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GCC eyes single medicine pricing

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Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are poised to adopt a single medicine-pricing policy within the bloc as of 2014, Bahraini Minister of Health Sadiq Abdulkarim Al-Shihabi told local media.

He said the application of a unified pricing system and common procurement policy for drugs will contribute to lowering the price of medicine in GCC states.

The single pricing policy will be initially applied in government-owned facilities, which will be directly reflected on private pharmacies, he was quoted as saying.

He said an executive committee from the GCC Council of Health Ministers is following developments on the proposed single medicine-pricing policy.

The Bahraini minister admitted that there is disparity in medicine prices in the GCC states, as GCC countries differ in size. Saudi Arabia, for example, is a vast country that attracts many visitors for Haj and Umrah. This, in turn, affects the prices of medicine, he said.

GCC countries import 75 percent of their medicine supplies from other countries. States endeavored to set up medicine factories in cooperation with global medicine manufacturing firms with expertise and technical knowledge, said the minister.

He reaffirmed that many investors were willing to invest in this domain in GCC countries.

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GCC eyes single medicine pricing

BG Medicine, Inc. Welcomes Galectin-3 Clinical Research Data From the PROTECT Study Conducted at Massachusetts General …

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WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD) announced today the publication of the results of a clinical research study conducted at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) that provide further evidence that elevated levels of galectin-3 are predictive of adverse outcomes in chronic heart failure patients and suggest that the prognostic value of this non-invasive biomarker may be enhanced when serial measurements are made over time.

In this clinical research study, which was recently published online in the European Journal of Heart Failure, first author Dr. Shweta Motiwala and colleagues of the Division of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital demonstrate that stable heart failure patients whose galectin-3 blood levels were greater than 20 ng/ml, when measured at three-month intervals, experienced 50% more cardiovascular events, including unplanned hospitalizations for heart failure, than patients whose galectin-3 levels were consistently lower than 20 ng/ml.1 Further, these research data, which were collected from over 900 outpatient visits, also found that increases in galectin-3 levels above a threshold value of 20 ng/ml between outpatient visits, and increases in galectin-3 levels in excess of 15% at any three-month interval, were also predictive of significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes, including unplanned hospitalizations.

"We believe that the results of this research study further support a large body of evidence regarding the utility of galectin-3 as a predictor of adverse outcomes in chronic heart failure," said Dr. Paul R. Sohmer, President and CEO of BG-Medicine, Inc. "From this study, it appears that serial outpatient testing for galectin-3 may provide additional information that may facilitate decisions regarding the clinical management of stable heart failure patients."

For this clinical research study, galectin-3 levels were measured in plasma samples that had been collected as part of the PROTECT study.2 The study enrolled 151 stable heart failure (HF) patients, with an average age of 63 years, who were followed for a median of 10 months. The HF patients who participated in the study had galectin-3 blood levels drawn at four time points during scheduled outpatient physician visits. Galectin-3 levels independently predicted cardiovascular events even after adjustment for clinically relevant variables such as treatment arm allocation, NT-proBNP level, and kidney function. No effect on galectin-3 levels was observed in association with heart failure medications that provided symptom-related or mortality-related benefits.

"Unplanned hospitalizations and unforeseen cardiovascular events are devastating to heart failure patients and their families, represent a significant challenge to health care providers and continue to be a leading cost burden on healthcare systems," stated Dr. Sohmer. "The results of this study from the Massachusetts General Hospital provide further evidence that galectin-3 testing may help to identify and facilitate triage of those heart failure patients who are at elevated risk of near-term adverse events and of deteriorating cardiac function."

The BGM Galectin-3(R) test is cleared by the FDA as an aid in assessing the prognosis of patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure when used in conjunction with clinical evaluation.

About Galectin-3 and Heart Failure

Galectin-3 has been implicated in a variety of biological processes important in the development and progression of heart failure. Higher levels of galectin-3 are associated with a more aggressive form of heart failure, which may make identification of high-risk patients using galectin-3 testing an important part of patient care. Galectin-3 testing may be useful in helping physicians determine which patients are at higher risk of death or hospitalization, including 30-day readmission. The BGM Galectin-3(R) test is to be used as an aid in assessing the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure, in conjunction with clinical evaluation. For more information visit http://www.galectin-3.com

About BG Medicine, Inc.

BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD) is a commercial stage company that is focused on the development and delivery of diagnostic solutions to aid in the clinical management of heart failure and related disorders. For additional information about BG Medicine, heart failure and galectin-3 testing, please visit http://www.BG-Medicine.com. The BG Medicine Inc. logo is available for download here

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BG Medicine, Inc. Welcomes Galectin-3 Clinical Research Data From the PROTECT Study Conducted at Massachusetts General ...

Putting medicine in its (right) place

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Sheriff Lt. John Sprague empties a 'take-back' bin at the sheriff's office. Residents are invited to bring back expired and unused medications instead of flushing the medication.

image credit: Contributed photo

Before flushing a pill or liquid medicine in the toilet, think again.

Officials at the Kitsap Public Health District and Kitsap County Sheriffs Office want to remind residents of a permanent take back program designed for proper disposal of medications. The receptacle boxes are located in the lobbies of the Kitsap County Sheriffs Offices in the Port Orchard and Silverdale locations.

The goal is to have a safe, legal and environmentally friendly alternative to disposing of prescription medications. While waterways are a point of concern for the health district, so is the chance of overdose and poisoning.

The thing that we mostly support about it in public health is that were trying to get these things out of medicine cabinets because theyre very widely abused, said Scott Daniels, Kitsap Public Health District deputy director. Poisoning, suicide those kind of things. Were trying to get them out of medicine cabinets.

According to the Washington State Department of Health Vital Statistics as analyzed by the Kitsap Public Health District, drug-associated deaths are a problem in Kitsap County. From 2009 through 2011, one in 10 people intentionally poisoned themselves. Six out of 10 people died of drug-associated death due to unintended poisoning. The drug-associated death rate is 16 per 100,000 residents, according to a May 2013 Kitsap County Core Public Health Indicator report.

Prior to the installation of the bins earlier this year, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration hosted twice-yearly drug take-back events. Now, items can be returned five days a week. Medications accepted at the sheriffs office include prescription medications, ointments and patches, over-the-counter medications, sample prescription medications, vitamins and medications for pets.

The sheriffs office is the conduit where unwanted medications are dropped off. The drop off bins are periodically checked during the week by two sheriffs officers, said Deputy Scott Wilson, Kitsap County Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer.

If a disposal bin is full, or close to becoming full, the bin is emptied and the medications weighed. The medications are then sealed in a container and entered into the sheriffs property/evidence system until they are destroyed. Dropped off medications are subsequently destroyed by incineration at designated locations for this purpose.

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Putting medicine in its (right) place

Monster Magnet Talk about Forming The Band – HeadBangersB + Medicine (Music Video) 1992 – Video

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Monster Magnet Talk about Forming The Band - HeadBangersB + Medicine (Music Video) 1992
David Wyndorf of Monster Magnet explains why the band got together talks about New Jersey and being influenced by 70 #39;s bands like Kiss Black Sabbath. Plus ...

By: Redrumrock1963

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Monster Magnet Talk about Forming The Band - HeadBangersB + Medicine (Music Video) 1992 - Video

Black Walnut | Juglans Nigra | Foraging for Wild Edible Plants and Medicine – Video

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Black Walnut | Juglans Nigra | Foraging for Wild Edible Plants and Medicine
This is a species of walnut (Genus Juglans). The black walnut (Juglans nigra) based on the shape of the fruit. There is a wonderful medicine to be derived fr...

By: Mariana Roberts

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Black Walnut | Juglans Nigra | Foraging for Wild Edible Plants and Medicine - Video


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