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Washington Times Opinion Piece, Editorial Discuss DOJ Nominee Johnsen
The Washington Times recently published an opinion piece and an editorial discussing President Obama"s nomination of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department. Summaries appear below. ~ Mickey Edwards/William Sessions, Washington Times: The Senate should "act expeditiously to approve" Johnsen"s nomination because "her views on the limits of presidential power are precisely what the Constitution envisions and conservatives have long championed," Edwards, vice president of the Aspen Institute and author of "Reclaiming Conservatism," and Sessions, a partner at the law firm Holland & Knight, write in a Times opinion piece. According to the authors, Johnsen "made her views clear" on the limits of presidential power when she joined a bipartisan group of lawyers that declared that the Office of Legal Counsel should promote "presidential adherence to the rule of law." Edwards and Sessions write that Johnsen is being criticized for "being blunt, unserious and critical of presidential policies." However, these attacks are unwarranted, they write, noting that in the legal profession, "a little blunt talk to a client -- in this case, the president of the United States -- might be required." Edwards and Sessions continue, "What is needed in the Office of Legal Counsel is a person with the constitutional understanding to know that even presidents with whose politics she agrees must obey both the Constitution and federal statutes and who has the gumption to say so, even if the advice won"t be well received" (Edwards/Sessions, Washington Times, 5/21).~ Washington Times: The editorial states that Johnsen "is so radical" that 31 Republican Indiana state senators on Monday sent a letter to Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) asking them to oppose her confirmation. The Republican senators called Johnsen"s views supporting abortion rights "extremely radical" and said she often uses "harsh, sensationalizing rhetoric" in her writings on Supreme Court cases, the editorial states. According to the editorial, Johnsen"s "political advocacy shows a profound disregard for the courts" proper role" because she considers the courts "as making up just another political, policymaking branch of government, not as bodies restrained by the Constitution or existing laws." The editorial continues that Johnsen is "guilty" of "asking judges to impose their own policy preferences" in favor of abortion rights "against the dictates of existing constitutional law." The editorial concludes, "Someone with such contemptuous views of the Constitution should not be the Obama administration"s chief constitutional interpreter" (Washington Times, 5/21).

Eighth International Conference On Bipolar Disorder To Be Held In Pittsburgh, June 25 To 27
Nearly 1,000 researchers, clinicians and mental health advocates are expected to attend the Eighth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder, June 25 to 27, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The event is held only once every two years and is the largest meeting of its kind solely devoted to bipolar disorder, a disease that affects almost six million Americans.
News of the day
Medtronic Announces Two Worldwide Clinical Trials To Study Medical Device Interventions For Stroke
Each year, approximately 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke1 in the United States, and approximately a half million people in Western Europe are similarly afflicted2. Today, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announces two significant clinical trials related to medical device interventions for stroke. First enrollments in the global CRYSTAL AF (Study of Continuous Cardiac Monitoring to Assess Atrial Fibrillation After Cryptogenic Stroke) trial have taken place. The trial will use the Reveal® XT Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) to assess the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with cryptogenic stroke (stroke of an undetermined cause) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in order to aid physicians in determining the optimal course of treatment for these patients. It is widely recognized that patients with sustained AF are at increased risk of stroke3.
Public Health

NUVIGIL Is Available For The Treatment Of Excessive Sleepiness Associated With Treated Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Shift Work Disorder And Narcolepsy

Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) today announced that NUVIGIL® (armodafinil) Tablets [C-IV], a longer-lasting formulation of modafinil, is now available. NUVIGIL is indicated to improve wakefulness throughout the day for the millions of patients who struggle with excessive sleepiness associated with treated obstructive sleep apnea, shift work sleep disorder, also known as shift work disorder, and narcolepsy. Cephalon has finalized the commercialization plans for NUVIGIL and, beginning today, any patient with a NUVIGIL prescription should be able to obtain the medication from their pharmacy or have it filled within 24 hours. "We are proud to be able to bring NUVIGIL to physicians and patients and to increase access to the medication through our patient support programs. Physicians have told us that they want and need a longer-lasting medication for their patients, and NUVIGIL delivers on that need," said Frank Baldino, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, Cephalon. For a multimedia version of this press release with video and downloadable images, please go to:http://mnr.onthescene.com/cephalon/NUVIGIL.html. Expanded Access Programs As part of the launch of NUVIGIL, Cephalon is introducing several new programs designed to expand access for both patients and healthcare providers. To assist insured patients with co-pay costs for NUVIGIL, Cephalon will offer the NUVIGIL Prescription Savings Program. Through this program, eligible patients will receive a co-pay savings at the pharmacy to reduce their out-of-pocket costs to fill the prescription. To help patients and healthcare providers navigate the authorization and reimbursement process, Cephalon established the NUVIGIL Reimbursement Hotline. The company is also working with managed care organizations in order to provide greater patient access for NUVIGIL through health plans nationwide. In addition, this year Cephalon created the CephalonCaresSM Foundation. CEO Frank Baldino, Jr., said, "We recognize that uninsured patients often cannot afford the costs of medications, especially in these economic times. Therefore, we created the CephalonCares Foundation to provide free medication to eligible patients so that they can access our products when they are in need." More information on the CephalonCares Foundation, eligibility guidelines and the products included in the program can be found at http://www.cephaloncares.com. Clinical Development Plans Cephalon is also exploring the potential for NUVIGIL to treat the symptoms associated with an array of medical disorders. The company recently announced results from a phase three clinical trial of NUVIGIL as a treatment for patients with excessive sleepiness associated with jet lag disorder. Those data are expected to be submitted as part of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) later this year. In addition, the company has an extensive clinical development program in place to further study the efficacy and safety of NUVIGIL in bipolar depression, the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, cancer treatment-related fatigue and excessive sleepiness associated with traumatic brain injury. "We are encouraged by what we"ve seen to date from the clinical development program for NUVIGIL. We believe that our continued research into NUVIGIL will enable us to define the full range of benefits that this medication will be able to provide for patients with a variety of medical conditions," added Dr. Lesley Russell, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Cephalon. About NUVIGIL NUVIGIL is indicated to improve wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness associated with treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), shift work sleep disorder, also known as shift work disorder (SWD) and narcolepsy. The NUVIGIL label includes a bolded warning for serious or life-threatening rash, including Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, that has been reported in adults and children taking modafinil, a racemic mixture of S and R modafinil (the latter is armodafinil, the active ingredient in NUVIGIL). NUVIGIL is not approved for use in pediatric patients for any indication. The most common adverse events in controlled clinical trials (greater than 5 percent) were headache, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. Full prescribing information for NUVIGIL is available at http://www.NUVIGIL.com. Cephalon, Inc.


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