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Congress needs to replace current outdated Medicare payment system

The Alliance of Specialty Medicine, representing over 100,000 specialty physicians nationwide, released the following statement on Congress's unwillingness to improve and permanently fix the Medicare reimbursement system:

29 May 2010

Amgen announces European approval of Prolia

Amgen Inc. today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Prolia® (denosumab) for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures, and for the treatment of bone loss associated with hormone ablation in men with prostate cancer at increased risk of fractures.

28 May 2010

St. Jude Medical's Epiducer lead delivery system for neurostimulation therapy receives CE Mark approval

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced European CE Mark approval of its new Epiducer™ lead delivery system for neurostimulation therapy. Unveiled at the Neurosurgery 2010 Congress in Lyon, France, the Epiducer lead delivery system is the first of its kind, allowing introduction of S-Series perc-paddle leads as well as multiple lead arrays through a single percutaneous entry point.

27 May 2010

Neurological Institute at University Hospitals receives Neuroscience Center of Excellence designation

The Neurological Institute at University Hospitals has been designated as a Neuroscience Center of Excellence (COE), according to the Neuroscience Center of Excellence Survey sponsored by NeuStrategy, Inc., Chicago. It is the first neurological program in Ohio to receive the Stage 4 - Institute designation.

27 May 2010

Kensey Nash granted FDA 510(k) clearance for Meso BioMatrix ECM product

Kensey Nash Corporation, a leading medical technology company that provides innovative resorbable biomaterial technology for a wide range of medical procedures, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its second extracellular matrix (ECM) product, the Meso BioMatrix™ product.

27 May 2010

POZEN receives milestone payment from AstraZeneca for FDA approval of VIMOVO

POZEN Inc., announced today the receipt of a $20 million milestone payment from AstraZeneca for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of VIMOVO (naproxen and esomeprazole magnesium) delayed-release tablets on April 30th. POZEN will transfer ownership of the Investigational New Drug application and New Drug Application for VIMOVO to AstraZeneca over the next few weeks.

26 May 2010

$FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use$

FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers and health care professionals about a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine with high doses or long-term use of a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors. The product labeling will be changed to describe this possible increased risk.

26 May 2010

Applied Spine Technologies awarded U.S. patents for 'Dynamic Spine Stabilizer' and 'Spring Junction'

Applied Spine Technologies, Inc., a medical device company focused on motion preservation of the lumbar spine, was awarded two new patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 11, 2010.

25 May 2010

Medtronic fiscal year 2010 revenue up 8% to $15.817 billion

Medtronic, Inc. today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended April 30, 2010.

25 May 2010

Exactech acquires Brighton Partners

Exactech, Inc., a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products for hip, knee, shoulder, spine and biologic materials, announced today that the company has acquired Brighton Partners, Inc., the sole source supplier of the direct compression molded polyethylene bearings used exclusively in Exactech's flagship product, the Optetrak® knee replacement system.

25 May 2010

Nanoliposomes engineered to deliver therapeutic drugs that kill malignant cells

A new way to deliver cancer-fighting drugs using tiny particles made from lipids and chemotherapy drugs may have the power to knock out malignancies with a one-two punch. The strategy holds promise for patients with many different kinds of cancers.

25 May 2010

VentureMD closes on fund to incubate promising medical device technologies into successful companies

VentureMD, a seed stage medical device business accelerator, has closed on a fund to incubate promising medical device technologies into successful companies.

25 May 2010

X-spine's new Fixcet Spinal Facet Screw System receives FDA clearance

X-spine, a global manufacturer of implants and instruments for spinal surgery, announced FDA clearance of its new Fixcet Spinal Facet Screw System. The system is designed to provide spinal stability for lumbar fusion procedures, including the treatment of degenerative disk disease, instability and trauma.

25 May 2010

Data from MiDAS I trial of mild for treatment of LSS to be released

Medical device company Vertos Medical, Inc. has announced the release of additional patient outcomes data from the MiDAS I trial, a prospective, 75-patient study of mild for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. As presented at the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting in Orlando on May 23, investigators found that study participants reported statistically significant improvement in both their physical and mental well-being six weeks following the mild procedure.

24 May 2010

Stem cell research could lead to new treatment strategies for motor neuron disease

The Motor Neurone Disease Association is funding its first ever stem cell research programme to help unlock the secrets of this fatal, neurological condition.

24 May 2010

Study explores genetic imbalances that give rise to childhood brain tumors

The most comprehensive analysis yet of the genetic imbalances at the heart of childhood brain tumors known as high-grade gliomas (HGGs) identified a cancer gene that is unusually active in some tumors and is now the focus of a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital clinical trial.

21 May 2010

SLU Hospital announces increase in number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures performed

With the recent launch of the Neurosurgical Spine Program at Saint Louis University Hospital's Center for Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery, the hospital has seen a dramatic increase in the number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures, including lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Designed to stop the motion at a painful vertebral segment, this procedure is traditionally performed via a large incision on the back, stripping vital muscles away from the spine. However, the emergence of minimally-invasive neurosurgical techniques is revolutionizing spinal surgery.

21 May 2010

AANS/CNS issue statement on Congress hearing of impact of concussions on high school athletes

On Thursday, May 20, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing to learn more about the impact of concussions on high school athletes and how the injury can impact academic achievement. A concussion is an injury to the brain that results in loss of normal brain function and is usually temporary.

20 May 2010

UAMS and partners receive $14.7M NIH grant for extension of biomedical research

Biomedical research in Arkansas has received a $14.7 million boost over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue expanding and improving biomedical research in the state.

20 May 2010

Natural molecule in body counters progression of osteoarthritis: Scientists

An international team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute in California and the National Research Institute for Child Health and Development in Japan has discovered that a natural molecule in the body counters the progression of osteoarthritis. The findings could one day lead to new therapies for some common diseases of aging.

19 May 2010