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House Ways And Means Panel Rejects Amendments To Exclude Abortion Coverage From Health Reform
The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday voted 23-18 to approve its health care reform bill (HR 3200) after rejecting dozens of Republican amendments, including attempts to exclude abortion coverage from the essential benefit package created in the legislation, CQ Today reports. An amendment offered by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) was rejected in an 18-23 vote; Reps. Bill Pascrell (N.J.), Earl Pomeroy (N.D.) and John Tanner (Tenn.) were the only Democrats to support the amendment. The amendment included exceptions for abortion to save the woman"s life or in cases of rape or incest. Committee members voted 19-22 to reject a similar amendment by House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.).The House health reform bill would establish a panel to set a minimum benefits package that health insurers must offer. The bill aims to expand health insurance coverage by mandating that individuals obtain insurance, requiring employers to offer workers coverage or pay a fine, and establishing a health insurance exchange where people could compare and purchase plans. The exchange would include a government-run health insurance option that would compete with private plans (Rubin, CQ Today, 7/17).
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UK Charity Tackles Health Risk For Children - Engaging Website Launches To Educate Children At A Crucial Age In Bone Development
Research from the National Osteoporosis Society has revealed that almost half (49%)* of young people do not know that there are steps they can take to keep their bones healthy. This knowledge gap puts them at risk of osteoporosis and fractures in later life.
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Meridian Bioscience Receives FDA Clearance For New Rapid Campylobacter Test
Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO) announced that it has received FDA clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new rapid test for Campylobacter, ImmunoCard STAT!® CAMPY. This new test provides fast and accurate detection of Campylobacter bacteria, one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness and the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 20 million stool culture tests are conducted each year in the U.S. to detect the illness, known as Campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter is most often transmitted by poorly cooked poultry or person-to-person contact.
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Jay Keasling Receives Inaugural Biotech Humanitarian Award

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced that Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at the University of California at Berkley and acting Deputy Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been selected as the honoree for the first annual Biotech Humanitarian Award. Dr. Keasling was selected not only for his professional accomplishments to date, but also for the promise and potential that his research holds. Currently, Dr. Keasling is working on a synthetic biology technique that, at commercial scale, will diversify the supply of artemisinin, the key component in artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), the WHO-recommended first-line treatment for malaria. This breakthrough is expected to reduce the cost of artemisinin and enable millions of people infected with malaria to gain access to lower-cost, life-saving ACTs. The synthetic biology technology behind this breakthrough can also be used to help produce the next generation of biofuels. "Dr. Keasling embodies the high standard we have set for the Biotech Humanitarian Award. He has led the development of breakthrough science that will greatly help reduce human suffering," said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO. "Dr. Keasling"s work has the potential to save the lives of millions of people in the developing world who suffer from malaria, and also to address the global need for clean, renewable energy. We are thrilled to honor his work and present him as our inaugural Biotech Humanitarian honoree." Dr. Keasling was presented the Award during a keynote luncheon held at the 2009 BIO International Convention in Atlanta, GA. He was presented with a $10,000 award to help support his work. Currently, artemisinin is extracted solely from plants and its derivatives manufactured entirely through costly chemical synthesis, both expensive and timely processes. Dr. Keasling applies a synthetic biology technique to dramatically reduce the production time and cost of artemisinin for ACTs. "It is an honor to receive this recognition as biotech"s collective efforts hold a tremendous potential for addressing the world"s toughest challenges in new ways," said 2009 Biotech Humanitarian Dr. Jay Keasling. "It took incredible team effort to do the science that resulted in an affordable malaria therapy, and we will continue to work to bring this therapy online, while also pushing the boundaries of biofuels to reduce our need for fossil fuels." Dr. Keasling was selected the honoree by a distinguished panel of judges who evaluated nominations based on four criteria: - Impact on contemporary society - Impact on future generations - Contribution to the field of biotechnology - Level of innovation exhibited BIO established the Biotech Humanitarian Award to recognize everyday heroes within the biotechnology community who have helped heal, fuel and feed the planet through their work in biotech. "Dr. Keasling"s work embodies all the principles of a biotech humanitarian and represents a paradigm shifting discovery, focused on fundamentally changing how we treat disease in the developing world. The translational nature of Dr. Keasling"s discovery and application holds enormous potential for the medical, industrial and agricultural fields of biotech," said Dr. Joshua Boger, Immediate Past Chairman of BIO"s Board of Directors and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. "Dr. Keasling is a true biotech humanitarian as he has chosen to use his career to impact global health and direct the potential of biotech to improve humanity. I thank him for his hard work, and I am honored to present him with the inaugural Biotech Humanitarian Award." "I would like to thank our impressive panel of judges for their time spent reviewing applications and selecting such a fine recipient for our inaugural Award," added Greenwood. The judging panel for the 2009 Biotech Humanitarian Award consisted of leaders in science, policy, business and philanthropy: - Dr. David Agus - Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and Westside Cancer Center, University of Southern California - Dr. Anna Barker - Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute and Deputy Director for Strategic Scientific Initiatives - Dr. Joshua Boger - Founder and CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals - Jim Greenwood - President and CEO, BIO - Dr. Jessie Gruman - President, Center for Advancing Health - Phil Hills - Executive Vice President, Lance Armstrong Foundation - Katie Hood - CEO, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson"s Research - Catherine Ivy - Founder and Board President, the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation - Dr. Evelyn Lewis - Executive Medical Director, Uniformed Services University Center for Health Disparities Education and Research - James C. Mullen - President and CEO, Biogen Idec - Richard Pops - Chairman, Board of Directors, Alkermes To stay informed about the Biotech Humanitarian Award visit: http://www.iambiotech.org/award BIO


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