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Expert Statement Issued About Lantus(R) Following Recent Publications In Diabetologia
Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced the release of an Expert Statement by a multidisciplinary board of renowned international experts following an in-depth assessment of the recent publications of registry analyses with Lantus(R) (insulin glargine [rDNA] injection) in Diabetologia. This board of international specialists in the field of endocrinology, oncology and epidemiology came to the conclusion, that all four manuscripts have significant methodological limitations and shortcomings, and that they provide inconsistent and inconclusive results regarding a potential link between insulin glargine use and an increased risk of cancer.

Pledges To Reduce Health Care Costs, Spending Growth Could Violate Antitrust Laws, Lawyers Say
U.S. antitrust laws could affect health care industry groups" efforts to work together to rein in health care costs, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/27). In a letter sent to President Obama on May 10, a coalition of groups -- the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- pledged to reduce the annual health care spending growth rate by 1.5%. The groups did not elaborate on what specific measures they would use to achieve such reductions, but the Obama administration has requested specific plans from the groups by June 1 (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/26). According to the Times, many of the plans being considered by the health care industry would require greater cooperation across health care providers. Robert Leibenluft, a former Federal Trade Commission official, said, "Any agreement among competitors with regard to prices or price increases -- even if they set a maximum -- would raise legal concerns." In addition, while Obama is asking for specific plans from the health care industry, the administration has not offered any relief from antitrust laws, the Times reports. Furthermore, during his campaign Obama pledged to increase enforcement of antitrust laws, according to the Times.Antitrust laws have had a negative effect on previous health reform efforts, the Times reports. In 1993, the drug industry established a voluntary cost control plan that limited each drug company"s annual increase in the average price of prescription drugs to the increase in the Consumer Price Index, but the Department of Justice ruled that the proposal would violate antitrust laws. DOJ officials said that the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear that setting price maximums was akin to setting price minimums, which is illegal. In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, AHA wrote that uncertainty regarding the enforcement of antitrust laws "makes it difficult for a hospital and doctors to collaborate to improve care" and reduce costs. AMA has asked Congress to amend antitrust laws to allow physicians to collectively negotiate with insurers over fees and other concerns, but FTC repeatedly has designated the practice illegal price-fixing, according to the Times. FTC officials said that consumers could benefit from cooperation among health care industry groups but that cooperation also could lead to increased bargaining power for physicians and hospitals, making it easier for them to set prices and eliminate competition (New York Times, 5/27). Reform Developments
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Linking Genes, Brain, And Behavior In Children
It comes as no surprise that some babies are more difficult to soothe than others but frustrated parents may be relieved to know that this is not necessarily an indication of their parenting skills. According to a new report in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, children"s temperament may be due in part to a combination of a certain gene and a specific pattern of brain activity.
Nutrition

FluoroPharma To Present Phase I Study Results Of Novel Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI) Tracer

FluoroPharma Inc., a company developing breakthrough PET molecular imaging agents, announced that it will present Phase I data relating to the safety, dosimetry, and pharmacokinetics in human subjects of BFPET, its novel 18-F labeled PET tracer for myocardial perfusion imaging, at the Society of Nuclear Medicine 2009 Annual Meeting in Toronto. The results of this study will be presented by Dr. David Elmaleh, Director of Contrast Media Chemistry at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, at the "New Tracers, New Agents and New Stressors" scientific session on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, from 1:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (EDT). BFPET is 18-F labeled tetraphenylphosphonium compound, designed to assess mitochondrial damage and myocardial perfusion. Myocardial perfusion imaging is a standard test to assess coronary artery disease (CAD) with more than 9 million Americans undergoing the test annually. About FluoroPharma FluoroPharma is a molecular imaging company engaged in the discovery and development of proprietary products for the PET market. FluoroPharma is advancing three proprietary products for assessment of acute and chronic forms of coronary disease This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, management"s current expectations, plans and strategies, and anticipated financial results, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Many of these risks are beyond our ability to control or predict including the company"s need for additional funds, the company"s dependence on a limited number of imaging compounds, the early state of the products the company is developing, uncertainties relating to clinical trials and regulatory reviews, competition and dependence on collaborative partners, the company"s ability to avoid infringement of the patent rights of others, and the company"s ability to obtain adequate patent protection and to enforce these rights. Because of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Furthermore, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. FluoroPharma does not undertake any obligation to update or review any such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. FluoroPharma Inc


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