote on a temporary solution expected on Thursday and Senate action also possible in the coming days. Many lawmakers in both parties support the idea of finding a permanent solution to the Medicare payment system, fearing that otherwise doctors will be forced to turn away patients seeking access to care under the government-funded healthcare program for the elderly. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said on Wednesday he expected Congress to act swiftly after he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, agreed to a proposal to delay the cuts for another year. The House of Representatives will vote on Thursday, Boehner said, adding he expected the Senate would follow quickly.

Two firefighters were reported killed and at least 17 people injured as a nine-alarm fire raced through a four-story building in the city’s historic Back Bay neighborhood on Wednesday, drawing a large-scale emergency response, local officials said. The Boston Globe, quoting two people with direct knowledge of the fire, said the two Boston firefighters died while battling the blaze but gave no further details. All residents of the apartment building escaped unharmed, said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald. With the winds, “it’s hard fighting it from the outside.” Boston Emergency Medical Service said it had taken 17 people to area hospitals.

Boston judge slams parents, rules state to keep custody until age 18.