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Gefitinib Receives European Licence For The Treatment Of Lung Cancer For Patients With EGFR Activating Mutation Positive Tumours
AstraZeneca announced that it has received a licence by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for its oral targeted anti-cancer drug, gefitinib, for EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase) activating mutation positive patients with Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer and accounts for 80% of all lung cancer cases. [1] The licence means that for the first time, thousands [2] of patients undergoing first line treatment of NSCLC in the UK may benefit from a more effective, [3] oral alternative to doublet chemotherapy (UK standard of care) without many of the side effects associated with chemotherapy. [3]

Columnists Discuss HIV Statistics, National Testing Day
"It"s getting harder to convince people of the urgency, that knowing your HIV status is better than not knowing, that this is still a serious problem," columnist Wendi Thomas writes in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She writes that some people "assume being HIV positive is no big deal" because former National Basketball Association player Earvin "Magic" Johnson has lived with HIV since 1991 and appears to be healthy. "But if you are HIV positive and delay finding out, the virus could progress" to a point where it becomes "much more difficult to treat," Thomas adds (Thomas, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6/25). Philadelphia Inquirer columnist George Curry today discussed HIV statistics and findings from a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey that looked at U.S. residents" views on HIV/AIDS. He said, "It"s time to refocus our attention on HIV and AIDS. And a good way to do that is by getting tested tomorrow" on National HIV Testing Day (Curry, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/26).
News of the day
HHS Secretary Sebelius Picks Georgetown's Mann To Head Center For Medicaid And State Operations
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Friday appointed Cindy Mann, director of Georgetown University"s Center for Children and Families, to head the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, a division of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, BNA reports. Mann is a former director of the Family and Children"s Health Programs at CMSO from 1999 to 2001. Sebelius said Mann has been "instrumental in recent efforts to expand health care coverage in our country." She added that Mann"s "knowledge of health care issues and management experience will be a great asset to CMSO and to the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid" (BNA, 6/1).
Health Insurance

Social Entrepreneurship At University Of Queensland Business School

Seven UQ Business School students learnt a valuable entrepreneurship lesson this semester - business isn"t just about making money, it"s about improving peoples" quality of life. The postgraduate students changed the lives of Maria Bruckner and her 12-year-old daughter Claudia, who has cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, when they raised over $7000 so a machine able to weigh Claudia and other students at Woody Point Special School could be purchased. Lecturer Dr Lance Newey said it was the first time an innovative learning experience like Project Claudia had been undertaken as part of the TIMS7301 course, and following its success, a similar project will be launched next semester. "Project Claudia was born when I perceived the intersection of two different sets of needs. As a local resident, I knew that the Woody Point Special School needed community support to obtain vital equipment for their kids, and at the same time, every semester I deal with talented, imaginative and energetic students looking for opportunities to put theory into practice," he said. "It was about taking the learning out of the classroom and into the community, providing a chance for students to construct a not-for-profit project and learn how to manage it in real time with real customers." Because Claudia is wheelchair-bound and her treatment regime depends on weight measurements being collected regularly, Maria had to travel from the Redcliffe Peninsula to the Royal Children"s Hospital in Brisbane every week so Claudia"s weight could be monitored. In addition to the four students on the fundraising team, the remaining students formed Maria"s "emotional support team", and helped with Claudia"s hospital visits and anything else Maria and Claudia required, including technological support. "It"s been amazing. I"m hopeless with technology, and the girls have come in and set up a laptop with a camera so Claudia can talk to her nieces in Townsville over the internet. These are things that are really beneficial for kids like Claudia," Ms Bruckner said. "The honour has really been mine and Claudia"s. I have really enjoyed my time with this project. I keep bragging about them all, and hope they can spread the philanthropy on." Dr Newey said this taught the team that impacting peoples" quality-of-life involves more than just money. They really had to learn about their "customer", values and the different ways that projects are deemed "successful". "As a result of this experience the students are now better equipped to have an intelligent community conversation about the role of values in business," he said. Woody Point Special School principal Jan Baildon and Claudia"s classroom teacher Julianne Grice both noted the enormous impact Dr Newey and students Millie Yin, Ko-Sheng Yong, Faizan Khan, Aida Yusop, Lindsay Morrison, Fei Xue and Joanne Lee made. "The whole thing has just worked out so well, and they"re a marvellous group of young people," Ms Baildon said. "It"s been a wonderful opportunity to have a partnership with the UQ Business School, and I"m certainly hoping it can continue on." "A lot of the kids here have trouble communicating, and can"t tell us if they"re feeling unwell, so being able to weigh them really helps us judge how healthy they are," Ms Grice said. The students all agreed the project was a great idea, and allowed them to learn in a meaningful way that will shape their future business ventures. "If it wasn"t for Lance, we wouldn"t have been involved in this project and made a difference," Ms Yin said. "What is the point of sitting in class learning about profit when we"re not making a difference? Instead we"ve had this wonderful experience," Ms Xue said. University of Queensland


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