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Archive for January, 2010


What is the Secret of the Best Anti Wrinkle Skin Cream? Find Out

Looking for an anti wrinkle skin cream? Want to find the best one available? Well, if you’re anything like me, then you’ve probably tried a dozen different creams and were totally dissatisfied with the results.

Viagra

The truth is that there aren’t very many companies that use the quality of ingredients that have the ability to make a long-lasting impact on your skin.

Most companies use ingredients that are cheap and irritating (some have even been suspected of causing cancer, such as parabens), and their so-called “active” ingredients aren’t concentrated enough to have any effect. Not only that, but most companies don’t use formulations that allow the ingredients to absorb deep enough into the skin.

But, don’t give up hope, because there are small, specialized skincare companies who, in my opinion, make the best skin creams that I have ever used. These companies lead the pack in skincare research and use only the purest, most effective ingredients.

So, how does the best anti wrinkle skin cream stand apart from those “so-so” products? Well, it’s unique in the following ways:

- Contains no “questionable” or cheap ingredients — Many skincare companies use cheap, low-quality ingredients in their products, such as mineral oil, alcohols, and fragrances. These three are very common and also very bad for the skin, as they trap toxins, irritate, and dry the skin, allowing age spots and wrinkles to form prematurely.

The best anti wrinkle skin creams contain natural, rich moisturizers and plant waxes in the place of mineral oil, alcohols, and fragrances. These natural oils and waxes do not irritate or age the skin, but rather hydrate and soften the skin cells, and they do it much better than artificial moisturizers.

- Penetrates deeper layers of the skin — The number of skin layers a cream penetrates is based on how it was formulated to absorb into the skin. Many products contain ingredients with molecules too large to penetrate very deep.

The best skin products contain ingredients that have been re-formulated to break down the molecules as tiny as possible without losing the desirable properties. These re-formulated ingredients then have the power to penetrate many layers of skin, instead of just a few.

- Stimulates growth of new skin structure — To be effective, any anti wrinkle skin cream must stimulate the growth of new skin structures, such as collagen and elastin. This is very important to remember. Many people buy products containing collagen and think this will work to get rid of wrinkles, but it won’t. Collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin and cannot be re-formulated.

The best creams that I have used contain Functional Keratin, which is a unique type of keratin that has gone through special processing. Clinical studies have shown that products containing this keratin significantly decrease fine lines and wrinkles, because the keratin stimulates the body to ramp up its production of collagen and elastin. This is the best, and easiest, way to increase the amount of collagen in your skin.

To learn more about the unique properties of the best anti wrinkle skin cream, and where to find it, please visit my website.

Haley Hensley is very passionate about natural skin care and is dedicated to finding quality skin care products. Visit her website to learn about the anti wrinkle skin cream she recommends after extensive research: http://www.your-favorite-skin-site.com

Inherited variations in mitochondrial DNA linked to renal and prostate cancer

More than 20 million men in the United States with a single signature park of inherited characteristics and mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are at significantly increased risk in return developing renal and prostate cancers, according to investigation at Emory University.

The findings will be presented at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research by John A. Petros, MD, associate professor of urology at Emory University School of Medicine, its Winship Cancer Institute, and the Atlanta VA Medical Center.


Mitochondrial DNA, which contains a small number of genes inherited mainly from the mother, is found in the hundreds of mitochondria located in the cytoplasm outside of each cell’s nucleus. The mitochondria often are called the “powerhouse” of the cell because they produce about 90 percent of the body’s energy.


In a study comparing mtDNA of men from the general population to mtDNA of men with renal and prostate cancer, Dr. Petros found that only 9.6 percent of the general population of Caucasian Americans had mtDNA in haplogroup U, while 16.7 percent of prostate cancer patients and 20.7 percent of renal cancer patients exhibited the haplogroup U signature. A haplotype is a combination of variations in a gene.


In addition to the variations in haplogroup U, Dr. Petros also found that 12 percent of prostate cancer patients had several missense mutations in a mitochondrial gene called cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene compared to less than 2 percent of patients with negative biopsies for prostate cancer. Missense mutations in genes lead to amino acid substitutions in the protein encoded by the gene.


“This is convincing evidence that mitochondrial variations and mutations play an important role in prostate and renal cancers,” Dr. Petros said. “This is the first evidence that individuals who inherit these mutations are at increased risk of developing prostate cancer later in life. Mitochondrial genotyping has the potential of identifying this large number of at-risk individuals so that screening can be initiated for early detection and prevention.”


http://www.medweb.emory.edu/MedWeb

Clioquinol appears to block the genetic action of Huntington’s disease

Clioquinol, an antibiotic that was banned for internal partake of in the Collaborative States in 1971 but is tranquillity used in topical applications, appears to block the genetic vigour of Huntington’s disease in mice and in chamber culture, according to a study reported by San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) researchers.

The study, led by principal investigator Stephen M. Massa, MD, PhD, a neurologist at SFVAMC, was reported in the August 16, 2005 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


Huntington’s disease is a hereditary, degenerative, and ultimately fatal disease of the brain that causes changes in personality, progressive loss of memory and cognitive ability, and a characteristic uncontrolled jerking motion known as Huntington’s chorea. There is no known cure or effective treatment. A person who carries the mutant Huntington’s gene may pass it on unknowingly because the disease often manifests in early to late middle age after the carrier’s children have already been born.


During the course of the disease, the Huntington’s gene causes the production of a toxic protein, mutant huntingtin, in neurons (brain cells). Eventually the protein kills the neurons, causing the disease’s degenerative effects.


In Massa’s study, Clioquinol appeared to interrupt the production of mutant huntingtin. In the first part of his study, Massa and his research team tested the effect of Clioquinol on neurons in cell culture that contained a form of the mutant Huntington’s gene. “We found that not only did cells look better and survive a bit longer when exposed to the drug, but they also seemed to make less of the toxic protein,” observed Massa, who is also a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).


Based on the in vitro results, Massa decided to test the drug in vivo, on mice bred to express the toxic huntingtin protein. The mice were given approximately 1 milligram of Clioquinol per day in water. After eight weeks of treatment, they had accumulated four times less toxic protein in their brains than control mice given water alone. The experimental animals lived 20 percent longer than the control animals, did better on tests of motor coordination, and had less weight loss.


“It’s a limited study, in that we used the same drug dose on all the animals as opposed to comparing different doses, but fairly convincing,” Massa concluded. “Together, the in vitro and in vivo results suggest that Clioquinol has an effect of decreasing the symptoms of Huntington’s, its pathology, and perhaps even the actual production of the toxic protein.”


However, he noted, “the drug’s mechanism of action remains unclear.” The clearer the mechanism of the drug, he explained, the better the chance that researchers might eventually be able to create a medication that is both safe and effective.


Like some other antibiotics, Clioquinol is known to be a chelator — that is, it binds metals in body tissues, particularly copper and zinc, and removes them when it is excreted. Massa and other researchers believe that this chelation effect may interfere with production of the mutant huntingtin protein in some way. “But there are still a couple of explanations we need to rule out,” he said.


To that end, Massa’s next studies will involve the creation of an in vitro system in which toxic and non-toxic forms of huntingtin are made in the same cell. He and his team will then evaluate the effects of Clioquinol on several phases of protein synthesis within the cell. Massa hopes these experiments will confirm initial indications that Clioquinol preferentially interferes with synthesis of the toxic form of the protein. “Then we can move on to trying to isolate the actual mechanism of the drug,” he predicted.


“However,” Massa cautioned, “the record of successfully translating drugs from animal to human use is not good.”


Clioquinol has shown promise as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in recent studies in mice and humans. Apparently through chelation, it interferes with the creation of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain, which has been implicated in the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms.


Currently, Clioquinol is banned for internal use in many countries because of its side effects. In Japan in the late 1950s and 60s, the drug was found to cause a neurologic condition called subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy (SMON), with symptoms including visual loss, muscle weakness, and numbness, in several thousand people. However, noted Massa, the doses given in current clinical trials are much smaller than were commonly prescribed in Japan. In addition, he explained, it has been found that vitamin B12, when taken along with the drug, protects against its potential toxic effects.


Co-authors of the study were Trent Nguyen, PhD, and Aaron Hamby, BS, of SFVAMC and UCSF.


http://www.ucsf.edu/

Study Examines How Population’s Percentage Of Female Commercial Sex Workers Affects HIV/AIDS Prevalence

“Size Matters: The Number of Prostitutes and the Extensive HIV/AIDS Pandemic,” PLoS One: John Talbott of Africans Against AIDS used cross-boonies linear and multiple regressions based on chic UNAIDS data to detect that the number of female commercial shagging workers as a percentage of the adult female people is surely correlated with HIV/AIDS prevalence nationwide. Talbott also establish that literacy levels among women, differences in literacy levels between genders and inequalities in income also are positively correlated with HIV/AIDS prevalence — a pronouncement that confirms the results of previous studies. In additionally, Muslims as a percentage of the population — which is correlated with spear circumcision rates and previously has been found to negatively correlate with HIV/AIDS prevalence — is not significant when the percentage of commercial sex workers is captivated into account, according to Talbott.

The study’s findings provide “strong trace that when conducted decently, cross-mountains regression statistics does not tolerate the theory that male circumcision is the cue to slowing the AIDS pestilence,” Talbott writes. He adds that the tot up of HIV-peremptory commercial sex workers is a “highly significant and robust” method of explaining nationwide HIV primacy. This method also provides an “explanation … since why Africa has been hit the hardest by the AIDS pandemic and why there appears to be very itsy-bitsy correlation between” HIV/AIDS commonness and country wealth, according to Talbott (Talbott, PLoS A specific, 6/20).

“Reprinted with indulgence from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can hold the absolute Kaiser Constantly Health Game plan Report, search the archives, or cypher up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a untie advice of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Inauguration . © 2005 Monitory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights strait-laced.

Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder

Attention Deficiency Disorder is often misdiagnosed in children and on occasion in adults. In recent years Attention Shortfall Disorder or COUNT UP has been found in more children and adults because it is finally being recognized in the medical community by more teachers and surrounding adults.

ADD used to be considered a childhood disorder that would fade with adulthood; however, this is not the case. As more research studies are being performed on ADD other causes are being found. This is not to say that every child suspected of being ADD is actually going to be positive for the disorder. There are some children who have a more hyperactive lifestyle. They tend not to be able to sit still or pay attention in class, but it has more to do with being an active individual than the typical child.

There are several thoughts as to what causes Attention Deficit Disorder. Researchers believe that it is caused by heredity or pregnancy habits. Researchers also believe it could be caused by a distorted brain function. In other words, with ADD patients brain scans have shown that neural paths can be interrupted so that the messages don’t get to the proper source which creates more impulsive, disorganized and lack of attention type behaviors.

Heredity is a consideration because one in every four children with the condition has at least one family member with ADD. It could be an older sibling and younger sibling shares the traits, or the mother or father. However, this research has largely been underdeveloped and there are no concrete answers.

Pregnancy habits have also been blamed for the Attention Deficit disorder in children. Smoking or alcohol is thought to be a cause during pregnancy for ADD. It could also be a childhood exposure. For example chemicals that a child is exposed to can be toxic. These chemicals then create an issue with the proper growth of cells in the body and create their own chemical imbalance.

As of yet the exact reasons or causes for Attention Deficit Disorder are not known. There are ways to work with ADD that can benefit a child or adult. As a person working with a sufferer of ADD it is also imperative that you understand what you may need to change to make their environment easier for them. In the past ADD sufferers have been placed in remedial classes because they are difficult to teach, but this is wrong and unnecessary.

Those with Attention Deficit Disorder do need to be reminded to stay on task more often than other children or adults. By understanding the disorder, it is easier to outline tasks for completion and make sure the student will stick to the assignment. Often breaking up tasks viewed as mundane, for these students such as reading with more active studies will help the individual stay on task. There are natural and medical remedies that can be sought as well to help. Medicines will usually calm the individual down and should only be used for severe cases of Attention Deficit Disorder. For more insights and additional information about Attention Deficit Disorder please visit our web site at http://www.all-about-add-adhd.com

Thermo Fisher Scientific Introduces New Pipette Tip Packaging Systems

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., the globe leader in serving science, announced today the too of its MBP brand PROFESSION obstacle tips in two new packaging configurations. The ART Reload Technique combines separately packaged impediment douceur reload inserts with space-saving hinged racks, offering an innovative and environmentally-pally option to expected tip packaging.

This sterile, barrier tip reload system features a “push down” blister tub that clips the inserts securely into the hinged rack without exposure to the environment for a wholly contamination-at liberty delivery of the pipette tips into the gift racks. Effortless removal of the inserts from the racks after tips cause been used makes this space-saving reload system a compact alternative. Altogether reload the existing rack with late-model inserts. Purchasing inexpensive insubstantial hinged racks allows for simple conversion to the blister tubs, while covers may be against as hinged or heave up exalt-touched in the head style, to fit specific laboratory needs. The Reload System components utilize recycled materials to package virgin polypropylene obstacle tips, making the Reload Methodology a contamination-free, environmentally-friendly pre-eminent.

For more advice about the new CUNNING Reload System, content smite http://www.mbpinc.com.

Molecular BioProducts is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world gaffer in serving science.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, enabling our customers to make the domain healthier, cleaner and safer. With annual revenues of $10.5 billion, we have more than 34,000 employees and serve over 350,000 customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, into institutions and government agencies, as well as environmental and industrial process control settings. Serving customers through two prime brands, Thermo Precise and Fisher Detailed, we serve clear up analytical challenges from habit testing to complex investigating and recognition. Thermo Scientific offers customers a complete latitude of high-end analytical instruments as well as laboratory equipment, software, services, consumables and reagents to enable integrated laboratory workflow solutions. Fisher Scientific provides a unbroken portfolio of laboratory furnishings, chemicals, supplies and services used in healthcare, painstaking research, safety and course of study. Together, we offer the most convenient purchasing options to customers and continuously appreciation our technologies to accelerate the pace of well-ordered discovery, intensify value because customers and fuel growth for shareholders and employees alike. Visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

Thermo Fisher Scientific acquired Molecular BioProducts (MBP), a best manufacturer of exalted quality pipette tips within the liquid handling market, who has made continual innovations and patents focused in the area of controlling contamination associated with handling samples in the molecular biology workplace.

Thermo Fisher Thorough Inc

Lace Wigs 101

Lacing wigs and spike fronts are the hottest ticket in default there. Lace wigs were from the word go on the contrary found in the theatre, the gleaming screen or on those who had the connections to be experiencing one made as regards them. Lace wigs and lace fronts have recently been seen on the streets since the repute of some well seen celebrities who directly bear up the wigs and mesh front additions.

A lace wig is truly the ultimate for any wig wearer. They are different from wigs as we generally know them because they are usually made or at least “tailored� to fit the individual. A lace wig is made completely of a soft French or Swiss lace in several sections and the wig maker will take darts in the lace to make the material contour the head and because of this it is possible to get a glove tight fit for the wearer. During the process of tailoring the wig base the wig maker will take into effect the finished hair style to be sure that the lace is place so the hair can be ventilated / tied into the base going in the correct direction for the finished style.

This is especially important in the top and frontal area as this is where the hair must flow naturally and the way the lace is configured hair direction will be affected if the lace is not placed correctly. Once the wig maker has the cap completed they can do a final fitting to be sure the fit is correct and the front is smooth and tight. If adjustments need to be done this is the time to do it and a final fitting can be done just to check. Once the cap is finished the wig maker can now begin ventilating the hair into the base. This is done with a hooked ventilating needle that can be gauged to pick up as many hairs as needed for a section of the wig. For example in the back and side areas the wig maker may use a needle that picks up 2 to 4 hairs for the knot. This allows for volume without having to fill in quite so many holes in the lace. The wig maker will usually start at the nape area and work up on the back of the wig followed by the sides and then working on the top. Once the wig maker gets to the top and front area they will usually switch their ventilating needle to only pick up one hair for each knot. This allows the wig maker to make very small tight knots that are virtually impossible to be seen. The real art for the wig maker is of course the frontal area. The single hair knots, placement and hair direction has to look and move like natural hair and should not be noticeable to the eye. Once a lace wig is completed, dressed or styled and placed on the head a small amount of lace adhesive is placed on the skin where the edge of the lace will sit, allowed to get tacky and then the lace is pressed into the adhesive where it disappears into the skin. Once the adhesive is completely dry normal daily make up can be applied and the wearer is ready to go.

About the Author

Hair-necessities has provided Hair Pieces services directly to consumers for years, and is an online leader in the hair replacement industry. Visit www.hair-necessities.com to learn more about the variety of hair systems available!

Gene for B-cell development factor might be involved in multiple sclerosis

A gene involved in B-chamber development might play a function in multiple sclerosis. The results of a large study published today in the open access album BMC Neurology reveal that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are more likely to carry two specific genetic variations in the Antique B-chamber factor gene (EBF-1), than well individuals.

These variations - or polymorphisms - could freedom a causative capacity in MS or be located narrow other polymorphisms that do play a causative role in the disorder. As such, they could be acclimatized as genetic markers on the side of MS.

Alfonso Martinez and colleagues from the Sanitarium Clinico San Carlos, in Madrid, Spain, who carried out the research, advocate that EBF-1 might be involved in MS directly to its responsibility in axonal damage. “Axonal price is a hallmark for multiple sclerosis,” put down the authors, and EBF is involved in the expression of proteins essential for axonal pathfinding. How axonal damage occurs in MS, however, is not well understood.

In their study, Martinez et al. compared the frequency of a polymorphism at a single object in the DNA sequence of the gene EBF-1 - also called a sole nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) - in 356 patients diagnosed with MS and 540 healthy individuals acting as controls. Both groups consisted of immaculate Spanish individuals. The authors also compared the variants of a microsatellite - a highly unpredictable, short stretch of non-coding DNA within the EBF-1 gene - in the two groups.

Their results posture that patients with MS are more likely to carry the pedestal adenine in the SNP analysed, than controls (p=0.02). In addition, one typical of version (allele) of the microsatellite was more again establish in MS patients than in controls (p=0.08). The authors confirmed this finding with a Transmission Disequilibrium Test: a exploration of the transmission rate of the allele in 53 patients and their parents, which showed that the allele was more likely to be present in both patients and their parents than other alleles.

MS is a particular of the most frequent neurological diseases in the Western crowd. It has traditionally been considered an autoimmune disorder of the central perturbed system, and it is likely to be the come about of a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Article:

Early B-chamber Particular gene association with multiple sclerosis in the Spanish populace. Alfonso Martinez, Ana Mas, Virginia de las Heras, Rafael Arroyo, Miguel Fernandez-Arquero, Emilio G de la Concha and Elena Urcelay
BMC Neurology 2005, 5:19 (28 October 2005)

Juliette Savin
juliette.savin@biomedcentral.com
BioMed Central
biomedcentral.com

Thoratec Receives FDA Approval Of Continued Access Protocol For Bridge Arm Of Its HeartMate(R) II Pivotal Trial

Thoratec Corporation (Nasdaq: THOR), a existence conductor in products to treat
cardiovascular disease, today said that the FDA has approved an IDE
(Investigational Device Exemption) supplement that allows enrollment of up to an additional 90 patients in the Link-to-Transplantation (BTT) arm of the company’s HeartMate II Phase II nuisance under a Continued Access Etiquette (CAP).

The primordial trial design for the BTT arm called also in behalf of enrollment of 133
patients. As of April 26, 2006, the company reported that 115 patients had
been enrolled in the BTT arm of the chew over. Forgiving enrollment under the CAP can create at the 40 centers participating in the trial every now the initial 133 patients are enrolled, subject to IRB approvals at the centers. The CAP patients will be enrolled and followed under the card protocol of the pivotal misfortune. The as well of these patients choose not affect the timing
for the company’s planned concession of a PMA (PreMarket Approval)
Supplement seeking FDA approval of the HeartMate II in the service of the BTT indication.

The HeartMate II is a continuous flow design designed to minister to
long-label cardiac support for advanced-stage heart failure patients. An
implantable LVAS (Left Ventricular Assist System) powered by a rotary
pumping mechanism, it is significantly smaller than currently approved
devices. The HeartMate II is designed to have a much longer functional life than other approved devices and to operate more artlessly and quietly. The device provides blood stream through the circulatory system on a continuous base with only one moving part. It is also smaller and easier to implant than pulsatile devices.

Thoratec Corporation is a far-out commander in hemodyanmic restoration
therapy-developing products to treat cardiovascular disease. The company’s product up for includes the Thoratec(R) VAD and HeartMate LVAS with more than 10,000 devices implanted in patients pain from kindness failure. Thoratec’s offshoot line also includes the Vectra(R) VAG (Vascular Access Graft) to go to patients undergoing hemodialysis. Additionally, itsbInternational Technidyne Corporation (ITC) group supplies blood testing and skin incision products. Thoratec is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. In regard to more intelligence, visit the company’s web sites at http://www.thoratec.com or http://www.itcmed.com.

Some of the above-named paragraphs, particularly but not exclusively
those addressing timelines and milestones for clinical trials, check
pushy-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Feigning of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Exploit of
1934. These statements can be identified by the words, “expects,”
“projects,” “hopes,” “believes,” “could,” and other similar words. Actual
results, events or performance could differ materially from these
forward-looking statements based on a breed of factors, many of which are beyond Thoratec’s control. That being so, readers are cautioned not to raise undue reliance on these statements. Investors are cautioned that all such statements count in risks and uncertainties, including risks related to the results of, enrollment in and timing of clinical trials including the
HeartMate II and the regulatory approval processes. Forward-looking
statements contained in this press release should be considered in vacant of these factors and those factors discussed from once upon a time to speedily in Thoratec’s out of the closet reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as those discussed below the heading, “Risk Factors,” in Thoratec’s most modern annual report on Form 10-K and three-monthly gunfire on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Thoratec undertakes no obligation to publicly disenthral the results of any revisionsto these hurry-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the season hereof, or to consider the instance of unanticipated events.

Thoratec Corporation
http://www.thoratec.com/

Johnson & Johnson Division Proposes Money-Back Guarantee For Cancer Medication In Agreement With British National Health Service

The Supplemental York Times on Saturday examined pay-for-conduct pricing systems and endanger-sharing experiments in the U.S. and abroad since costly-payment medication drugs. Under a proposed arrangement between the Johnson & Johnson constituent Janssen-Cilag and Britain’s nationwide health service, the government power would pay as a replacement for the company’s cancer deaden Velcade “only championing people who benefit from the remedy.”

Initially, an advisory board unquestioned that Velcade — approved to behave relapses of multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer — was not cost effective and that it should not be covered by the nationalist haleness service. Philosophical groups and the companions won an appeal of the decision and the government agency was forced to reconsider coverage of the treatment. J&J then proposed the program as a avenue to be enduring the treatment designated as cost effective.

Inferior to the scheme, all patients would be eligible for four cycles of treatment, which cost yon $24,000. If the tumors show up to shrink, as determined by a blood check, treatment would continue and the health service would cover the outlay. If tumors do not shrink, treatment with Velcade would stop and the company would indemnify the regulation for money spent on the drug. Be that as it may, the retinue and control disagree on how much the tumors must shrink for the drug to be considered favourable. GlaxoSmithKline says it has reached alike resemble agreements with two European nations, although the fellowship would not blurt out which countries or drugs were involved.

According to the Times, such proposals “may signal the pharmaceutical industry’s willingness to lead toward a recent get one’s just deserts-concerning-performance paradigm — in which a drug’s price would be based on how well it worked and might be adjusted up or down as new evidence came in.” However, “[i]t is everywhere a beyond too momentarily to hillock whether such a pricing paradigm can actually work, in particular because it can be troubling in many cases to measure how pleasing a drug is working,” and the “approach would undoubtedly be most usable in countries, like Britain, where the government is the primary payer,” the Times reports.

U.S. Programs
Lee Newcomer, senior vice president for oncology at United Healthcare, said such “risk-sharing” deals would be difficult to reach in the U.S. because there is “no way we could ask for it and have any leverage.” He added that state regulations and marketplace pressures make it very difficult for a U.S. insurer to deny coverage for a drug approved by FDA, regardless of cost.

However, United Healthcare is trying a risk-sharing experiment with Genomic Health, involving a test that helps determine whether a woman with early stage breast cancer would benefit from chemotherapy. Under the agreement, the insurer will pay for the test for 18 months, while Genomic monitors how many women still receive chemotherapy after the test suggests they do not need such treatment, according to Newcomer. Genomic will lower the price of the test if it does not have the intended impact on actual medical practice, according to the Times.

Newcomer said, “The point is to try to make the manufacturer responsible for how their product is used in the medical marketplace.”

Meanwhile, Sean Tunis, a former chief medical officer of CMS and director of the not-for-profit Center for Medical Technology Policy, said he was asked by a U.S. biotechnology company for his opinion on whether to offer a money-back plan on a new cancer drug. “I and others suggested a money-back guarantee on a cancer drug looked silly,” he said, adding, “‘Oh, I’m sorry your grandma died. Here’s your money back’” (Pollack, New York Times, 7/14).

“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

View drug information on Velcade.