American Academy of Dermatology Issues Position Statement on Vitamin D

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Dec 6,2008

The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) recently issued a position statement on vitamin D, drawing on the scientific literature to support its recommendation for safely obtaining an adequate amount of this vitamin. The Academy recommends that the public obtain vitamin D from nutritional sources and dietary supplements, and not from unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or indoor tanning devices, as UV radiation is a known risk factor for the development of skin cancer.

“Vitamin D is essential for optimal health, and the medical literature supports safe ways to get it — a healthy diet which incorporates foods naturally rich in vitamin D, vitamin D-fortified foods and beverages, and vitamin D supplements,” stated dermatologist C. William Hanke, MD, MPH, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. “And, according to the medical literature, unprotected exposure to UV radiation from sunlight (natural) or indoor tanning devices (artificial) is not safe. Individuals who intentionally expose themselves to UV radiation for vitamin D are putting their health at risk for developing skin cancer.”

The Academy further recommends that individuals who are concerned about their vitamin D levels seek a physician’s guidance about safe options to obtain vitamin D. The Academy recommends physicians use the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine guidelines for vitamin D as a standard reference for advising patients on proper minimum intake levels, as no clinical trials to date have unequivocally established the amount of vitamin D needed to decrease the risk of certain cancers or other chronic conditions. Yet the Academy advises that a higher dose of supplementation for individuals with known risk factors for vitamin D deficiency should be considered.

The Academy recommends that when you are enjoying yourself outdoors, be smart by taking steps to protect yourself from UV exposure — seek shade whenever possible, wear sunscreen and cover up with a wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves, pants and sunglasses. Also, avoid tanning beds.

For more information about skin cancer, please visit the SkinCancerNet section on http://www.skincarephysicians.com/, a Web site developed by dermatologists that provides the public with up-to-date information on the treatment and management of disorders of the skin, hair and nails.

Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 15,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or http://www.aad.org/.

Notes:

  • The position statement may be viewed on the Academy Web site under the Featured Items section: http://www.aad.org/.
  • The amount of vitamin D an individual needs is an active area of research. The currently recommended adequate intake levels established by the Institute of Medicine may be revised upward due to evolving research on the increasing clinical benefit of vitamin D.
  • The position statement reflects the best available data at the time the report was prepared.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology


Global Measles Deaths Drop By 74 percent

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Dec 5,2008

The Eastern Mediterranean region achieves measles goal three years early

Measles deaths worldwide fell by 74% between 2000 and 2007, from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000. In addition, the Eastern Mediterranean region* which includes countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and the Sudan has cut measles deaths by a remarkable 90% — from an estimated 96,000 to 10,000 — during the same period, thus achieving the United Nations goal to reduce measles deaths by 90% by 2010, three years early.

The progress was announced today by the founding partners of the Measles Initiative: the American Red Cross, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). The data will be published in the 5 December edition of WHO’s Weekly Epidemiological Record and CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“This achievement is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region to combat measles,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “With only two years until the 2010 target date, I urge all countries affected by measles to intensify their efforts to immunize all children against the disease.”

The significant decline in measles deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region was the result of intensified vaccination campaigns including several countries with hard-to-reach areas. In 2007, more than twice the number of children were immunized in the region through such campaigns as compared to 2006.

“There are thousands of health workers and volunteers from our Red Cross and Red Crescent family who deserve much of the credit for this success. They give their time to literally go door-to-door informing, educating and motivating mothers and caregivers about the critical need to vaccinate their children,” said Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross. “This mobilization helps us to consistently reach more than 90% of the vulnerable population and save countless lives.”

The African region was the largest contributor to the global decline in measles deaths, accounting for about 63% of the reduction in deaths worldwide over the eight-year period. In 2007, measles outbreaks occurred in a number of African countries due to gaps in immunization coverage, reinforcing the need to continue immunization support.

“It’s absolutely wonderful that so many children are off to a healthy start in life thanks to the progress we’ve made in combating measles through immunization,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC Director. “Other children’s lives are still at risk, however, so it’s time we refocus our attention on sustaining our immunization efforts in countries where rates are low.”

The progress in South-East Asia has been limited — with just a 42% decline in measles deaths. This is due to the delayed implementation of large-scale vaccination campaigns in India, which currently accounts for two thirds of global measles deaths. Political commitment in India is essential if the 2010 global goal is to be achieved.

“The progress that has been made shows what can be achieved through measles vaccination campaigns, but much more needs to be done,” said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF. “It is a tragedy that measles still kills more than 500 children a day when there is a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine to prevent the disease.”

The world’s success in reaching the 2010 measles goal depends on ensuring that all children receive two doses of measles vaccine including one dose by their first birthday, strengthening disease surveillance systems, and providing effective treatment for measles.

“Progress also depends on addressing the considerable funding gap,” said Kathy Calvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the UN Foundation. “The shortfall stands at US $176 million for 2009-2010, of which US $35 million is urgently needed for 2009. With continued funding and increasing ownership and commitment of countries, we can sustain our progress and achieve our goal by 2010. We ask our supporters to stay with us and strongly encourage new supporters to join us in our effort to save lives.”

Background

The Measles Initiative is a partnership committed to reducing measles deaths globally. Launched in 2001, the Initiative — led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization — provides technical and financial support to governments and communities on vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance worldwide. The Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 600 million children in more than 60 countries helping reduce measles deaths by 74% globally and 89% in Africa (compared to 2000).

Other key partners in the fight against measles include Becton, Dickinson and Company, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Canadian International Development Agency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the GAVI Alliance, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Izumi Foundation, the Kessler Family Foundation, Merck Co., the Vodafone Foundation, and countries and governments affected by measles.

* The countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Related links:

WHO Measles Fact Sheet: http://www.who.int/immunization/newsroom/measles/en/index.html

Weekly Epidemiological Record. Progress in global measles control and mortality reduction 2000-2007: http://www.who.int/wer/2008/en/

WHO/UNICEF Global plan for reducing measles mortality 2006-2010: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2005/WHO_IVB_05_11_eng.pdf


Health insurance premiums have slowed to less than half the growth rate from five years ago, yet higher costs, increased utilization and waste in the health care system continue to fuel underlying health cost increases, a new report released today finds.

Prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), “The Factors Fueling Rising Healthcare Costs 2008″ examines the causes of rising health care costs and analyzes how health insurance premium dollars are being spent.

This is the third study prepared by PwC. The study found that premiums increased 6.1 percent from 2006 to 2007 as compared to 8.8 percent from 2004 to 2005 and 13.7 percent from 2000 to 2001. This is a 31 percent and 55 percent reduction respectively over the previous growth rates.

“Once again PwC’s report demonstrates that we have made strides in lowering costs, but more must be done to make health care more affordable and eliminate waste in the system,” said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP. “Today, the AHIP Board put forward specific policies that are designed to reduce future cost increases by more than $500 billion over five years.”

The growth in health insurance premiums was driven by general inflation (46 percent), health care price increases in excess of inflation (30 percent), and increased utilization of services (25 percent).

The report also found that 87 cents out of every premium dollar go directly towards paying for medical services. Embedded within the 87 cents are the costs of medical liability and defensive medicine, which are estimated to be ten cents of the premium dollar.

Of the remaining premium dollar, four cents go to consumer services such as prevention, disease management, care coordination, investments in health information technologies and health support; provider support; and marketing. Six cents go to costs associated with government payments, regulation and claims processing and other administration. Health insurance plan profits comprise three cents of the premium dollar, unchanged since the last report.

The report found that physician spending accounts for 33 cents of the premium dollar and that it increased by 5.5 percent in 2007. Hospital inpatient spending amounts to 20 cents of the premium dollar and grew at a rate of 7.5 percent.

Fifteen cents of the premium dollar go to outpatient spending, which grew at the rate of 8.2 percent. The report noted that “This rapid and steady growth in outpatient diagnostic testing is in part driven by the practice of defensive medicine.”

The study found that prescription drugs account for 14 cents of the premium dollar and that drug spending increased 5.7 percent, compared to the double-digit jumps of recent years. The report suggests that health plans’ prescription benefit tools and techniques which have helped slow growth rates “offers lessons about strategies to restrain cost growth without harming quality.”

While the report points to lower health care costs, it does raise an important alarm about future health care spending — wasteful spending that adds no value or quality to the care patients receive. The report highlights the care coordination, chronic disease management, and prevention programs health plans have implemented to combat waste in the health care system. Additionally, it outlines other efforts to reduce waste such as increasing standardization and transparency; improving research on comparative effectiveness of treatments; reforming the medical liability system; promoting value based reimbursement; and enhancing health information technologies.

To view the entire PwC report, visit www.AHIP.org.

Source: America’s Health Insurance Plans


At Least 10 New Cellular Therapies Will Launch Over Next Decade, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the cellular therapies drug market will experience robust growth in the United States over the next decade, reaching $1.5 billion in 2017. According to the new special report entitled Cellular Therapies, the launch of second-generation cellular therapies, the approval of novel stem-cell-based therapies and dendritic cell vaccines, and the continuous adoption of existing cellular products will drive this market to grow at an annual rate of least 31 percent in the United States from 2007 to 2017.

While market growth will be strong in the United States, new centralized regulations in Europe that take effect at the end of 2008 will introduce uncertainties for cellular therapies marketed in Europe, according to the report. Among emerging therapies, TiGenix’s ChondroCelect will be the first therapy to be reviewed under the new centralized European Medicines Agency guidelines.

The report forecasts that, of the 10 or more cellular therapies that will launch over the next decade in the United States and/or Europe, Dendreon’s Provenge will be the first market entrant following its approval for prostate cancer in 2009 in the United States. Another cellular therapy that will launch in the near-term, Osiris/Genzyme’s Prochymal, will garner sales of $235 million in 2017 for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, although its initial regulatory approval will be for graft-versus-host disease in 2010 in the United States and in 2011 in Europe.

“First-to-market cellular therapies have had disappointing sales performances to date,” said Irene Koulinska, M.D., analyst at Decision Resources. “However, researchers have made significant progress in the development of cellular therapies in recent years, despite facing considerable financial and ethical challenges. Additionally, the availability of noncontroversial cell sources and the establishment of a regulatory framework in the United States and Europe have prompted increased interest among large biomedical companies in the development and commercialization of cellular therapies.”

Source: Decision Resources


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