http://www.laskerfoundation.org/newsite/advocacy/laskerrss.xml Economic Issues in Medical Research en-us http://www.plosntds.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000201 SAN FRANCISCO: Reports that the Bush administration has expressed an interest in closing the Guantanamo Bay detainee facility in Cuba [1], colloquially known in the US as "Gitmo," could stimulate a new chapter in US foreign policy. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2008-02-24-drug-ads_N.htm WASHINGTON, DC: The Food and Drug Administration's current budget for reviewing consumer drug advertisements is larger than in the previous five years combined. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/business/06red.html?scp=3&sq=medical+research+funding&st=nyt KIGALI, RWANDA: Just over a year ago, the rock star Bono started Red, a campaign that combined consumerism and altruism. Since then, consumers have generated more than $22 million to fight H.I.V. and AIDS in Rwanda by buying iPods, T-shirts, watches, cologne and most recently -- as anyone who watched the Super Bowl knows -- laptops, with all of them branded "(Product)RED." http://www.scidev.net/gateways/index.cfm?fuseaction=readitem&rgwid=4&item=News&itemid=4227&language=1 LONDON: A group of European foundations have launched a new initiative to improve research into neglected tropical diseases in Africa. http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v14/n2/full/nm0208-105.html LONDON: The Innovative Medicines Initiative is an ambitious plan to accelerate the development of new drugs in the European Union. But however worthy, its implementation might prove challenging. http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,,2252769,00.html LONDON: The UK's largest medical research funder, the Wellcome Trust, has today announced it will increase its funding to £4bn over the next five years in what is believed to be the largest charitable spend in the UK. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/unu-cwp020108.php MAASTRICHT: Challenging researchers through international prize competitions to come up with innovative medicines and ideas for improving global health can help break existing profit-driven patterns that produce mostly drugs for the rich, according to world experts attending a landmark meeting devoted to the topic. http://www.scibx.com/scibx/pr080204.pdf SAN CARLOS, CA: Nature Publishing Group (NPG) and BioCentury Publications Inc., today announced the inaugural edition of SciBX: Science-Business exchange, a highly anticipated weekly publication that identifies and evaluates developments in science and technology that have commercial and investment potential within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical arena. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=us-funding-shortfalls-thr CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scientists are chafing at the U.S. government's unfulfilled pledge to boost funding for basic scientific research, the source of innovations ranging from the World Wide Web to high-tech cancer treatments. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/90959.php Public spending on medical research in Europe should be doubled over the next ten years to ensure the health and welfare of Europe's citizens and to nurture a thriving medical research industry, according to an influential panel of distinguished scientists. http://www.esf.org/nc/research-areas/medical-sciences/activities/emrc-white-paper/print.html STRASBOURG: Public spending on medical research in Europe should be doubled over the next ten years to ensure health and welfare for Europe's citizens and to nurture a thriving European medical research industry. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711154,00.html NEW YORK: One billion people will die from tobacco-related causes by the end of the century if current consumption trends continue, according to a global report released Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/us/18tests.html?_r=1&oref=slogin WASHINGTON: The science of genetic tests is marching ahead and so are efforts to sell them directly to consumers who are willing to send in a check and a bit of saliva to learn whether they are at risk for a disease. http://www.researchamerica.org/state_econ WASHINGTON, DC: Health research conducted in each state strengthens the local economies. This resource contains profiles of each state including the sources of investment in research, statistics for health-related industries, and highlights from local economic impact studies. http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=28705 BRUSSELS: EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik has called on the EU's Member States to work more closely together on research to combat cancer. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/357/20/2049 BOSTON: Although issues related to patenting by faculty at academic medical centers have been the source of much controversy, there is little systematic evidence of the growth of these activities, their distribution among academic departments, and their relationship to faculty research efforts. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.27.1.w1 WASHINGTON, DC: Between 1987 and 2004, seniors spent far more per person than children or working-age adults, but the relative gap between the age groups has not changed much since 1987 except for those age eighty-five and older. http://www.agingresearch.org/content/article/detail/1480 WASHINGTON, DC: The Alliance for Aging Research, in partnership with the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR), released a new volume of The Silver Book®: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in an Aging Nation dedicated to age-related eye disease--The Silver Book®: Vision Loss. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/1702 BETHESDA: The National Osteoporosis Foundation and American College of Obstetrics-Gynecology have expanded osteoporosis therapy recommendations by changing the treatment threshold. We determined the impact of this recommendation using nationally representative U.S. data. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/5/1490 BETHESDA: The committee that wrote the 2000 Institute of Medicine report on the health care safety net reconvened in 2006 to reflect on the safety net from the perspective of rising numbers of uninsured and underinsured people, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, high immigration levels, and new fiscal and policy pressures on care for vulnerable populations. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119393923740679324.html?mod=health_home_stories WASHINGTON, DC: The Food and Drug Administration only has inspection records for about one-third of the foreign manufacturers that may be making drugs for U.S. consumers, congressional investigators found. http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/press/pressitem.asp?ref=1492 ONTARIO, CANADA: A new study published in The Journal of Risk & Insurance explores the financial implications of banning insurance companies from accessing genetic information. http://www.thehastingscenter.org/patents-biomedical-research-treatment.asp GARRISON, NY: Are biomedical patents inappropriate, ineffective, or even harmful to innovation and access, or are they vital to achieving these goals? A new special report from The Hastings Center examines the debates. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/1702 BETHESDA: The National Osteoporosis Foundation and American College of Obstetrics-Gynecology have expanded osteoporosis therapy recommendations by changing the treatment threshold. We determined the impact of this recommendation using nationally representative U.S. data.