The stockwholesalers.com health products categories in the new directory include; Health care, Body Care, Health Supplements, Other Health Products, Dental Care, Herbal Products,Quit Smoking Supplies, Essential Oils Health, Massagers and Massage Supplies, Vitamins and Minerals, Fitness Equipment, Medical Equipment, Weight Loss Management,

The purpose of this bill is to ensure and foster continued patient safety and quality of care by making the antitrust laws apply to negotiations between groups of independent pharmacies and health plans and health insurance issuers (including health plans under parts C and D of the Medicare Program) in the same manner as such laws apply to protected activities under the National Labor Relations Act

The National Community Pharmacists Association has applauded saying:- “The more than 23,000 independent pharmacies in America are grateful that the House Judiciary Committee reported out H.R. 971, which is a milestone in this long-standing effort. This bill provides the fairness and access to prescription drug services that are being jeopardized by a system that is out of whack as a result of the unfettered power pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) wield over independent pharmacies in dictating reimbursement rates and patient care provisions.”

“H.R. 971 rectifies the imbalance by providing much needed regulatory relief for independent pharmacies in competing with larger pharmacy retailers. It gives independent pharmacies the ability to level the playing field with PBMs by allowing them to pool together to negotiate fairer terms in these contracts. By creating real competition at the retail level, consumers win with more choices and a higher quality of service and care.”

“Independent pharmacists believe their situation is quite different from the normal competitive marketplace: here small, independent businesses must compete directly with much larger companies at the retail level, with all the retailers reimbursed by a few large middle-men instead of the consumer. Of further concern is that one of the largest competitors also owns one of the largest PBMs.”

The National Community Pharmacists Association, represents American community pharmacists which dispense almost 50% of the US retail prescription medicines.

The district court also ruled that Amgen is entitled to a permanent injunction prohibiting Roche from selling its pegylated-erythropoietin (peg-EPO) product MIRCERA in the U.SA.

Previously, the Court gave a preliminary injunction preventing Roche from selling peg-EPO, which Roche had appealed.  The latest decision provides a permanent injunction once the appeal of the preliminary injunction is resolved.
The Court stated: “Failure to enter a permanent injunction…would risk undermining the incentives for innovation that have produced, and hopefully will continue to produce, medical advances that extend and enhance the value of life. The Court  therefore concludes that the public interest will not be disserved by a permanent injunction.”

 In a separate decision involving Amgen’s suit against TKT and Aventis, the District Court upheld the validity of claim 1 of Amgen’s U.S. Patent No. 5,955,422 that claims pharmaceutical compositions of human EPO and entered a permanent injunction  prohibiting TKT and Aventis from selling its gene-activated EPO in the U.S.

Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science’s promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing
plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses.

Possibly in an effort to reduce the impact, the Fonterra website shows an article that states “All other ANMUM and ANLENE products in the market have been produced using only 100% fully imported milk from New Zealand and are free from any possibility of contamination with melamine from locally sourced milk, and adhere to the strictest New Zealand and international standards”.

However it has now been reported in the China Post that ” One thousand 25-kg bags, or 25 tons, of the milk powder contaminated with melamine was imported into Taiwan in late June by New Tai Milk Products, a branch of the New Zealand-based dairy ingredients company Fonterra.

 The Taiwan Department of Health Bureau of Food Safety, believe that most of the contaminated milk powder that has been sold, went to food processing factories, so could be containating a wide range of food products.

 In moves to get to the bottom of the problem the Chinese government has now said that tests on products from all 109 baby milk companies in China showed varying traces of melamine from 22 companies, and that milk collectors, who gather milk from dairy farmers, deliberately added melamine to make it appear the milk had more protein.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has also stated that multiple other countries including Yemen, Bangladesh, Burma, Gabon and Burundi have imported milk powder made in China firms which has since been found to be contaminated.

The EU has moved to ban imports of dairy-based food products from China, including sweets biscuits and chocolate, aimed at children or infants amid  the escalating global health scare.

In China over 6,000 babies are ill, three have died and around 150 have serious kidney failure after drinking milk powder which had been contaminated with melamine, a toxic substance used in plastics manufacture.

The contaminated product has been supplied from their 43% owned San Lu subsidiary who market the NZ owned Anmum brand under license from the NZ parent company Fonterra Co-operative Group.

In a statement of “what we Stand For”, Fonterra’s website boldly states”. “Dairy is our life’s work. It’s our passion and it’s what we do best.” “We have always marvelled at the simple nutrition of dairy. In an age when you need a chemistry degree to understand food labels, milk is pure milk, providing the building blocks for a healthy life.”
Since New Zealands dairy farmers’ Fonterra Co-operative Group was formed in 2001, they have become the world’s largest dairy exporter with over 11,000 dairyfarmer shareholders. Fonterra exports 95% of their New Zealand-made dairy products to more than 140 countries.

Actemra is already available in Japan for patients with the rare auto immume disease known as Castleman’s disease and after sucessfull clinical trials there now been approved in Japan for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and for both juvenile idiopathic arthritis and systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis which affect kids.

Actemra is the first of a new class of drug with a novel mechanism which brings new hope to rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. Actemra works by suppressing the activity of IL-6, an  trigger of the inflammatory process and so reduces inflammation of the affected joints and relieves the effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease. The inflammation causes swelling of the joints and reduced functionality plus stiffness and swelling and significant pain from inflammation of the membrane lining in the joints. The condition eventually leads to irreversible disability from joint break down. Other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include osteoporosis, anaemia, shortened life expectancy and fatigue. Statistically at least 50% of effected patients can no longer work or function properly after 10 years of the condition.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a severe disease associated with symptoms in joints occurring in kids. Those affected have many similarities to rheumatoid arthritis as well as fever.

For more information about Actemra contact Roche

Asbestos Awareness Day is an idea put forward by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization 4 years ago sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D–Montana). The local proclamation hopes to increase local awareness and also bring attention to asbestos related diseases like Mesothelioma and to educate the general public about the ongoing risks.

Asbestos exposure, can lead to asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and Mesothelioma and you only need to breathe a minute number of the fibres which can be airborne near any damaged asbestos products.

How Is It Contracted
Most patients that have contracted Mesothelioma have been employed in locations where they have inhaled fine asbestos particles, or have been otherwise exposed to asbestos dust or fibres. Some Trades are more likely to develop Mesothelioma such as: construction workers, metal plate workers and vehicle body builders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters. Other people who are much less at risk can also been exposed to airborne asbestos fibres such as by washing the clothes of a workers or home renovators using, or uncovering asbestos cement products.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Diagnosing Mesothelioma is difficult, because the symptoms can be similar to many other medical problems. Unfortunately the symptoms of Mesothelioma often do not reveal until up to 50 years after inhaling to asbestos fibres.

For Pleural Mesothelioma the most common symptoms are; fatigue or anaemia, shortness of breath, wheezing, hoarseness, coughing, and chest pain due to fluid build up in the pleural space.

Usual symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma include; swelling in the abdomen and pains due to the build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity known as ascites,  and also weight loss and cachexia. Other symptoms may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting and anaemia in later stages when the cancer has spread beyond the Mesothelioma symptoms may include difficulty swallowing, or swelling of the face or neck.

Each form of arthritis has its own characteristics and treatments should be appropriate to the particular type of arthritis that a patient suffers from. Some forms of arthritis are hard to detect and if you are not getting results from your regular physician then you may need to consult a specialist rheumatologist.

Symptoms can include joint pain and joint swelling and increased stiffness. The symptoms are usually associated with elderly people however arthritis can attack us at any age.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease characterized by inflammation which affects the entire body and gets into a number of bone joints of the body concurrently. The inflammation mainly affects the lining of the joints called the synovial membrane, but can also affect other organs.

Osteoarthritis is a disease causing erosion of cartilage and the bone structure within a joint as well as causing bony growths. The gradual breakdown of these body tissues causes to painful joint stiffness.

Gout is another rheumatic disease resulting from deposition of uric acid crystals (monosodium urate) in tissues and fluids within the body. This process is caused by an overproduction or under excretion of uric acid.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system produces antibodies to cells within the body leading to widespread inflammation and tissue damage.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome predominately characterized by muscular pains and fatigue. A chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points that occurs in precise, localized areas

another variation is arthritis in which the synovial membrane becomes inflamed. It’s associated with psoriasis, a skin disease. It can also affect the tendons where they attach to the bone.

Pain relief from some forms of arthritis can come from non prescription medication. However in may be short lived and consultation is recommended. New prescription drugs and medications can assist some people in some cases. Certain creams and gels can help some patients particularly with isolated joint pain. In some cases surgery is required. Many remedies include weight loss where appropriate, special diets and also physiotherapy, or all of the above.

In any case the best hope for your long term pain relief and quality of life starts with proper early diagnosis. So find a specialist rheumatologist.

 Visit  uwmcarthritiscare.org  To find more information on Arthritis or to locate a rheumatologist.