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RCN Calls For EU Agreement On Sharps Injuries To Be Implemented Quickly
The Royal College of Nursing welcomed the signing of a joint agreement by European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers Association (HOSPEEM). This is an EU-wide agreement which the RCN has played a key role in bringing about to prevent one million medical sharps injuries per year. Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
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Republicans Introduce Health Reform Plan That Would Provide Tax Credits To Purchase Health Coverage, Establish State Insurance Exchanges
Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Reps. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday introduced the Patients" Choice Act (S 1099, HR 2520), a counter proposal to Democratic health care reform plans that would create state-based health insurance exchanges and provide U.S. residents tax credits to subsidize coverage premiums, Roll Call reports (Drucker [1], Roll Call, 5/20). The act would require states to separately establish health insurance exchanges made up of private health insurers through which individuals could pick their coverage. The legislation would provide $5,700 in tax credits to families and $2,200 in tax credits to individuals to subsidize coverage premiums, the Washington Times reports (Washington Times, 5/21). An additional $5,000 tax credit would be provided to low-income families (Budoff Brown, Politico, 5/20). The credits would be funded by taxing employer-provided health benefits (Washington Times, 5/21). Under the plan, states would be allowed to shift state residents covered by Medicaid into private coverage (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/20). The measure also would establish a system of health coverage auto-enrollment at emergency departments, motor vehicle departments and through employers (Politico, 5/20). The plan does not establish any new government health care programs (Drucker [1], Roll Call, 5/20). According to Politico, the bill"s sponsors hope to achieve universal coverage for U.S. residents (Politico, 5/20). According to the bill"s sponsors, the plan is budget neutral (Drucker [1], Roll Call, 5/20). Prospects
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Emergent BioSolutions Receives FDA Approval Extending Shelf Life Of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) To 4 Years
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that its flagship product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), has been granted a shelf life extension from 3 to 4 years by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Based on this approval, Emergent has achieved a contract milestone warranting a payment of approximately $30 million for doses previously delivered to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) under the terms of the company"s existing BioThrax procurement contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This amount is expected to be recognized as revenue in the second quarter of 2009. In addition, FDA approval of 4-year expiry dating results in an immediate price increase for the future delivery of BioThrax doses under the current contract as well as under the follow-on multi-year contract, valued at $405 million, for the delivery of 14.5 million doses of BioThrax.
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Policymakers, Experts, Public Agree: Physical Activity Plan Needed

Dozens of the nation"s leading organizations in health care, science, medicine and public health are meeting in Washington, D.C., this week with one goal in mind: to develop a national physical activity plan that will make America healthier. Congressional leaders and members of the public both agree that emphasizing disease prevention measures, such as increasing physical activity, is essential to combating chronic diseases, which account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The preventive power of physical activity has been noted by lawmakers. During mark-up of the Affordable Health Choices Act in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) said: "The one overarching goal of health care reform is to recreate America as a genuine wellness society - one that emphasizes wellness, fitness, good nutrition, and disease prevention. Consider this: Right now, some 75 percent of health care costs are accounted for by heart disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and obesity. What these five diseases and conditions have in common is that they are largely preventable and even reversible by changes in nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle." Reflecting a growing consensus on the subject, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said during the 2008 Presidential campaign, "Parents should provide their children with healthier meals and make exercise a family activity; schools must provide children with nutrition education and should offer more opportunities for physical education; and health-care providers should use yearly checkups as an opportunity to guide their patients through diet and fitness goals." The plan will focus on eight key sectors that have heavy influence on physical activity: business and industry, the nonprofit sector, health care, transportation, education, mass media, parks and recreation, and public health. The American College of Sports Medicine originally called for the development of the plan following a 2006 policy conference. Russell Pate, Ph.D., FACSM, is the scientific lead for the national plan and also served on the advisory committee for the first-ever federal physical activity guidelines. Pate believes the plan will spur necessary change for Americans. "A comprehensive National Physical Activity Plan will build on the momentum created by release of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans," he said. "This Plan will be aimed at launching a social movement that shifts the American lifestyle to one characterized by high levels of health-promoting physical activity." The public agrees. A national omnibus survey commissioned by ACSM found that: - 94 percent of Americans feel a national physical activity plan is important in helping citizens avoid chronic conditions and diseases. This was especially true in younger generations - nearly 10 percent more citizens age 49 or younger thought a plan was "extremely important," possibly signaling their heightened knowledge about the importance of disease prevention in the aging process. - 97 percent of Americans think changes in health care system that support disease prevention through physical activity are important. Minorities especially endorsed these changes, with 83 percent of African-Americans recognizing them as "extremely important." The survey represented a national sample of 1,000 Americans age 18 and over from various geographic regions and demographics. Kelton Research, a leading national public opinion and market research firm, conducted the survey June 19-25. Margin of error is less than 3.1 percent. During implementation of the plan, the national plan coordinating committee will use the survey information to target specific populations in need of physical activity intervention. The full national plan will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2010. For more information, visit http://www.physicalactivityplan.org. American College of Sports Medicine


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