In a newly published report, federal researchers claim that overall health-care costs in the United States are expected to grow significantly during the next 10 years, reaching nearly 20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2016. The report was conducted by economists at the National Health Statistics Group (NHSG), which is part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and was published online by the journal Health Affairs.

According to the study, total spending on health care is projected to reach $4.1 trillion by 2016; estimates for 2006 are at $2.1 trillion. Since 2001, there has been a slight decelerating trend in health-care spending, attributable in part to slow growth in “volume and intensity” of medical services. In fact, Medicaid, thanks in large part to the Part D prescription benefit, is expecting a slight decrease in overall spending in 2006 the first time that’s ever happened.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it is ordering all manufacturers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication to develop Patient Medication Guides to warn patients of potentially serious side effects. The most significant warnings will be related to adverse psychiatric symptoms and to cardiovascular risks.

“Medicines approved for the treatment of ADHD have real benefits for many patients but they may have serious risks as well,” said Dr. Steven Galson, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “In our ongoing commitment to strengthen drug safety, FDA is working closely with manufacturers of all ADHD medicines to include important information in the product labeling and in developing new Patient Medication Guides to better inform doctors and patients about these concerns.”
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The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a nearly $80 million verdict against cigarette maker Philip Morris and its parent, Altria Group. In a 5-4 decision, the high court ruled that the Oregon jury that issued the initial verdict was not properly instructed in terms of how to assess punitive damage amounts. While the decision marks a temporary victory for the tobacco giant, the case will be sent back to the Oregon Supreme Court, which can opt for a retrial or simply adjust the amount of the award.

Significantly, plaintiffs were buoyed by the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court didn’t question the amount of the verdict in and of itself and refused to put a hard-and-fast limit on punitive damages overall. The justices merely questioned whether the punitive damages awarded by the jury were commensurate with actual damage to the plaintiff in that specific case and not a larger segment of the population.
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An Ohio woman was awarded a $3 million verdict by a jury in Pennsylvania state court, which held that her use of Wyeth’s menopause drug, Prempro, led to her breast cancer. It was the second verdict against Wyeth and Prempro in the past month, and roughly 5,000 individual suits are still pending against the company and its hormone replacement drugs Prempro and Premarin.

Jennie Nelson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, six years after she began taking Prempro. She’d won a $1.5 million verdict last fall in the case, but a judge declared a mistrial over concerns of juror misconduct. The new verdict doubled her award, offering $2.4 million in damages to her, plus an additional $600,000 to her husband. The jury found that Wyeth’s product warnings were inadequate and vague and that her use of the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) had a direct effect on her development of invasive breast cancer.
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According to the Associated Press, Louisiana homeowners affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are close to reaching a major legal settlement with the state-operated Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Attorney Jennifer Jones, representing the homeowners, told the AP that the company is aiming to settle with 165 policyholders from Cameron Parish, 200 miles west of New Orleans, and that terms may be released later this week.

“I think our deal, in essence, has been made,” Jones told the AP. “We’re just finalizing the numbers.”
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Researchers participating in a large international study have determined two potential genetic links related to autism, findings that may greatly increase the medical community’s understanding of the disease. The results of the broad study, known as the Autism Genome Project, are to be published in the journal Nature Genetics.

“This isn’t the end, but it’s a major first step,” lead scientist Gerard Schellenberg, of the University of Washington, told the Seattle Times. “And it’s one of the few times almost everyone in the field is trying to work together.”
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A Missouri couple has filed suit against ConAgra Foods Inc. because of the company’s salmonella-contaminated peanut butter. Buchanan County residents Brian and Susanna Cox are alleging that Susanna and their two children became ill with salmonella symptoms in October of last year and that both children required medical attention.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers to an outbreak of salmonella connected to contaminated Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter, manufactured by ConAgra. The agency is asking consumers to throw out any remaining jars that have been purchased since May of last year. The affected jars of both Peter Pan and Great Value have product codes that begin with the number 2111. Peanut butter Recalled over Salmonella
A recent epidemiological study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked 288 cases of food-borne illness in 39 states to consumption of the peanut butter.
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Earlier this week, federal agents raided the U.S. corporate offices of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., the mammoth Indian generic-drug developer. Company spokespeople called the search a “surprise,” and neither the company nor the FDA has offered any information about what the agents might be searching for.

Federal officials also conducted a search of one of Ranbaxy’s production facilities, Ohm Laboratories, in New Brunswick, in addition to its headquarters in Plainsboro. The company has said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and handing over paper and electronic documents requested by the government.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers about a salmonella outbreak related to Wild Kitty Cat Food, but the product’s manufacturer has refused to issue a recall. Still, the agency is asking consumers to dispose of the product immediately should they be in possession of it.

“During routine monitoring activities, FDA collected and analyzed a sample of frozen raw Wild Kitty Cat Food and detected Salmonella in the product,” says the alert. “Cats and other pets consuming this food may become infected with Salmonella. People can also become infected with Salmonella if they handle or ingest this cat food, touch pets that consumed the food, or touch any surfaces that came into contact with the food or pets.”
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers to an outbreak of salmonella that is connected to contaminated Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter. The agency is asking consumers to throw out any remaining jars that have been purchased since May of last year. Peter Pan Lawsuit
“FDA’s warning is based on a just-completed epidemiological study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the states and local health agencies, which links 288 cases of food-borne illness in 39 states to consumption of varying types of Peter Pan peanut butter,” the alert explained. The first case of illness was reported in August.
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