The National Institutes of Health released a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research to combat the obesity epidemic by encouraging diverse scientific investigations. The plan emphasizes the development of practical solutions by moving science from the laboratory to clinical trials, and it is designed to help target efforts and resources in areas most likely to help.

The American Medical Association's Advocacy Resource Center has released a report that examines the impact that office-based physicians have on the economy.

In December the AASM reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services included four sleep health objectives in “Healthy People 2020.” The new 10-year plan covers 42 topics and nearly 600 objectives for health promotion and disease prevention. This week the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies announced that it had identified one of these sleep health objectives as one of the 24 key objectives in the plan.

The FDA Division of Neurology Products in conjunction with PERI will host the Safety and Efficacy of Hypnotic Drugs worshop in Bethseda, MD. The workshop will focus on insomnia, study population selections, end-points and efficacy assessments. The second day will center on the safety of insomnia drugs, in particular on the assessment of next-day function, including psychomotor vigilance and driving testing.