FDA allows generic forms of Endo Health's Opana ER painkiller


(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday denied Endo Health Solutions' petition to block generic forms of its widely abused prescription pain drug Opana ER, a surprise decision by an agency that has recently come down hard on pain drugs to prevent their abuse.
Prescription drug abuse leads to more deaths in the United States than heroin and cocaine combined, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The company had argued that its reformulated version of Opana ER, a powerful opioid painkiller containing oxymorphone, would be more difficult to abuse than the original version, and therefore asked that generics of the earlier version be barred from the market.
However, the FDA determined that the original formulation of the drug had not been withdrawn from the market for reasons of safety or effectiveness and so its generic forms could continue to be approved and marketed. (r.reuters.com/huj97t)
The regulator also noted that reformulated Opana ER could still be manipulated for abuse in certain ways and that one of the new version's post-marketing investigations had raised the possibility that it may be more susceptible to abuse via injection than the original.
The agency's decision comes a month after it said it would not approve any generic versions of the original form of the pain medication OxyContin, which was widely abused because it could be crushed and then snorted or injected to produce a quick high.
That decision had led many analysts to expect that the FDA would side with Endo against the generics.
This expectation was also due to the formulations of Opana ER and OxyContin being very similar, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Shibani Malhotra.
"Implicitly, what the agency has done by not blocking Opana ER generics is (to say) that there is no benefit to using Opana ER when there are generics available," Malhotra said.
Endo said in a statement that it would explore all options to mitigate the effect of the FDA decision.
Opana ER brought in sales of about $299.3 million to Endo in 2012, down 22 percent from the earlier year because of the introduction of cheaper, copycats of the drug.
Following Friday's FDA decision, Endo said it estimates its 2013 net sales from Opana ER would fall by about $120 million, reducing operating profit by about 55 cents per share.
Michael Tong of Wells Fargo said the decision was a positive for Impax Laboratories Inc, whichmarkets all strengths of generic Opana ER.
Endo shares closed down 5 percent at $34.97 on the Nasdaq on Friday. Impax shares closed up 8 percent at $17.40.
Trading in Endo shares were suspended for about 5 minutes at 1521 ET, as the stock started falling after the FDA posted its decision on its website.
Nasdaq said the trading pause was erroneous and that it is "investigating the root cause of the issue and will take steps to prevent a future reoccurrence."
The stock was halted again at 1539 ET ahead of Endo's press release.
(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Bangalore, additional reporting by Pallavi Ail; Editing by Anthony Kurian)

source:http://www.reuters.com
http://healthandcareinformation.blogspot.com/


Obama launches campaign to boost landmark healthcare program


(Reuters) - President Barack Obama launched a campaign to promote his signature 2010 healthcare overhaul on Friday in the face of harsh criticism from congressional Republicans who say the program will raise costs and hurt hiring.
"If you're one of the tens of millions who don't have health insurance, beginning this fall you'll finally be able to compare and buy quality, affordable private plans that work for you," he said at an event at the White House.
"If you've already got health insurance, this is just enhancement. And if you don't, you're going to be able to get it," he said.
Ahead of the Mothers' Day holiday on Sunday, the president focused his remarks on how the plan could benefit women, who the administration believes will be less stuck on partisan objections to the plan and provide support that will make what has become known as "Obamacare" a success.
"Mothers are the number one validator for the young and uninsured and will be critical in the effort to encourage their kids to enroll for insurance in the fall," a White House official said.
Republicans say the law will raise the costs of healthcare for all Americans, spawn a welter of new regulatory burdens on businesses and inhibit hiring.
"There are many women in their 20s and 30s who will be unable to afford the law's massive premium increases," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday. "And there are many mothers who won't be able to get by if their employers cut their hours due to Obamacare. Or if they lose their jobs because of it," the Kentucky Republican said.
Obama aides plan to use the same micro-targeting strategies that helped the president win re-election in November to sign up enough enrollees. Their outreach efforts will be central to the success of Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which aims to bring health insurance at subsidized rates to millions of uninsured Americans.
Administration officials hope to sign up 7 million people nationwide during an enrollment period that begins October 1 and runs through the end of March. They say they are zeroing in on an estimated 2.7 million healthy adults aged 18 to 25.
One-third of these people live in three states: California, Florida, and Texas, officials said. The administration plans to go into communities to identify people who are eligible to try to persuade them to enroll in the insurance plan.
The White House on Thursday announced a $150 million initiative to fund the hiring and training of thousands of workers who will go through community health centers to help people obtain insurance.
But political resistance to the plan is high, and public opinion polls still show disapproval outweighing approval of the healthcare law.
The fate the of healthcare plan is expected to have a major bearing on the 2014 midterm congressional elections. If Americans embrace Obamacare, Democrats could benefit, while rejection could provide an electoral boost to Republicans.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has voted to repeal or cut funding for the law three dozen times and intends to vote again next week to repeal the law. The measure is unlikely to be go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
White House aides say they believe that once people start to receive benefits from expanded healthcare coverage, support for the law will grow and it will become harder for its opponents to argue for its repeal.
source:http://www.reuters.com
http://healthandcareinformation.blogspot.com/

What Does Health Insurance Cover?

A standard health insurance policy covers:
  • Visits to primary care doctors and specialists
  • Emergency services, including visits to the emergency room
  • Medical check-ups, including blood tests, pap smears, etc.
  • Medically necessary procedures (surgery, MRIs, CAT Scans)
  • Prescription drugs
Health insurance won’t cover 100 percent of medical costs, though. Patients are responsible for small fees—co-payments—when visiting medical providers or purchasing prescription drugs.
 http://healthandcareinformation.blogspot.com/
source: www.health-insurance.org/what-is-health-insurance

What is Health Insurance?

Health insurance is a type of insurance policy that pays a portion of medical expenses. For instance, if you need to visit a doctor, have surgery, purchase prescription drugs or get medical tests (like x-rays), health insurance will pay a portion of the expenses incurred. The portion of expenses paid varies by policy.
Vaccines, check-ups, routine physical exams—each is important to maintaining health. But those without health insurance are less likely to receive potentially life-saving preventive care.
 http://healthandcareinformation.blogspot.com 
 socrce:www.health-insurance.org/what-is-health-insurance

Health And Fitness


The importance ‘Health Fitness’ is too great. In olden times men had to work hard physically to gain their food and other living means. This had provided them enough physical exercises unknowingly. Thus, during that period the health condition of all people were in good condition. This is the reason as to why the men who lived in olden days had no illness or physical uneasiness.  But nowadays the life of men is very easy on account of the development of science and related technologies. If they have money they need not even travel for collecting their food. The currently prevailing conveniences enable men to gain everything by just making a phone call. This lazy life kept men away from the physical exercises required for their health fitness. In addition to this people prefer to eat spicy fast food items which are considered as the examples of malnutrition.   From the above mentioned facts we can understand the importance of health fitness as far as men’s wellbeing is concerned.
It is high time to think about the measures by which men can maintain their health in good condition. On account of these unrestricted life all people who are above forty are suffering from various health problems. Hyper Tension and high glucose content in blood are the main illness conquering men because of their unhealthy life. If they concentrate on daily exercises they can make their health in good condition. They need not spend majority of their time for performing these exercises. They can utilize one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening for health fitness activities. In between these two hours they can concentrate on their normal works or business. All people have been becoming fully aware abut the importance of health fitness nowadays. Hence we can expect a generation of healthy people in the near future.
source:http://www.mediorta.com/page/2/
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How To Reduce Fat & Live Healthy Life


In these days people are forced to live in a very fast moving life. In today’s life style people have to travel long distances for their work places and return home by evening. In the midst of the fastness people usually forget to think deeply about their food. The often take foods which are easily available and consumable. They never concentrate on the quality of the food they have to take. Thus in the mean time, they may be forced to take even fast foods to quench their hunger. Fast foods are prepared with high fat content and certain taste makers which are poisonous to the human body. Moreover these fast foods have no nutritional value at all. Hence they are totally harmful to human body. The constituents in the fast food and their cooking media are favorable to increase the body weight of the consumer. Hence those who are willing to control their body weight by reducing the fat consumption must avoid fast food in all respects. Homely foods are highly desirable for a healthy body.
Another way to reduce excess fat for maintaining good health is to consume balanced diet. Balanced diets are foods which contain all essential nutrients with high nutritive value. In this diet all essential elements are found in proper concentration. Hence balanced need not be taken too much. A minimum quantity of balanced diet is suitable to support a healthy body. Hence consuming balanced is the ideal way to control excess fat in taking. Foods having low calorific value with high fiber content is very good far a reduced fatty diet. Oats is the ideal food which is highly recommended in this category. Oats are grains which have very low calorific value comparing to other foods available. The cholesterol content in oats is determined as zero. The fibers in oats work as sponges and absorb fat content present in human body tissues. Hence oats are very good low fatty food for maintaining good health.
source:http://www.mediorta.com/page/2/
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Introduction to Health


The general condition of a person I all aspect is called as health. It is also the metabolic efficiency or functional level of an organism, often essentially human. In1948, during the creation of the World Health Organization [who], health was defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. In the first six decades of evolution of health only a few publications had concentrated particularly on the definition of health. During the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion in 1986 the WHO said that health is “a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.” Classification systems such as the WHO Family of International Classifications [WHO-FIC], which is composed of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health [ICF] and the International Classification of Diseases [ICD] also define health. Overall health is achieved through a combination of physical, mental, and social well-being, which, together is commonly referred to as the Health Triangle.
The process of implementing healthy measures is not at all an expensive act. But it is too complicated as far as individuals are concerned. To make people aware about these safety measures and various programs are not an easy job. For the success of any such programs the cooperation of people is an inevitable factor. Getting support from the public for all such programs are very difficult. If the public have full confidence on these programs they will definitely support all ventures organizing by the authorities. To introduce their programs successfully the authorities must be able to win the confidence from the public. If public support is available other obstacles can be sorted out very easily. In this way very good health programs can be implemented so safely.
http://healthandcareinformation.blogspot.com/ 
source:http://www.mediorta.com/page/2/

8 Keys to Picking the Best Individual Health Insurance Policy


Choosing the right health insurance coverage is hard enough with employer plans, but at least questions can be addressed to somebody on staff who knows more than you do and won't steer you to the most expensive plan. When you shop for coverage on your own, the choices are far more complicated. Most employers only offer one or two health plans as options. On the individual insurance market, you're likely to face dozens. And you're on your own.

Grappling with the details of so many different individual policies can lead to a strong urge to pick the next one that sounds halfway reasonable. But halfway isn't good enough. Hang in there, keeping the following eight basics in mind to help cut through the fog of numbers and unfamiliar terms:
1. Your "must-haves." You can't foresee a sudden injury or illness, but you can anticipate some medical needs. Not all policies provide maternity coverage, for example, but it's an obvious must-have if you're starting a family.
2. The cost of the basics. Just as it doesn't make sense to want a luxury car with a monthly payment you can't afford, there's not much point in thinking about a Cadillac insurancepolicy with a high monthly premium if your budget can't handle it. It would be more practical, if you're relatively young and healthy, to choose a policy with a high deductible—the total you must pay out of pocket, usually over $1,000 dollars, before benefits kick in. Your basic expenses also should take copays (the fixed fee for an office visit or medical test) and coinsurance (your share of the cost of prescriptions or hospitalizations) into account.
3. Provider networks. If you have a primary care physician and favorite specialists you like, be sure they participate in the plan's network. Policies generally cover a lower share of the cost of out-of-network care—or not cover it at all.
4. Out-of-pocket maximums. With some plans, there is no limit on the amount you have to pay out of pocket over the year, no matter how high. Steer clear of plans without an annual cap. Even with such a ceiling, expenses will be covered only if the insurer considers them medically necessary. And with many plans, you may have to continue to make copayments.
5. Prescriptions. Any prescribed drugs you take regularly should be covered. The plan's list of medications (the "formulary") will show you.
6. Annual limits on coverage and services. Thanks to health reform, annual dollar limits on coverage will disappear by 2014, but for now, any individual policy you buy cannot have a limit lower than $750,000. Above that amount, you pay the full cost of care once coverage has been exhausted. There could be separate caps on specific benefits such as prescriptions, rehabilitation services, and doctor visits.
7. Dependents. If you have children under age 26 who don't have health insurance from an employer, the law permits them to be on your insurance. Policies also can no longer exclude kids under age 19 from coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
8. Getting help. You can plow through individual health insurance policies available in your part of the state, with no need to supply your name, number, or other personal information, at Healthcare.gov, launched last summer by the federal government to give consumers a tool for finding and comparing policies. Basic information about buying health insurance also is on the website. If you need a live person to walk you though the messier details, theNational Association of Health Underwriters has names and contact information for licensed local agents and brokers.

£22 million for ground-breaking children’s mental health programme


Up to £22m will be pumped into a pioneering programme to give children with mental health problems access to the best available services in a wider range of places. The new investment in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) project will be spent over the next three years to expand state-of-the-art psychological therapies and extend training for people working with youngsters outside of health settings, such as in schools or youth groups.
Mental health problems
One in ten children aged 5-16 years has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem and, of adults with long-term mental health problems, half will have experienced their first symptoms before the age of 14. Self-harming and substance abuse are known to be much more common in children and young people with mental health disorders – with ten per cent of 15-16 year olds having self-harmed.
Early diagniosis
Failure to treat mental health disorders in children can have a devastating impact on their future, resulting in reduced job and life expectations. Encouraging people to be open about mental illness and extending available therapies will help to ensure intervention is available at the earliest opportunity giving young people the best chances in life.
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said:
‘We broke new ground last year investing in children’s mental health – this additional funding will help deliver services specific to young people. We’re working with young people and staff to start to change the way mental health is delivered by the NHS.’
source:http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/02/22-million-for-ground-breaking-children%E2%80%99s-mental-health-programme/

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WELCOME TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE

 A Tradition of Excellence
For over 60 years we continue to be an innovative leader in providing superior behavioral healthcare. We strive towards community health and wellness.
We offer an array of programs to the fast growing and ever changing needs of Hillsborough and Pasco Counties. Our vision is seeing people achieve their dreams, supporting self-determination and recovery.  Our mission is to provide individuals and families in our community with comphrehensive behavioral health services so they may experience optimal mental health such that they may lead contributory, purposeful lives. 

sorce:http://www.mhcinc.org/
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What are Mental Health Problems?

mental-health-problems-comp.jpgMental health problems range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions. The majority of people who experience mental health problems can get over them or learn to live with them, especially if they get help early on.
Mental health problems are usually defined and classified to enable professionals to refer people for appropriate care and treatment. But some diagnoses are controversial and there is much concern in the mental health field that people are too often treated according to or described by their label. This can have a profound effect on their quality of life. Nevertheless, diagnoses remain the most usual way of dividing and classifying symptoms into groups.
Most mental health symptoms have traditionally been divided into groups called either ‘neurotic’ or ‘psychotic’ symptoms. ‘Neurotic’ covers those symptoms which can be regarded as severe forms of ‘normal’ emotional experiences such as depression, anxiety or panic. Conditions formerly referred to as ‘neuroses’ are now more frequently called ‘common mental health problems.’
Less common are ‘psychotic’ symptoms, which interfere with a person’s perception of reality, and may include hallucinations such as seeing, hearing, smelling or feeling things that no one else can.
Mental health problems affect the way you think, feel and behave. They are problems that can be diagnosed by a doctor, not personal weaknesses.
Anxiety and depression are the most common problems, with around 1 in 10 people affected at any one time. Anxiety and depression can be severe and long-lasting and have a big impact on people’s ability to get on with life.
Between one and two in every 100 people experience a severe mental illness, such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia, and have periods when they lose touch with reality. People affected may hear voices, see things no one else sees, hold unusual or irrational beliefs, feel unrealistically powerful, or read particular meanings into everyday events.
Although certain symptoms are common in specific mental health problems, no two people behave in exactly the same way when they are unwell.
Many people who live with a mental health problem or are developing one try to keep their feelings hidden because they are afraid of other people’s reactions. And many people feel troubled without having a diagnosed, or diagnosable, mental health problem - although that doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling to cope with daily life.
source:http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/an-introduction-to-mental-health/what-are-mental-health-problems/ 

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Health and Mental Health Problems of Homeless Men and Women in Baltimore


  1. Oscar C. Stine, MD, MPH

  1. From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Drs Breakey, Fischer, Nestadt, and Romanoski), and the Departments of Mental Hygiene (Dr Kramer) and Biostatistics (Drs Ross and Royall), The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Md; and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Martinsburg, WVa (Dr Stine).

ABSTRACT

A study of homeless people in Baltimore, Md, focused on their health and other characteristics, with special emphasis on their needs for services. In the first stage, 298 men and 230 women were randomly selected from the missions, shelters, and jail in Baltimore to respond to a baseline interview that provided extensive sociodemographic and health-related data. In the second stage, a subsample of 203 subjects was randomly selected from the baseline survey respondents to have systematic psychiatric and physical examinations. Data are presented from both stages. Data from the first stage demonstrate, among other things, the high levels of disaffiliation of this population and their heavy involvement in substance abuse. Data from the clinical examinations demonstrate the high prevalence of mental illnesses and other psychiatric disorders and of a wide range of physical disorders and confirm the high prevalence of alcohol abuse disorders. The high rates of comorbidity of these conditions is demonstrated and data are provided on the subjects' needs for mental health and substance abuse services.
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