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campaign to require condom use in pornographic film productions in California has collected enough signatures to put a ballot measure before...voters...if approved...would mandate state and municipal officials to make sure condoms are used on pornographic film sets statewide... porn producers have said viewers do not want to see condoms in porn because it distracts from their fantasies....

While a strong majority of Canadians support the concept of a pan-Canadian pharmacare program, they don't necessarily want it to replace their existing private prescription drug plans...majority of Canadians (85%) also expressed concerns about governments' ability to efficiently and effectively administer a pan-Canadian pharmacare plan

Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement...A massive trade deal now reportedly on the verge of completion,..has nearly 30 chapters. A draft chapter on intellectual property alone runs 77 single-spaced pages...health implications...are hard to judge, not only because its provisions are complex but also because the draft text is a closely held secret. Groups...warn, for example, that the agreement could threaten the lives of millions of people in developing countries. - Amy Kapczynski, J.D.

More than a dozen states that opted to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have seen enrollments surge way beyond projections, raising concerns that the added costs will strain their budgets when federal aid is scaled back starting in two years.

Novartis’ high-dose malaria medicine Coartem has received World Health Organization prequalification, potentially paving the way for as many as 25 million patients in Africa to access to the drug.

the idea of a walk-in clinic that specializes in opioid-maintenance management stinks like the fisherman's wharf on a 100-degree day....half of the physicians staffed in a clinic have sanctions on their license that forbid us from filling their prescriptions, it tells you something....Pharmacies will continue to fill the prescriptions because, at the end of the day, it all comes down to script count.

States not expanding Medicaid include Florida, Maine, Texas, and Wisconsin. One sticking point cited by opponents of expansion is the Department of Health and Human Services policy not to require enrollees to be actively seeking employment. HHS...nudge reluctant states, allowing them to use Medicaid funds to pay for private insurance and require some enrollees to make health insurance premium payments.

"It worries me giving the pigs so many veterinary drugs to prevent them from getting ill," ..New research...shows China consumed 162,000 tons of antibiotics in 2013, or more than half of the global total. About 52 percent was used on livestock and 48 percent by humans. More than 50,000 tons ended up in the water and soil.

Audio Interview with Amy Kapczynski, J.D.

France’s AB Science has received a warning letter from the US FDA for its failure to adhere to agency regulations and to protect trial subjects’ safety in a pancreatic cancer study...