Free HIV tests cheaper than charging when goal is preventing AIDS
Offering free HIV tests instead of charging a small fee is more cost-effective at preventing HIV infections and draws in three times as many people for testing, according to a Duke University Medical Center study conducted in Tanzania. The Duke researchers provided free HIV tests and counseling during a two-week pilot program in 2003. The number of people seeking tests increased from 4.1...Cheaper and simpler keyhole surgery
Endoscopic surgery brings many advantages for patients but is very difficult for the surgeon. Working at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, Joris Jaspers has developed two instruments which make this approach easier and also cheaper than with existing surgical robotics. Jaspers is awarded his doctorate on Wednesday 22 March at Delft University of Technology. Endoscopic operations (o...Study highlights new and cheaper way to treat heroin addiction
Costly methadone treatment for heroin addicts could be replaced by a substitute painkiller that is half the price, safer and less toxic. The research by the Universities of Edinburgh, Napier and Adel...BC catalyst discovery promises faster, cheaper drug production
Boston College chemists have discovered a substance that will make it possible for scientists to produce scores of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals in a faster, less expensive way. In a letter published in the Sept. 7 issue of the journal Nature, a team led by professors Amir Hoveyda and Marc Snapper of the Boston College Chemistry Department said they had found a first-of-its-kind cata...The power of one: A simpler, cheaper method for cell fusion
It's not easy to make one plus one equal one. But biological engineer Chang Lu has done just that with a new and cheaper method to electrically fuse cells - a vital technology for studying stem cells, creating clones and finding disease antibodies. "The only current method for electrofusion requires a very expensive and specialized electrical pulse generator," said Lu, a professor of agr...Cipro Has Cheaper Cousins to Treat Anthrax
Cipro, Cipro, Cipro. That's been the mantra of the media as dozens of people exposed to anthrax -- and thousands who weren't -- clamor for the potent antibiotic. But if the supply dwindles, doctors say other cheaper and widely available medications can be used, including a previous generation's wonder drug: penicillin. Although alternatives exist, Cipro is the latest and greatest, so it tends to...Common, cheaper drugs could be used to treat hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure as it is commonly known is a silent killer because it often goes unnoticed. It is not a life threatening disease. However, it can lead to a lot of complications such as heart attack, stroke, and // kidney failure if left untreated. Fortunately, it can be diagnosed by a very simple out patient examination and treatment involves the use of anti-hypertensive medic...Small Cars, Anti-AIDS And Anti-Cancer Drugs Would Be Cheaper
Reduced duties for a range of goods including small cars, anti-AIDS drugs, anti-cancer drugs would ensure easy access and increased affordability// . The following is one of the highlights of the annual budget 2006-07, announced by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. The beneficiaries of this reduction will be the 800, Alto, Zen, Wagon-R from the Maruti Suzuki stable and the Tata Indica....Cheaper Vaccines From Tomatoes To Fight HIV, Hepatitis B
Genetically modified tomatoes that contain edible vaccine could be used against two of the world's most lethal viruses namely HIV and hepatitis B//. Researchers have declared that it would be possible to create cheap vaccines that could be grown and processed in poorer countries where there is a very large need but no funds available to produce the existing vaccines. It...Diabetics to get Relief from Cheaper Drugs
The Federal Government’s decision to list two new drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will allow diabetics to have better access to treatment from October.// According to Health Minister Tony Abbott long-lasting injectable insulins Levemir and Lantus will be subsidized from October 1, at a cost of $145 million over the next three years. These drugs have several medica...