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Tobramycin Inhalation Powder (TIP) Improved Lung Function In Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Patients With Respiratory Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (Pa) Infection
In a Phase III study, TIP, an inhaled investigational formulation of tobramycin, improved lung function (as measured by FEV1) in cystic fibrosis patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) infection, compared to placebo. The data, presented today at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2009 International Conference in San Diego, also demonstrated, with respect to secondary endpoints, that TIP decreased sputum Pa density, hospitalization and other antibiotic use in these patients versus placebo.

Long-Term Care Program Would Provide Revenue - At First
A long-term care program could produce some needed dollars, at least in the short range, CQ Politics reports: "A new insurance program for long-term care that Democrats have included in a Senate health overhaul bill would produce about $58 billion in revenue for the government over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, helping to offset the cost of the legislation. Democrats acknowledge that spending in the long-term care program would increase after 10 years and that it likely would not remain a very profitable enterprise for the government. It is even possible, they say, that the program could become insolvent; in that case, the secretary of Health and Human Services would be authorized to close its enrollment. "The CBO says that premiums would have to rise significantly higher than Democrats have assumed for the program to remain financially sound."
News of the day
Physical Therapists Advocate On Capitol Hill For Access To Rehabilitative Services
Two hundred physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy marched on Capitol Hill Tuesday to educate lawmakers about the critical need for patients to have improved access to physical therapy services. The group-members of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)-conducted approximately 350 visits with Representatives and Senators.
Health Insurance

Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Illinois Urges Constant Vigilance Against Growing Threat Of Killer 'Superbug'

A sometimes fatal "superbug" is popping up in hospitals, other health care settings and even communities where healthy people live. It"s called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA "mer"-sa"). Health experts urge common-sense steps by medical workers and the public to slow its spread. "Physicians, health care facilities and patients play a role in reducing this threat through the appropriate use of antibiotics, proper wound care and adhering to basic infection-control measures, including regular hand-washing and not sharing towels, razors and other personal hygiene items," says Kim Reed, M.D., medical director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. Other steps people inside and outside health care settings must take: --Clean and cover cuts and scrapes. --Shower after athletic events and workouts wearing flip-flops. --Clean work surfaces. --Maintain good hygiene. --Use extra care in gyms, dorms and barracks where many people gather. --Insist health workers follow anti-MRSA procedures. "MRSA infections lead to increased human suffering and more expensive treatment alternatives," adds Reed. "Didn"t know what future held" Al Wegleitner of Prosper, Texas, was bitten badly by this "superbug." Wegleitner came home from work and noticed a leg sore -- maybe a bug bite or pimple. Feverish, he went to bed. By morning, the sore spot was a large, bright red rash. "I still had a fever. My leg was twice its normal size." Rushed to Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, doctors pumped him with antibiotics with little effect. "They kept asking me where I might have picked up an infection. I honestly didn"t know. Frankly, I didn"t know what the future held," says Wegleitner. After 10 days hospitalized and no diagnosis, Wegleitner was sent home when the illness seemed to subside with orders to elevate his leg. He never felt "100 percent," but returned to work two weeks later. Then it happened again. He ran a high fever, accompanied by a swollen abdomen. Doctors finally concluded he suffered from a MRSA strain. MRSA Counterassault Now defined as any antibiotic-resistant strain of the microorganism that causes "staph" infections, MRSA originally referred just to staph bacteria resistant to methicillin, penicillin and related antibiotics. Once considered under control, MRSA has rebounded to the point it"s a huge health care headache all over the world. "While antibiotics have been a of lifesaving treatment for literally millions of people over the past century," notes Reed, "bacterial resistance to common antibiotics is an increasing of concern." Since strains aren"t killed off entirely, they keep mutating. Tens of thousands of people in the United States die annually from hospital-acquired, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, says the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The family of Victoria Nahum of Atlanta, Ga., suffered a MRSA death. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois


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