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Rise In New Cases Of Alzheimer's And Dementia, Even In The 'Oldest Old'
The number of people with Alzheimer"s and dementia - both new cases and total numbers with the disease - continues to rise among the very oldest segments of the population in contradiction of the conventional wisdom, according to research reported today at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.
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HIV Specialty Clinics Across U.S. Closing, Changing Focus, Citing Lack Of Funding, Other Reasons
HIV Specialty Clinics Across U.S. Closing, Changing Focus, Citing Lack Of Funding, Other Reasons. The Scripps Howard/Kansas City infoZine examines how some medical clinics across the U.S. that specialize in treating patients with HIV are closing due to lack of funding and decreased demand, among other reasons.
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N.C. Bill Gives Students 'Vital Access' To Accurate Sex Education Instruction, Editorial States
A bill (S. 221) approved by the North Carolina Legislature that would require a public school sex education curriculum covering abstinence, contraception and sexually transmitted infections "will be the most comprehensive and science-based approach the state has used" for sex education, a Charlotte Observer editorial states, adding that Gov. Bev Perdue (D) "should sign it." The bill would require all public school districts in the state to teach a curriculum that focuses on abstinence but also includes information on preventing pregnancy and STIs. Parents would be able to have their children removed from the comprehensive portions of instruction. According to the editorial, the measure "still gives parents a choice in deciding what kind of sex education their children will receive." The editorial adds, "It also finally provides a curriculum that gives N.C. students vital access to age-appropriate, science-based information critical to their health, safety and well-being," which is "the kind of information that can help them make smart choices in serious situations."Parents are "often the best people for kids to turn to for advice and information" on sex, but "not all children have parents who can provide it, or are even willing to," and "not all children [who] go to their parents adhere to their advice," the editorial states. It continues, "The schools provide another avenue to get this critical advice and information -- and state lawmakers are right to make it available." According to the Observer, North Carolina has the ninth-highest teenage pregnancy rate in the U.S., and about "20,000 teenagers will get pregnant in North Carolina this year." A "comprehensive, science-based education program can help reduce the number of unintended teen pregnancies" and help reduce the spread of STIs, the editorial says. It concludes, "By reaching agreement on this matter, state lawmakers have given the children of this state vital tools to safeguard their health and welfare. ... Perdue should sign this bill and make it law" (Charlotte Observer, 6/26).
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BIO Commends Senate Committee On Small Business And Entrepreneurship's SBIR Reauthorization

Under legislation reported by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, small companies that receive the majority of their financing from venture capital will once again be considered eligible to compete for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. The change will allow more small biotechnology start-ups to compete for these funds and continue critical research and development of medical advancements and breakthroughs. Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood made the following statement today: "For six years, more than half of all small private U.S. biotech companies have not been allowed to compete for SBIR grants due to a bureaucratic ruling. Especially in these troubling economic times, these federal grants could provide considerable support for small companies and the patients awaiting development of new therapies. "I commend the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Chairwoman Mary Landrieu, and Ranking Member Olympia Snowe on their hard work to move this process forward. This legislation provides the opportunity for biotech companies to compete on the promise of their science rather than how they are financed. Over 90 percent of the biotech industry is comprised of small businesses engaged in high risk, high reward research and development that benefits us all. "I urge Congress and the Administration to reauthorize the SBIR program as soon as possible in a way that provides a level playing field for all small companies, regardless of their capital structure. I look forward to working with Members of the House and Senate to modernize the SBIR program to reflect the business realities facing small companies in capital-intensive industries, such as biotechnology. And to do so in a way that does not artificially limit the participation of some of our nation"s most innovative and promising small businesses." As a result of the Small Business Administration (SBA)"s reinterpretation of the program"s eligibility requirements in 2003, the applicant pool at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for SBIR grants has been shrinking. For example, when they became ineligible for SBIR grants, several small biotech firms stopped their work aimed at developing new treatments for cancer and cystic fibrosis. Two years later, NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. told the SBA that limits on SBIR eligibility, "unduly restrict the ability of the NIH to fund high quality, small companies." He expressed concern that the eligibility requirement "undermines NIH"s ability to award SBIR funds to those applicants whom we believe are most likely to improve human health." Patient advocacy groups also have expressed concern about the eligibility restrictions. Sixty patient groups sent a letter to leaders of the 110th Congress in support of reinstating the eligibility of small biotech firms to compete for SBIR grants. In the letter, they asked Congress to "help innovative research move forward in order to foster breakthrough cures. See BIO"s web site and SBIR blog at http://www.hopesandcures.org. BIO


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