A woman who uses the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch runs a higher risk of developing VTE (venous thromboembolism) - serious blood clots - compared to a woman who does not use the patch, prompting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve additional changes to the patch’s label. The FDA informs that VTE can lead to pulmonary embolism.

Inhibiton Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB: IHBT) announced that its ICA-1 compound has been effective in laboratory in-vitro testing in various cancer cell lines. The present work performed under a Co-operative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) demonstrated that inhibition of the enzyme protein kinase C-iota is a promising means to prevent and treat certain cancers through development of a targeted therapy.

A new way of searching for human viruses has helped scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in the US find a previously unknown one that is linked to a deadly form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

U.S. News & World Report on Wednesday interviewed social worker and public relations professional Terrie Williams, who wrote the new book, “Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting.

Democratic plans to include an increase in the percentage of matching funds states receive for Medicaid as part of an economic stimulus package might meet “resistance from Republicans, although they might be willing to allow the provision in exchange for some of their priorities,” CongressDaily reports (Johnson, CongressDaily, 1/17).

Congressional aides at a forum on Wednesday said they are optimistic that Congress can pass Medicare legislation this year that likely would stop for 18 months a 10.6% cut to Medicare physician fees, CQ Today reports. The fee cut is scheduled to go into effect on July 1 (Armstrong, CQ Today, 1/16).President Bush last month signed into law a bill that delays the fee cut for six months and extends SCHIP through March 2009.

An Illinois school board on Monday heard public comments about Maine South High School’s freshman biology curriculum, which teaches about birth control, the Chicago Tribune reports. About 100 people on Monday attended a

HIV-positive women living in rural areas of Zimbabwe are experiencing increasingly limited access to antiretroviral drugs, some nongovernmental organizations said recently, IRIN News reports. According to the groups, women in rural areas also tend to be more marginalized than women in urban locations. Research conducted by the

The following highlights recent news of state actions on cancer reproductive health-related legislation.Abortion Alaska: Rep. John Coghill (R) on Monday said he is co-sponsoring a measure (HB 301) that he hopes will ban so-called “partial birth” abortion, the

USA Today on Thursday examined how a “projected long-term explosion of health care costs could force sweeping changes” in Medicare, private health insurance and Social Security, as part of a series on the effects of the retirement of baby boomers. The