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This section offers news briefs on health issues as of April 2011. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its approval for the preparation of hydroxyprogesterone caproate compound as a cheaper alternative of Makena. The discovery of Sipuleucel-T as a new treatment for prostate cancer raises doubts about the ability of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to subsidize high-priced medicine. The British General Medical Council (GMC) has released for comment and consultation its draft guidance for medicine prescription.

The article offers news briefs concerning medical economics. The growth in the U.S. Medicare spending per beneficiary has slowed, according to a working paper by the Congressional Budget Office. Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline will provide antiretrovirals to Russia at a discount.

The article discusses the highlights of papers presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies held in the U.S. Topics tackled in the meeting include asthma care measures, the effectiveness of recombinant human hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous (rHFSC) fluid administration in pediatric patients with dehydration, and the efficacy of mild fluid restriction in improving care and reducing health care costs for neonates with transient tachypnoea.

The article reports a white paper released by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review that analyses the challenges of implementing indication-specific pricing (ISP) models in the U.S and its different conceptual framework. Topics discussed include ISP being considered as value-based pricing models by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services for payment; ISP setting different prices for distinct patient sub-populations; and ways to design and implement ISP initiatives.

This article presents ways to ensure a country spends a sixth of the entire economy on healthcare. It reflects on the case of the U.S. in which healthcare represents 16 percent of the economy. It suggests to create ill-health by creating and sustaining large economic and social inequalities. The article also advises to turn real and imagined health problems into market opportunities.

The article discusses research being done on the relevance of housing homeless people with alcohol problems in Washington. It references a study by M. E. Larimer and colleagues, published in the April 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." The study examined the effect of a Housing First program on individuals in Seattle, Washington. It found that housing chronically homeless individuals with severe alcohol problems have significant cost savings.

The article discusses research being done on the U.S. health research funding. It references a study by T. Hampton published in the September 13, 2006 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." The amount invested by the U.S. in medical and health research in 2005 is cited. The percentage increase in overall health spending in 2005 is mentioned.

Reports on the accusation of HIV/AIDS activists in the U.S. against pharmaceutical companies for unreasonable pricing of the protease inhibitor tipranavir, as of July 2005. Statement issued by Nelson Vergel, a member of the AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition, regarding the increasing prices of medications for HIV/AIDS in the country.

This section offers news briefs on the pharmaceutical industry as of September 6, 2008. Bayer Schering plans to support the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by giving up to 110 million cycles of oral contraceptives to women in developing nations. A survey undertaken by the Commonwealth Fund found that medical bills and debts are affecting 79 million adults in the U.S. The periodical "PharmaTimes" predicts that Russia will enter the top 10 global pharmaceutical markets in 2008.

The article reports on the results of a survey conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change which showed that access to prescription drugs for U.S. citizens has remained steady between 2007 and 2010.

The article reports on the claim by researchers that the implementation of a nationwide, community-based lifestyle programme in the U.S. could delay or prevent up to 885,000 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and save about 5.7 billion U.S. dollars over 25 years.

The article focuses on the healthcare expenditure report published by "Health Affairs" which revealed that healthcare spending in the U.S. increase by just 4% in 2009, the second-slowest rate in the last 50 years.

This article reports on a statement issued by Chris Phelps of Datamonitor on the impact of the U.S. economic slowdown on pharmaceutical companies in 2008. According to Phelps, the credit crisis is likely to have a positive effect on the pharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile, he notes that the outlook for small biotechnology players is far from positive and the credit crisis looks set to change the balance of power in the pharma-biotech relationship.

This section offers news briefs related to healthcare regulations in the U.S. A deal negotiated by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, will allow the provision of antiretroviral drugs at low cost to individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in developing countries. Boehringer Ingelheim has amended its policy of voluntary licenses for generic producers in order to improve access to Viramune.

The article presents information on a study which focuses on new drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD). According to a study conducted in the U.S., a drug treatment which would delay the onset of AD for five years or less could present a value benefit of about $3.97 trillion to the U.S. economy. Results also showed that even a therapy that delayed onset of the disease by only one year could provide a benefit of about $1.2 trillion.

The article highlights the study conducted by Dr. Peter J. Neumann of Tuffs-New England Medical Centre in Boston, Massachusetts and Dr. Sean D. Sullivan from the University of Washington in Seattle about the negative effect of the decentralized U.S. health care system on the formal approach to the economic evaluation of health interventions. Neumann and Sullivan noted the reluctance of U.S. policymakers and private managed-care organizations to formally use the approach.