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DaVita Inc, the biggest U.S. operator of dialysis clinics, said it is the subject of a government probe into payments for infusion drugs covered by the Medicaid health program for the poor in New York.

DaVita said it believed the inquiry was civil in nature and did not have details about the time period covered. The company said it has been notified that it will receive a request for documents, which may include a subpoena, from the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Life expectancy for people in Britain who have HIV rose by 15 years between 1996 and 2008, thanks largely earlier diagnosis and treatment with better, less toxic drugs, scientists said on Wednesday. While life expectancy for HIV patients is still lower than in the general population, dramatic progress in reducing side effects from drugs, offering them as combination therapies and starting treatment earlier have helped turn HIV into a chronic disease with a good prognosis, the researchers said.

In a study published in the British Medical Journal, the researchers added that the average lifespan of HIV positive patients should increase further with guidelines recommending they start treatment even earlier with modern, improved drugs. “These results are very reassuring news for current patients and will be used to counsel those recently found to be HIV-positive,” said Mark Gompels of Britain’s North Bristol NHS Trust, who co-led the study.
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