BMJ  2007;335:690 (6 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.39356.459688.34

News

In Brief

News

Red Cross director acquitted of giving tainted blood: The former director of the Canadian Red Cross, Roger Perrault, and three other doctors were acquitted on Monday after a criminal trial in which they were accused of giving tainted blood to thousands of people with haemophilia who became infected with HIV or hepatitis C.

Eisai to appeal against court ruling on NICE: Eisai, the company that holds the licence for donepezil (Aricept), announced last week that it would appeal against an English High Court ruling that upholds guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that denies the drug to NHS patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (BMJ 2007;335:319 doi: 10.1136/bmj.39307.630347.DB).

Congo struggles with Ebola virus: International efforts continued last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo to try to halt the spread of Ebola haemorrhagic fever. Of 24 confirmed cases, six people have died.

Global Fund donors pledge $9.7bn: Donors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria have given initial pledges worth $9.7bn (£4.7bn; 6.8bn) in new funds—including $1.27bn by France and $729m by the United Kingdom—to combat the three diseases over three years.

France acts on benefit deficit: A non-reimbursable charge of 0.50 (£0.35; $0.70) will be added to every box of drugs in France in a series of measures to reduce a predicted social security deficit of 11.7bn in 2007 and 12.7bn in 2008.

Litigation payments for breast cancer care average £38 000: About 2.4% of the total clinical claims received by the English National Health Service Litigation Authority relate to care of patients with breast cancer, according to a study covering 1995 to 2005. The highest payment was £634 194 (911 575; $1 293 782) and the average £37 928 (Breast 2007 Sep 24 doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2007.08.003).

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

High Court upholds NICE decision to limit treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Owen Dyer
BMJ 2007 335: 319. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]