Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) News and Research

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Study shows disparities in asthma ER visits between African Americans and whites

Aetna leaders will present the findings of a new study today at the Academy for Health Equity Conference in Littleton, Colorado. The study looked at the differences in the use of the emergency room (ER) by minority populations suffering from asthma and the potential to improve health outcomes and cost savings by addressing disparities in asthma ER visits.

20 Aug 2010

Hospitals grapple with increasing ER visits; LA officials order changes to boost patient safety; Mass. nurse fired after reporting problem

"Hartford Hospital opened an expanded emergency department this month, with new rooms and triage areas meant to keep up with an increase in patient visits. Across town, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center is preparing to double its emergency department space as part of a new 10-story tower set to open next spring. UConn's John Dempsey Hospital expanded its emergency department earlier this year in response to rising patient volume, but there are still days when patients wait in the hallways because the rooms are full. Emergency department visits are increasing in Connecticut and across the country, and doctors say they are likely to become even busier as health reform rolls out."

19 Aug 2010

Patients concerned over ability to access own medical records

American patients are worried about not being able to access their own medical records when needed, according to a survey conducted by GfK Roper for Practice Fusion, the free, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) company. Concern about access outweighed worries about inaccuracy, theft, accidental destruction, ER availability or referral of personal medical records.

18 Aug 2010

Research Roundup: Disabled Medicare Enrollees' challenges; Increasing ER visits; costs/benefits of Part D

Health Affairs: Medicare Doesn't Work As Well For Younger, Disabled Beneficiaries As It Does For Older Enrollees - This paper examines "how well Medicare works for [the 8 million] nonelderly disabled beneficiaries compared to the elderly, based on findings from a nationally representative survey of noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries conducted in 2008 by the Kaiser Family Foundation."

16 Aug 2010

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

News outlets consider the impact of health reform on insurers — who are seeking flexibility on mandates — as well as changes to premiums, small businesses and emergency room care.

13 Aug 2010

ER visit rates increase at twice growth rate of population

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that emergency visit rates have increased at twice the rate of growth of the U.S. population from 1997 to 2007; Medicaid patients accounted for a large proportion of the increase, often coming with more severe illnesses and complications.

12 Aug 2010

Syndax raises $6 million to support ENCORE 301 study in breast cancer

Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage epigenetics oncology company, today announced that it has issued $6M in convertible notes and warrants to its Series A investors bringing the total investment to date to $55M. All current investors, including Domain Associates, MPM Capital, Avalon Ventures, Forward Ventures, Pappas Ventures and MC Life Sciences participated in the securities offering.

12 Aug 2010

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again debunks the myth that emergency departments are crowded with non-urgent patients, a finding noted by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

11 Aug 2010

One in five Americans visited ER in 2007

The New York Times: One in five Americans visited the emergency room in 2007 whether they were insured or not, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. "Among the uninsured, 7.4 percent made two or more visits to an E.R., but so did 5.1 percent of people with private insurance. Medicaid recipients were the heaviest users of E.R.'s, with 15.3 percent of them making two or more visits during the year.

11 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 10, 2010

In today's news, the House is back in town... though just for a day. Lawmakers will consider a state aid package that includes $16 billion in federal Medicaid assistance.

10 Aug 2010

Penwest Pharmaceuticals signs merger agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals

Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co. today announced that it has entered into a merger agreement under which its long-time partner in the development and commercialization of Opana ER, Endo Pharmaceuticals, has agreed to acquire all of the common stock of Penwest for $5.00 per share in cash. The total equity value of the transaction is approximately $168 million.

10 Aug 2010

Endo to acquire Penwest for $5.00 per share

Endo Pharmaceuticals today announced actions designed to advance the company's leadership and growth in pain management, including an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Penwest Pharmaceuticals for $5.00 in cash per share, or an estimated enterprise value of approximately $144 million at the time of deal close. Penwest has been working with Endo since 1997 on the development and commercialization of OPANA® ER and receives a royalty stream on net sales of the product.

10 Aug 2010

GTx second-quarter net loss increases to $12.9 million

GTx, Inc. today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2010. The net loss for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 was $12.9 million compared with a net loss of $11.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. The net loss for the second quarter of 2010 included a $1.7 million non-cash impairment charge related to the conclusion of the Phase III clinical trial of toremifene 20 mg.

9 Aug 2010

Myths and realities of Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment

Providers of home medical equipment and services across California are proposing a fiscally responsible alternative to the mislabeled "competitive" bidding scheme currently under way in Medicare that will actually discourage competition, reduce access to care for many of California's 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries, and put thousands of California homecare providers out of business.

7 Aug 2010

More ERs examine how to incorporate palliative care, change 'culture of care'

The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports on increased discussions about palliative care following a recent New Yorker piece by M.D.-journalist Atul Gawande and a new piece in Slate that examines end-of-life care and the emergency room.

7 Aug 2010

Agendia inaugurates new clinical genomics laboratory

Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, today announced the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art clinical genomics laboratory in Irvine, CA. Previously, Agendia's offices and laboratory were located in Huntington Beach, CA. The new laboratory will further increase capacity to support Agendia's strong commercial expansion in the U.S. market, as well as the use of multiple Agendia tests in clinical research. MammaPrint, the company's lead product and the only FDA-cleared breast cancer recurrence test, is reimbursed by an increasing number of payers, covering some 100 million lives today.

6 Aug 2010

Biovail second-quarter total revenues increase 23% to $238.8 million

Biovail Corporation today announced financial results for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2010.

5 Aug 2010

Watson Pharmaceuticals second-quarter 2010 net revenue increases 29%

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported net revenue grew 29 percent for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010 to $875.3 million, compared to $677.8 million in the second quarter 2009. On an adjusted cash basis, net income increased 22 percent to $102.8 million or $0.83 per share, compared to $84.2 million or $0.73 per share in the second quarter 2009. GAAP earnings for the second quarter 2010 were $0.57 per share, compared to $0.46 per share in the prior year period.

5 Aug 2010

Par Pharmaceutical second-quarter total net revenues decrease 37% to $255.5 million

Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. today reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

4 Aug 2010

Today's OpEds: WSJ on Virginia court ruling; Health law politics; For-profit insurers; Mass. doc shortage; Physician errors

All the smart people in the political, media and legal classes know that ObamaCare is constitutional and anyone who says otherwise is frivolous. This faux consensus, however, does not include a U.S. district court judge in Virginia, who yesterday rejected the Administration's argument that one of the key constitutional challenges should be dismissed outright. Now the case will proceed to arguments on the merits this fall (8/3).

4 Aug 2010