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FDA approves Rituxan-FC combination therapy for CLL

Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, and Biogen Idec announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rituxan® (rituximab) in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for people with previously untreated and previously treated CD20-positive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

18 Feb 2010

GeoVax Labs presents results of preclinical study on prototype HIV/AIDS vaccine at CROI

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), today announced that it presented the results of a preclinical study on a prototype HIV/AIDS vaccine at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco.

18 Feb 2010

Dartmouth Atlas analyses of hospital spending called 'flawed'

The New York Times reports that certain hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, are lauded "for delivering high-quality care at low costs" based on "a widely cited analysis called the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care."

18 Feb 2010

Obama admin. to redouble campaign against insurers' rate hikes

After criticizing California insurer Anthem for raising premiums 10 days ago, Obama administration officials are preparing for more, The Washington Post reports. "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has scheduled a late-morning news conference, at which she is to cite half a dozen examples," where insurers have sought big rate hikes for individual coverage.

18 Feb 2010

Rituxan, intended for patients with CLL receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rituxan (rituximab) to treat certain patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow cancer.

18 Feb 2010

Highly fit MS patients perform better on tests of cognitive function than less-fit patients: Study

Highly fit multiple sclerosis patients perform significantly better on tests of cognitive function than similar less-fit patients, a new study shows.

18 Feb 2010

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

The epic of health care evolution is complex and is worth reviewing over the last five decades. Having practiced medicine in the same community in Southeast Missouri for more than 30 years, I have seen changes in health care beyond the scope of imagination (Dr. S.D. Madduri, 2/18).

18 Feb 2010

Humana schedules layoffs as insurers struggle to cut costs

Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports that Humana, one of the nation's largest health insurers, "said it will shed nearly 1,400 jobs, or 5% of its work force, this year" because of declines in enrollment. The company will cut a total of 2,500 jobs, but plans to hire 1,100 new employees to help with such issues as controlling medical costs and managing pharmacy benefits.

18 Feb 2010

States' retiree benefits underfunded by at least $1 trillion

State governments' retiree pension and health plans are severely underfunded, according to a new report from the Pew Center on States.

18 Feb 2010

'Cadillac' tax would have non-union impact, analysis finds

"A proposed tax on high-cost ['Cadillac'] health insurance plans, an element of Democratic health-care legislation that has been strongly opposed by organized labor, would actually fall equally on nonunion plans, according to a new analysis. ... at least 80 percent of the workers whose plans would be subject to the tax in 2019 would be in nonunion jobs," according to Ken Jacobs of the University of California at Berkeley Labor Center and William H. Dow, professor of health economics at Berkeley and a member of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.

18 Feb 2010

Johns Hopkins Medicine acquires Naviscan Positron Emission Mammography for radiotracer research

Johns Hopkins Medicine has become the latest academic medical center to acquire the Naviscan Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) scanner. The device will be utilized by Richard Wahl, M.D., F.A.C.R, Professor of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in pre-clinical and translational research for the development of novel radiotracers.

18 Feb 2010

CryoLife discloses financial results for fourth-quarter and full-year 2009

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company, announced today that revenues for the fourth quarter of 2009 increased 12 percent to a quarterly record of $28.6 million compared to $25.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. This was the 12th consecutive quarter of profitability for the Company.

18 Feb 2010

Incyte announces 2009 financial results and key fourth-quarter accomplishments

Incyte Corporation today reported fourth quarter and full year 2009 financial results, provided an update on key fourth quarter accomplishments and 2010 objectives, and announced its 2010 financial guidance.

18 Feb 2010

Dow AgroSciences and the Victorian Government announce new research alliance

A new research alliance between the Victorian Government and Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, will create 30 new Victorian agricultural biotech jobs, the Premier John Brumby announced this week.

18 Feb 2010

West Pharmaceutical Services reports 19.9% growth in consolidated fourth-quarter sales

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. today announced its results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2009.

18 Feb 2010

Antigenics announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results

Antigenics Inc. reported today its results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. The company reported net income attributable to common stockholders of $1.7 million, or $0.02 per share, basic and diluted, for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with net income attributable to common stockholders in the fourth quarter of 2008 of $3.9 million, or $0.06 per share, basic and diluted.

18 Feb 2010

ScienceWorksForUS reveals how Recovery Act science funding benefits their campuses and communities

On the first anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - the economic stimulus - the nation's research universities today provided nearly 100 examples of how a relatively small element of the measure is paying outsize short- and long-term dividends for the nation. Of the $787 billion contained in the ARRA, $21.5 billion is allocated for research and science infrastructure.

18 Feb 2010

Charity Navigator bestows MMRF coveted 4-star rating for efforts in finding cure for multiple myeloma

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced today that it has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charitable donations, for demonstrating exceptional fiscal responsibility in its efforts to bring patients the next generation of treatments and find a cure for multiple myeloma. This is the seventh consecutive year the MMRF has been honored with this distinguished recognition.

18 Feb 2010

Travellers are likely to become increasingly exposed to canecutter's disease: Study

A team led by PhD researcher Dr Colleen Lau from the School of Population Health http://www.sph.uq.edu.au/ , has discovered the disease, known medically as leptospirosis, was traditionally a concern for males working in the agricultural and livestock industries, as it is contracted from contact with the urine of host animals.

18 Feb 2010

Long-term solution for U.S. medical isotope shortage needed

The medical community has taken additional steps to help alleviate ongoing challenges facing physicians and patients due to the worldwide isotope shortage. SNM cautions that while this is good news, a long-term solution for the U.S. is needed urgently.

18 Feb 2010