Becker News and Research

RSS

PTC restructures collaboration with Genzyme

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. and Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today the restructuring of their collaboration. Under the original agreement, PTC held commercial rights for the U.S. and Canada and Genzyme held commercial rights in all other countries.

2 Sep 2011

Roundup: New health center money in Ill.; groups question insurers on discrimination in Fla.

Gov. Pat Quinn continued his ribbon-cutting spree today, announcing the state will spend $30.5 million to build and renovate 14 health centers across the state that provide care for low-income patients.

2 Sep 2011

Roundup: Laid-off IT workers in Conn. prepare for health jobs

Julie Michaelson has spent five years working on her hospital's information technology system. ... Mary McAward worked for years in data processing before being laid off. ... Both are taking federally funded courses at Capital Community College, part of a national effort to educate more than 10,500 people in the electronic systems that, after years of discussion, are poised to become commonplace in medicine. That means jobs, to build, install and maintain the systems.

31 Aug 2011

Roundup: Calif. ruling may extend mental health coverage; Conn. dropping early intervention program; Alaska clinic focuses on Medicare patients

A Northern California woman's treatment for anorexia at a residential facility was medically necessary and must be covered by her healthcare plan, a federal appeals court has ruled in a case that could lead to more extensive benefits for those being treated for mental illnesses.

30 Aug 2011

Medical engineers develop sensor chip to monitor cancerous tumors

A surgery is usually one of the first therapy options in cancer treatment. However, some tumors, such as brain tumors, can be difficult to operate on if there is a risk of damaging surrounding nerve tissue.

29 Aug 2011

State activity on health exchanges continues

In Connecticut, the board overseeing the development of the state's exchange is already under fire from consumer advocates. Meanwhile, in Kansas, representatives from the health industry are actively involved in the planning processes.

26 Aug 2011

Roundup: Interim agreement between Planned Parenthood and Ariz. approved; Kan. to release budget plan

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Richard Gama this week signed off on an agreement between Planned Parenthood and the state that allows most of the 2011 regulations to go into effect while the legal challenge continues.

25 Aug 2011

Feds challenge Ohio hospital merger

Obama administration officials have been roaming the country, talking up their vision of a future in which doctors and hospitals team up to provide better care at lower cost. But a starkly different picture is unfolding this summer in a courtroom here, where lawyers from the Federal Trade Commission have been challenging a hospital merger in Toledo, Ohio.

22 Aug 2011

Roundup: Rx discounts for Medicaid programs are increasing; deadline extended for Mich. Medigap verifications

Governors have complained repeatedly in recent months that spiraling Medicaid costs are crushing their budgets. But there's good news on at least one line item in the $370 billion program — prescription drug discounts are getting more generous. According to a new report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, discounts under the federal-state Medicaid program have been growing since 2006, adding up to a 45 percent rebate for most brand name drugs by 2009.

18 Aug 2011

New gout drug may help severely affected: Study

A new drug for gout could help very sick gout patients who don't get better with usual treatment, according to a new study. The research was designed and funded by the pharmaceutical company Savient, which markets the drug, called Krystexxa (pegloticase).

17 Aug 2011

Worries in Neb. about exchange deadlines; federal grant for Conn.

Nebraska officials raised concerns Monday about the state's ability to meet upcoming federal health care reform deadlines. At a briefing for state lawmakers, the officials said they face challenges with the amount of work to be done and the lack of answers on key matters.

17 Aug 2011

Pegloticase can improve clinical outcomes of patients with chronic gout

Injections of pegloticase, a modified porcine enzyme, can produce significant and sustained clinical improvements in 2 out of 5 patients with chronic gout that is resistant to conventional therapies, researchers report in the August 17, 2011, issue of JAMA.

17 Aug 2011

The growing field of hospital medicine

Hospital medicine is a fast-growing field, attracting many of the young doctors who pursue general internal medicine. It

17 Aug 2011

Fluctuations in brain signals explained: Spontaneous electrical background rhythms in the brain influence fMRI

Until now, brain scans obtained using fMRI – one of the most important imaging methods in use today – have been affected by fluctuations in the brain activity measured which could not be explained. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and the Charité in Berlin have now shown that certain electric background rhythms in the brain, known as Alpha oscillations, alter the fMRI signal obtained with visual stimuli. To do this, they used a new approach in which quickly changing brain activity, which cannot be captured by the scanner, was measured using

16 Aug 2011

AVI BioPharma, MDA to initiate exon-51 Phase 2 trial in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

More than a decade of targeted Muscular Dystrophy Association-funded research, made possible as a result of generous public support of the MDA Labor Day Telethon and thousands of grass-roots special events, has today culminated in MDA providing financial assistance for the start of the first Phase 2 placebo-controlled, multiple dose efficacy, safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics clinical trial of an exon-51 skipping drug, eteplirsen, as a potential therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

16 Aug 2011

Becker News and Research

PTC restructures collaboration with Genzyme

Roundup: New health center money in Ill.; groups question insurers on discrimination in Fla.

Roundup: Laid-off IT workers in Conn. prepare for health jobs

Roundup: Calif. ruling may extend mental health coverage; Conn. dropping early intervention program; Alaska clinic focuses on Medicare patients

Medical engineers develop sensor chip to monitor cancerous tumors

State activity on health exchanges continues

Roundup: Interim agreement between Planned Parenthood and Ariz. approved; Kan. to release budget plan

Feds challenge Ohio hospital merger

Roundup: Rx discounts for Medicaid programs are increasing; deadline extended for Mich. Medigap verifications

New gout drug may help severely affected: Study

Worries in Neb. about exchange deadlines; federal grant for Conn.

Pegloticase can improve clinical outcomes of patients with chronic gout

The growing field of hospital medicine

Fluctuations in brain signals explained: Spontaneous electrical background rhythms in the brain influence fMRI

AVI BioPharma, MDA to initiate exon-51 Phase 2 trial in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Boston health organizations plan merger

Analysis: Health insurance premium costs vary widely

Planned $4 billion cut in nursing home funding is 'lesson in health care complexity'

Provider groups weigh in with Supreme Court on Calif. Medicaid case; Fla. docs oppose Medicaid revamp

Number of cancer survivors to increase exponentially

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News