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Proving value a challenge for comparative effectiveness and pharmaceutical technologies

The Wall Street Journal reports that "an examination of one of the best-known examples of a comparative-effectiveness analysis shows how complicated such a seemingly straightforward idea can get" as officials look for savings in the health care system." One study, called Courage, "found that the most common heart surgery -- a $15,000 procedure that unclogs arteries using a small scaffold or stent -- usually yields no additional benefit when used with a cocktail of generic drugs in patients suffering from chronic chest pain."

12 Feb 2010

AMC receives GWTG-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award for caring stroke patients

Adventist Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) - Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes AMC's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations provided by the AHA/ASA.

12 Feb 2010

Therapeutic cell types obtained from iPS cells demonstrate abnormal expansion and early cellular aging

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. or “ACT” reported that a range of therapeutic cell types obtained from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells exhibit abnormal expansion and early cellular aging. The research, which appears online (published-ahead-of- print) in the journal STEM CELLS by ACT and its collaborators at Stem International (SCRMI), Harvard Medical School, and the University of Illinois, compares a variety of replacement cell types derived from human iPS cells with their embryonic stem (ES) cell counterparts. The findings support the use of ACT’s single blastomere-derived human embryonic stem cell lines which do not display early aging.

12 Feb 2010

Study could lead to new ways to combat obesity

The tiny tongue of a fruit fly could provide big answers to questions about human eating habits, possibly even leading to new ways to treat obesity, according to a study from a team of Texas A&M University researchers.

12 Feb 2010

PARI Pharma commences enrollment in L-CsA Phase 2b efficacy study

PARI Pharma has enrolled the first patient in its Phase 2b clinical trial studying inhaled liposomal cyclosporine A (L-CsA) delivered via a customized Investigational eFlow Nebulizer System. The multinational study is investigating the safety and efficacy of PARI's L-CsA formulation. In previous clinical trials, reactions from physicians and lung transplant recipients to PARI's drug-device combination were encouraging.

11 Feb 2010

Decline in breast cancer rates linked to race, ethnicity and economic background

Breast cancer rates are declining, but some groups have seen a more significant decline than others, with race, ethnicity and economic background playing a part.

11 Feb 2010

Chemical compound found in blood shows promise in preventing intractable form of heart failure

A chemical compound found normally in the blood has shown promise in treating and preventing an intractable form of heart failure in a mouse model of the disease, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

11 Feb 2010

Cambridge Heart submits 510(k) application for Microvolt T-wave Alternans OEM Module

Cambridge Heart, Inc., today announced that the Company has completed the development phase of its Microvolt T-wave Alternans (MTWA) OEM Module, and has submitted a 510(k) application for regulatory approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The module is the centerpiece of the Company’s new business model that involves partnering with leading stress test equipment manufacturers to broaden the distribution and use of MTWA technology.

11 Feb 2010

Boston Scientific combines Cardiovascular Group and Cardiac Rhythm Management Group

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced a series of management changes and restructuring initiatives designed to strengthen the Company and position it for long-term success.

11 Feb 2010

$NovaShunt initiates study to evaluate AFS for refractory ascites patients$

NovaShunt initiates study to evaluate AFS for refractory ascites patients

NovaShunt today announced the initiation of its pivotal multi- center clinical study named PIONEER, a Prospective, multi-center, open label, non-randomized study to Investigate the safety and perfOrmance of the Automated Fluid ShuNt in patiEnts with ascitEs and diuretic Resistance.

11 Feb 2010

Barley beta-glucan soluble fiber lowers cholesterol and reduces risk for coronary heart disease

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States and is also a major cause of disability. But the good news is improving heart health can be as easy as making simple lifestyle changes like choosing foods with proven heart health-promoting attributes.

11 Feb 2010

Edwards Lifesciences’ German Andersen patent not infringed by Medtronic's CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve system

Medtronic, Inc., announced today that an appeals court in Germany has found that the CoreValve® transcatheter aortic valve system does not infringe Edwards Lifesciences’ German Andersen patent, which is set to expire in May 2011. The appellate court’s decision upholds a lower court’s ruling and enables uninterrupted access to the leading transcatheter heart valve in Germany.

11 Feb 2010

VCU professor warns consumers to be wary of unregulated electronic cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes should be evaluated, regulated, labeled and packaged in a manner consistent with cartridge content and product effect - even if that effect is a total failure to deliver nicotine as demonstrated in a study supported by the National Cancer Institute and led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher.

11 Feb 2010

Women's heart-health awareness: Educational campaigns with evidence-based prevention messages needed

Racial gaps exist in women's heart-health awareness, women's knowledge of heart attack warning signs requires attention and nearly half of women report they would not call 9-1-1 if they were having heart attack symptoms, according to new research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Feb 2010

Silver nanoparticles in higher-power, longer-life batteries for ICDs

Diamonds and gold may make some hearts flutter on Valentine's Day, but in a University at Buffalo laboratory, silver nanoparticles are being designed to do just the opposite.

11 Feb 2010

Medica Foundation awards grants totaling $604,940 in second cycle of funding

The Medica Foundation wrapped up its 2009 giving with 17 program grants totaling $473,690 in its second cycle of funding in 2009. The Medica Foundation also awarded 19 General Health Improvement Grants totaling $131,250. Funding by the Medica Foundation totaled $604,940 in its second cycle; for all of 2009, its total funding was $1,353,000.

11 Feb 2010

Therapeutic cell types obtained from iPS cells exhibit abnormal expansion and early cellular aging

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. reported that a range of therapeutic cell types obtained from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells exhibit abnormal expansion and early cellular aging.

11 Feb 2010

Raising New Jersey's cigarette tax by $1 would bring in $80M in new annual revenue

Raising New Jersey's cigarette tax by $1 per pack would bring in $80 million in new annual revenue to help close the state's budget shortfall, while also reducing smoking and saving lives, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.

11 Feb 2010

BBSRC commits £15M to establish training for food security research and development

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is today (10 Feb 2010) committing up to £15M to establish training for food security research and development.

11 Feb 2010

MUSC researchers introduce second generation dual-source CT scanner to detect cardiac disease

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) are the first in the world to demonstrate the feasibility of a new method of detecting cardiac disease using enhanced computed tomography scanning technology. The findings will be published in the upcoming March / April issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography.

11 Feb 2010

Heart News and Research

Proving value a challenge for comparative effectiveness and pharmaceutical technologies

AMC receives GWTG-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award for caring stroke patients

Therapeutic cell types obtained from iPS cells demonstrate abnormal expansion and early cellular aging

Study could lead to new ways to combat obesity

PARI Pharma commences enrollment in L-CsA Phase 2b efficacy study

Decline in breast cancer rates linked to race, ethnicity and economic background

Chemical compound found in blood shows promise in preventing intractable form of heart failure

Cambridge Heart submits 510(k) application for Microvolt T-wave Alternans OEM Module

Boston Scientific combines Cardiovascular Group and Cardiac Rhythm Management Group

NovaShunt initiates study to evaluate AFS for refractory ascites patients

Barley beta-glucan soluble fiber lowers cholesterol and reduces risk for coronary heart disease

Edwards Lifesciences’ German Andersen patent not infringed by Medtronic's CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve system

VCU professor warns consumers to be wary of unregulated electronic cigarettes

Women's heart-health awareness: Educational campaigns with evidence-based prevention messages needed

Silver nanoparticles in higher-power, longer-life batteries for ICDs

Medica Foundation awards grants totaling $604,940 in second cycle of funding

Therapeutic cell types obtained from iPS cells exhibit abnormal expansion and early cellular aging

Raising New Jersey's cigarette tax by $1 would bring in $80M in new annual revenue

BBSRC commits £15M to establish training for food security research and development

MUSC researchers introduce second generation dual-source CT scanner to detect cardiac disease

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