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Onset Therapeutics Launches HYLATOPIC™ Emollient Foam For Atopic Dermatitis
Onset Therapeutics, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused in dermatology, announced the FDA approval and commercial launch of HYLATOPIC™ Emollient Foam, a unique, non-steroidal prescription product indicated to manage and relieve the burning, itching and pain experienced with various types of dermatoses, including atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and radiation dermatitis.

Durban Calling - Royal College Of Nursing
For the first time RCN members can get a unique insight into the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress care of a daily blog.
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Work Status Changes More Common Among Women Receiving Chemotherapy For Breast Cancer, Study Says
Women with breast cancer who receive chemotherapy appear more likely than those treated with radiation therapy to experience a major change in work status, according to a study published in the journal Cancer, Reuters reports. For the study, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher Michael Hassett and colleagues used a large health insurance claims database to identify 3,233 women who were first diagnosed with breast cancer between 1998 and 2002. All of the women were younger than age 64, insured, and working full time or part time as of diagnosis. About 54% of the women received chemotherapy, and 58% received radiation therapy.Hassett said that most of the women did "not experience a significant change in their employment after cancer diagnosis and treatment." However, of the 6.6% who experienced such a change, those who received chemotherapy had a 1.8-fold greater risk of leaving work, retiring or going on long-term disability leave in the subsequent year. Sixty-seven percent of women who experienced a change went from full-time employment to early retirement, while the rest went from full-time employment to long-term disability or retirement, or their status was unknown. Although the study looked at many factors, only chemotherapy and older age were associated with an increased likelihood of a change in employment. Hassett said that most of the participants in the study worked for large employers that offered health insurance. He added that further research is needed to evaluate the effect of cancer diagnosis and treatment on work status for women who are self-employed or work for smaller companies (Hendry, Reuters, 6/30).
Medical Devices

Screening Prevents Aneurysm Deaths, But Questions Remain Over Cost Effectiveness

The national aortic screening programme in the UK should, in due course, prevent about half of all aneurysm deaths in men over 65 and will be extremely cost effective for the NHS, conclude researchers in a study published on bmj.com. However a second study, also published today, concludes that screening is not cost effective and calls for additional research into the long term outcomes and costs of screening. Every year in England and Wales about 6,000 men die from a ruptured aortic aneurysm (caused by ballooning of the artery wall), but abdominal aortic aneurysms can be detected with a one-off ultrasound scan. A national screening programme for men aged 65 began in the UK in spring 2009. In the first study, Simon Thompson from the Medical Research Council and colleagues report 10 year mortality data from The UK Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study (MASS) involving 67,770 aged 65-74 randomised to be invited to ultrasound screening or not. They also calculated the long term cost effectiveness of the programme in the UK. Results showed that over 10 years there were about half as many abdominal aortic aneurysm deaths (155) in the invited group compared to the control group (296). The benefit of being invited to screening shown in the early years of follow-up was maintained in later years - reductions in abdominal aortic aneurysm mortality were estimated as 42% at four years, 47% at seven years, and 48% at 10 years. Further analysis showed that the cost effectiveness of screening became greater over time, with cost per life year gained improving from an estimated ÷£41,000 after four years, ÷£14,000 after seven years, and ÷£7,600 after 10 years. The estimate after 10 years is well below the guideline figure of around ÷£25,000 per life year gained for the acceptance of medical technologies and interventions in the NHS, say the authors. They conclude that the UK national screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysm should, in the long term, halve the mortality rate related to abdominal aortic aneurysm in men aged 65 or more, and that it will be a cost effective programme for the NHS." But in a second study, researchers argue that aneurysm screening is not cost effective. Lars Ehlers from Aarhus University and colleagues used a recognised mathematical model, alongside data from published studies and the Danish Vascular Registry, to calculate expected costs and health outcomes for a hypothetical population of Danish men aged 65 from screening to death. The estimated cost of screening per quality adjusted life year (QALY - a combined measure of quantity and quality of life) was ÷£43,485. At a willingness to pay threshold of ÷£30,000 the probability of screening being cost effective was less than 30%, say the authors. "Our estimate is not comparable with previous modelling studies, which in general claim that screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm is cost effective," they write. "We believe our study provides a more realistic estimate of cost effectiveness." From the evidence in these two papers, it is hard to identify the reasons for the differing findings without further detailed exploration of the models used, says Professor Martin Buxton in an accompanying editorial. However, the accumulated evidence suggests that a national screening programme in the UK is appropriate and likely to be cost effective, but its costs and outcomes need to be carefully monitored and the data need to be regularly re-analysed to ensure that both the effectiveness and cost effectiveness remain acceptable in the context of changing practice, he concludes. "Research: Screening men for abdominal aortic aneurysm: 10 year mortality and cost effectiveness results from the randomised Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study", BMJ online "Research: Analysis of cost effectiveness of screening Danish men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm", BMJ online "Editorial: Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm", BMJ online British Medical Journal


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