To say that some women of childbearing age got a bit concerned this week is probably an understatement.
Imagine what it must be like to be on a drug that’s supposed to prevent unplanned pregnancies and to learn that, gee, your package may have placebo pills placed where the active ingredients belong. Anyone who has ever been a day or two late when they weren’t expecting to be a parent can tell you the panic that sets in when you realize, “Ack! I might have a kid!”
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Komen has faced an increasing amount of pressure from the public, women's health groups, lawmakers and even some of its own regional affiliates to reverse the decision and continue its five-year partnership with Planned Parenthood. The $600,000 that Komen donated annually to the organization provided underserved women with free and low-cost breast exams.
Read more »The FDA has released a long-awaited draft of guidelines for how pharma and medical device companies can properly use "emerging electronic media" (social media marketing and communications) when discussing off-label uses of drugs and devices. And while this is not a comprehensive set of social media guidelines, it's a great start and according to the FDA, the "first of many planned guidance initiatives."
Read more »What’s standing in the way of the wider spread of health IT?
Plenty of things, according to a new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report says boosting use of electronic medical records and other health IT “enjoys bipartisan support.” It’s also being pushed by billions of dollars in government incentives.
Read more »Women have unique health care needs, and often make health care decisions for their families. The law offers important benefits for women and their families.
Read more »A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Australia against drug maker Merck by a young woman who suffered autoimmune and neurological health problems following injections with the HPV vaccine, Gardasil.
Read more »In case you missed it, January 18 was Internetageddon, the day some sites big (Wikipedia) and small went dark in protests over the Stop Online Piracy Act. By the end of the day, headlines spoke of sweet success: Sunk! How Hollywood Lost the PR Battle Over SOPA.
Read more »Health care access — as measured by the ease and timeliness with which people obtain medical services — is a key indicator of quality of care. Some people have high-quality care, with round-the-clock access to doctors. Others don’t, waiting months for an appointment, resorting to Google for medical advice and the ER for primary care. In other words, having an insurance card or even a doctor doesn’t mean you have good access to health care.
Read more »Digital privacy involves three main stakeholders: consumers, the government and the advertising industry. Consumers are increasingly concerned about their privacy. Government entities in the US and elsewhere are looking to temper that anxiety through laws, regulations and pressure on the digital ad ecosystem.
Read more »As the U.S. invests billions of dollars to convert from paper-based medical records to electronic ones, has the time come to offer everyone a unique health-care identification number?
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