More than half of the members on panels that produced national guidelines for screening or treating diabetes and hyperlipidemia in the U.S. and Canada had a financial conflict of interest, according to an analysis published Oct. 11 in the British Medical Journal. Among 73 panel members who reported no conflicts, 11 percent were found to have one or more conflict of interests, the researchers reported.

The FDA has approved Ferriprox (deferiprone) to treat patients with iron overload due to blood transfusions in patients with thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that causes anemia, who had an inadequate response to prior chelation therapy.

There is little evidence to support the use of PET/CT imaging in the pre-operative staging of primary colorectal cancer, according to research published in the October edition of Health Technology Assessment.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has praised the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force for offering a recommendation on the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for prostate cancer, but cautioned against a blanket no-testing policy.

GE Healthcares SenoBright Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography has received FDA 510(k) clearance.

National Imaging Associates, a subsidiary of Magellan Health Services, has started a two-year demonstration study to assess the appropriate use of advanced imaging for Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries. The research will examine the impact of physician decision support tools on mitigating the inappropriate use of MRI, CT and nuclear medicine.

Current guidelines that help clinicians decide whether a woman has had a miscarriage are inadequate and not reliable, and following them may lead to the inadvertent termination of wanted pregnancies, according to a series of papers published in the international journal, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A partnership announced Oct. 13 will allow Peer Consulting of Mercer Island, Wash., to open the vendor database of CapSite, a healthcare technolgoy research firm, to Peer's healthcare provider clients.