Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: January 6, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the increase in health expenditures the nation experienced in 2009.
Indian Drugmaker Seeks To Make, Sell Generic Version Of Pfizer’s HIV Drug
The Indian drugmaker Natco Pharma “said Wednesday it has informed Pfizer Inc. that it wants to make and sell a low-cost generic version of the U.S. company’s [drug] maraviroc for treating the HIV infection under a so-called ‘compulsory license’ [CL],” Dow Jones Newswires/Smart Money reports. “Natco Pharma’s move is significant because, if successful, the Indian generic drug maker will set a precedent for other Indian companies to override multinational drug makers’ patents for the treatments of diseases ranging from cancer to hypertension,” according to the new service.
Reuters examines how the efforts of “budget-minded lawmakers [in the new U.S. Congress will] seek to curb costs without undercutting military operations” could impact U.S.-backed aid programs, including those in Afghanistan. “‘[Y]ou’ll see a Republican party focused on funding the military effort while trying to cut back on civilian assistance,’ said one Democratic congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity,” according to Reuters. “A senior Republican aide said many lawmakers in the new Congress would be reluctant to fund State Department or aid programs, especially those in conflict zones, in part because they believed State had poorly managed its activities in Iraq.”
Sudan Referendum Approaches, Highlighting Health, Development Challenges Facing The South
“Southern Sudan is scheduled to start voting on January 9 on whether to become an independent country or remain part of Sudan, Africa’s largest nation which has been wracked by decades of conflict,” CNN reports (Wilkinson, 1/5). On Tuesday during a visit to the southern capital of Juba, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir “said he would celebrate the results of the referendum even if the south chooses to secede, and pledged last week to help build a secure, stable and ‘brotherly’ southern state if it votes for independence,” Agence France-Presse reports.
FAO’s Food Price Index For December 2010 Exceeds 2007-2008 Levels
“Food prices hit a record high” in December, exceeding 2007-2008 levels when price spikes resulted in riots around the world, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday in its monthly Food Price Index, the Financial Times reports (Blas, 1/5).
GOP House Leaders Take Positions In Health Overhaul Fight
The Republican strategy regarding the health law repeal effort becomes clear — as do the partisan lines in the sand.
Democrats Defend Health Law, Prepare To Fight Back As House Minority
With the countdown on until the Jan. 12 House repeal vote, Democrats who initially voted against the health overhaul are now considering where they stand on the repeal effort. Meanwhile, the Obama administration and other Democratic officials “hit back” at the GOP push to the undo the health law by detailing the negative repercussions it would have for consumers.
State Roundup: Minn. Medicaid Expansion, Mass. Health Costs, Calif. Free Clinic
A roundup of news from the states.
States Continue Implementation Efforts; Some Newly-Elected AGs Step Up Legal Attacks
Even as health overhaul drama continues on Capitol Hill, news outlets continue to watch how developments at the state level will impact the law’s implementation.
OpEds: Sebelius, Fla. Attorney General, USA Today, Wash Post Opine About Repeal Strategies
Today’s opinions come from the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Salon, the Detroit Free Press and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Outlook Continues To Be Negative For Insurers, Modern Healthcare Reports
Contributing factors include new regulations, political pressures and the weak economy.
Politics And Advocacy Swirl Around The Health Overhaul’s Next Chapter
News outlets examine how lobbyists and policy advocates have fared thus far and look ahead to the 2012 election.
NY Times: U.S. Alters Rule On Paying For End-Of-Life Planning
The Obama administration alters rule on end-of-life planning under Medicare.
First Edition: January 5, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how Republicans and Democrats are preparing for the new power dynamic in the House.
Indian Government Rejects Abbott’s Patent Application For Second-Line ARV
India’s patent office “has rejected American drug maker Abbott Laboratories’ patent application for an HIV combination drug, allowing low-cost local drug makers to make and sell their generic versions in India and other countries where the medicine is not patented,” Economic Times reports (1/4). The drug under consideration was Abbott’s “Kaletra, which combines two antivirals, [lopinavir/ritonavir and] is one of the preferred second-line treatments to fight drug-resistant HIV, according to the World Health Organization, which recommends governments include it on their list of essential medicines,” Bloomberg/Businessweek writes (Narayan, 1/4).
Seattle Times Looks At Response To Haitian Cholera Outbreak On The Ground
Though Haiti’s cholera “epidemic continues to spread, infecting more than 125,000 people and killing more than 3,200,” it seems to have “stabilized in” the town of Mirebalais, which is close to the “U.N. camp of Nepalese peacekeepers who are under investigation as a possible source” of the outbreak, the Seattle Times reports in a story outlining how aid groups and health workers are dealing with the situation.
Setting The Date: House Scheduled To Vote Jan. 12 On Health Law Repeal
In the background, news organizations report on the positions being taken by Democrats who may have voted against the measure the first time around and how Republicans plan to explain the budget implications of this repeal effort.
