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Alzheimer's Society Response To The Publication Of Revised NICE Guidance On Alzheimer's treatments
Thousands of people with Alzheimer"s will continue to be denied access to the only drug treatments for the disease following the publication of revised guidance by the NICE.

Methods For The Diagnosis Of Heart Failure Reviewed
A blood test (BNP) should be recommended over an electrocardiogram (ECG) for the diagnosis of heart failure suggests research published by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.
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Blogs Comment On Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings, Health Reform, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Judge Sotomayor Provides Important Testimony on the Constitutional Right to Privacy and Its Application to Reproductive Rights," Marcia Greenberger, Womenstake: "One major line of questions, asked repeatedly throughout the hearings" for President Obama"s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was her "views on the constitutional right to privacy," Greenberger writes, adding, "Given that this right is central to women"s lives, protecting" such "decisions involving whether to bear children ... and having consensual adult sexual relations, it is important to analyze Judge Sotomayor"s answers carefully." According to Greenberger, because Sotomayor "had not ruled directly on the right to privacy as a federal judge, her testimony in this area warrants particular attention." Following questions from senators such as Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sotomayor portrayed a "clear agreement with the right to privacy and strong description of the court"s current precedents regarding Roe and women"s health," which "lend[s] further support to the view from her legal record that she would not undermine Roe v. Wade if confirmed to the Supreme Court" (Greenberger, Womenstake, 7/16). ~ "Major Steps Forward for Health Care Reform," Thao Nguyen, Womenstake: Nguyen, outreach manager for the National Women"s Law Center, reports that the health care reform legislation passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is "particularly important for women because of the critical headway it makes towards women"s ability to secure access to quality, affordable health care throughout their lives." The bill "works towards confronting many of the particular obstacles faced by women in our current health care system," such as banning the "discriminatory" practice of basing insurance premiums on gender, even when maternity benefits are excluded, Nguyen writes. The bill also bans insurance companies from rejecting patients based on medical history, which has prevented many domestic violence survivors and women who have had caesarean sections from obtaining coverage. Nguyen concludes that "the momentum for health care reform could not have come at a more needed time" because women and their families "need quality, affordable and comprehensive health more than ever" (Nguyen, Womenstake, 7/15).~ "Democrats for Life of America Ousts Member Who Supports Contraception," Feministing: Feministing reports that Democrats for Life of America removed Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) from its advisory board because he supports efforts to improve access to contraception. According to Ryan, he was dismissed from the board after four years after attempting to persuade the group to support contraceptive use as a way to avoid unintended pregnancies. According to the blog, "This is why we call anti-choicers "anti-choice": because they"re not just about making abortion illegal." It adds, "They don"t want women to have access to contraception either -- something that 98% of American women will use at some point in their lives" (Feministing, 7/15). ~ "Umpires, Perspective and the Supreme Court," Jim Wallis, Sojourners" "God"s Politics": "During his opening remarks for his own confirmation hearing in 2005, Chief Justice [John] Roberts made" an analogy between judges and umpires "that has gotten a lot of play in the media and has already been used quite a few times during" Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, Wallis writes. He adds that "nothing in the world would frustrate me more than an umpire who would call the game differently based upon the color of the jersey that" players were wearing. "But I haven"t seen that happen," Wallis writes, adding, "In fact, the biggest problem we face isn"t an umpire that has favored one team over the other, but umpires who make mistakes in their rulings and judgment because of their lack of perspective." He adds that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and "others w
Endocrinology

Physician Groups Support Comparative Effectiveness Provisions In Proposed Legislation

The American College of Physicians (ACP) have joined with two other physician groups to offer strong support for the Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) provisions included in the Tri-Committee health reform bill about to be considered in the House. The Tri-Committee, which unveiled its proposed legislation on June 19, is made up of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees. This support was provided in a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the three committees. The organizations - ACP, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) - represent more than 200,000 physicians who treat patients every day, many of whom have multiple chronic conditions. "We know the value of having scientifically valid information available that permits physicians and their patients to make informed decisions on the most effective and appropriate treatment in individual cases. We also firmly believe that patient care will benefit if coverage decisions are informed by the best available science, including evidence on the clinical effectiveness of different treatments," said Jim King, MD, FAAFP, board chair of AAFP, Joseph W. Stubbs, MD, FACP, president of ACP and Nancy Rigotti, MD, FACP, president of SGIM "Comparative effectiveness research brings to the patient and physician the best chance of providing the right treatment to each patient in the most safe and effective manner. We know that better information on which treatments are most effective leads to better patient outcomes, less suffering, and more efficient use of limited healthcare res. Moreover, we agree with the approach of your bill, which makes clear the importance that this information must be the result of scientifically valid research, emanating from a trusted and dedicated solely to the development of comparative effectiveness research based on the best available science and through a transparent process," the letter continued. "We have great respect for the incredibly hard work your committees have undertaken in the enormous and complex objective of healthcare reform. As the bill moves through the House and eventually into a Conference Committee with the Senate, we urge you to hold fast to your positions on CER that will maintain it as a scientifically-based research initiative designed to benefit patients. CER should not be subjected to arbitrary legislative limits on use that could harm patients by denying them, their physicians, and their health plans with access to the best scientific evidence to improve the care patients receive." "Thank you for considering our views. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the weeks and months ahead as you endeavor to provide the American people with a healthcare system, with CER, that will work to their great benefit," the letter ended. David Kinsman American College of Physicians


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