Courtesy of the FDA, get daily updates on the current status of the national blood supply and general information updates including:

	Current results on smallpox vaccination effectiveness in treating Monkeypox
	Basic virus signs and symptoms
	Infected blood and plasma transmission risk

FDA Generic Drugs Final Rule and Initiative

On June 12, 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new regulations and review procedures to streamline the process for making safe, effective generic drugs available to consumers. The new rule will limit a drug company to only one 30-month "stay" of a generic drug's entry into the market for resolution of a patent challenge. The FDA is also implementing changes in its review procedures intended to help improve the speed and reduce the cost of determining that a new generic drug is safe and effective, and therefore can be made available to patients.

The changes in the regulations alone will save consumers an estimated $35 billion over 10 years by making generic alternatives to certain more costly brand-name drugs available more quickly, by avoiding time-consuming legal delays. The improvements in the efficiency of review procedures, which will require changes by both FDA and generic manufacturers to improve the review process, are expected to save consumers billions more by generally reducing the time for approving new generic drugs.

Genetic Discrimination Bill Moving Ahead in the Senate

Currently before the Senate, the bill would add genetic testing results to the list of patient information protected by the Retirement Income Security Act, which among other things, regulates medical records privacy. 

To learn more about this important legislation, check out the American Medical Association and their story on this important legislation.

AIDS Traced to African Monkeys

Although long suspected and intensely debated, scientists could offer no definitive proof that monkeys were indeed the host for the virus that causes AIDS until now.  An international group of scientists now believe that they have the proof that has eluded many others for so long. Read CNN's article about this new discovery and what it could mean for the future of AIDS and other related viruses.

Maine Approves Universal Health Insurance

State lawmakers approved legislation that would give almost 200,000 uninsured individuals access to medical coverage.  All Maine residents would have access to low cost coverage by 2009.

Learn more about this groundbreaking bill by checking out Yahoo's and CBS News's in-depth coverage on this subject.