New figures show solid progress on child survival, including a decline in the annual number of under-five deaths, according to UNICEF. Global child deaths have reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990. “This is an historic moment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “More children are surviving today than ever before. [click link for full article]

Ramadan began on 13 September and lasts for a month. Although Islamic rules state that people with chronic conditions are permitted not to fast, some Muslims choose to do so and confusion exists about whether using an inhaler constitutes breaking the fast. Studies have also shown that in the past people have not received any particular information about changing their treatment during this time. [click link for full article]

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced that a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Panel will review the Premarket Approval (PMA) application for the company’s Endeavor® Drug Eluting Coronary Stent on October 10. The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel is scheduled to meet October 10 and 11. Endeavor is the only drug eluting stent on the agenda for review during the October 10 panel meeting. [click link for full article]

Children who learn heart healthy eating habits lower heart disease risk Lowering intake of foods high in saturated fat found to be key A new study in a mid-August edition of Circulation: Journal of the America Heart Association confirms that when young children learn about heart healthy eating habits, it can strongly influence their heart disease risk later in life. [click link for full article]

ASHP is rallying members to help garner additional support in Congress for a delay in implementing a new provision that requires that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on tamper resistant pads. The new requirement is set to take effect on October 1. While ASHP supports the use of tamper resistant prescription pads, the Society is concerned that the timeframe for implementation is too short and may result in delays in obtaining needed medications. [click link for full article]

The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) sent letters to Congressmen Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and Pete Stark (D-CA) endorsing their support of the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act of 2007. The bill includes provisions (Title VI, Subtitle C) that improve care for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients while reducing costs. [click link for full article]

A proposed rule that would reduce reimbursement rates and require pharmacy managers to separately report overhead charges from the cost of a medication doesn’t cover pharmacy costs and is overly burdensome, ASHP told members of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) advisory panel last week. [click link for full article]

Cancer is a word - and a disease - that often provokes overwhelming feelings of alarm. Almost nothing hits as hard as being told that you or someone you love has cancer. From a public health perspective, cancer is just one of many pressing political issues, but for people with cancer and their families it is an immediate and urgent problem. [click link for full article]

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced plans to issue a US$17 million emergency appeal to assist an estimated 100,000 victims, as rescue crews were reported stunned by the intensity of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Felix in northern Nicaragua. [click link for full article]

Infants and children receiving artificial heart-valve replacements face several repeat operations as they grow, since the replacements become too small and must be traded for bigger ones. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have now developed a solution: living, growing valves created in the lab from a patient’s own cells.In a special issue of Circulation, they describe making pulmonary valves through tissue engineering. [click link for full article]