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New book focuses on clinical importance of online HDF technique

Hemodiafiltration (HDF) for the treatment of end-stage renal disease patients is predominantly performed in European countries and in Japan, with some differences in technique such as rate of blood flow and dialysis fluid delivery systems.

20 Oct 2010

Adamis acquires prostrate drug candidates from Colby Pharmaceuticals

Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation today announced the completion of the acquisition from Colby Pharmaceuticals of the remaining exclusive license agreements relating to two drug product candidates for the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa).

20 Oct 2010

DOJ sues Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield over pricing deals

The U.S. Justice Department is suing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and alleging that it violated antitrust laws by forcing hospitals to charge higher prices to rival insurers.

20 Oct 2010

Health IT sector may face workforce shortage

A top federal health IT official said there is a workforce shortage in the sector that could hinder the widespread adoption of electronic medical records, but federal aide is on the way, for that, too. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, said federal training programs would meet 85 percent of the demand, which he estimated as a shortage of about 50,000 workers.

20 Oct 2010

Research paves way to understand the mechanism of leptin therapy to improve type 1 diabetes

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest a novel role for the brain in mediating beneficial actions of the hormone leptin in type 1 diabetes.

20 Oct 2010

Reports examine drug company payments to doctors

ProPublica: "Drug companies say the millions of dollars they pay physicians for speaking and consulting justly compensates them for the laudable work of educating their colleagues. But a series of lawsuits brought by former employees of those companies allege the money often was used for illegal purposes — financially rewarding doctors for prescribing their brand-name medications.

20 Oct 2010

Feds ask Connecticut to reconsider rate hike approval, other health law implementation news

The Hartford Courant reports that a high-ranking health official in the Obama administration has asked Connecticut insurance regulators to reconsider allowing Blue Cross Blue Shield in Connecticut to raise health insurance rates by as much as 47 percent.

20 Oct 2010

New 3D Body Volume Index measurement calculates obesity risk

A new obesity measurement for the 21st Century, which can help identify individuals at risk of illness such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes, has been officially launched.

20 Oct 2010

Pearl announces $69 million Series C financing round

Pearl Therapeutics Inc., a privately held company developing clinically differentiated combination therapies for the treatment of highly prevalent chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), today announced a $69 million Series C financing. The financing round was led by Vatera Healthcare Partners and included existing investors, Clarus Ventures, New Leaf Venture Partners and 5AM Ventures.

20 Oct 2010

ASBP reviews current rules of prescription medication to treat obesity in Kansas

In response to the alarming increase in the overweight and obese population in Kansas, a representative of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) recently testified to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. ASBP is America's oldest and most experienced society devoted to the medical treatment of overweight and obesity and associated health conditions and risks.

20 Oct 2010

New research blames billions in medical costs on obesity

Joint research from Cornell University and Lehigh University finds that nearly 17% of U.S. medical costs can be blamed on obesity.

20 Oct 2010

Candidates continue to clash over health care law

Candidates around the nation are increasingly focusing on what they'll do with the new health law if they're elected as clashes over the overhaul's usefulness and future continue to occur on the campaign trail.

20 Oct 2010

Gilead Sciences third quarter total revenues increase 8% to $1.94 billion

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today its results of operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Total revenues for the third quarter of 2010 were $1.94 billion, up 8 percent compared to total revenues of $1.80 billion for the third quarter of 2009. Net income for the third quarter of 2010 was $704.9 million, or $0.83 per diluted share, compared to net income for the third quarter of 2009 of $673.0 million, or $0.72 per diluted share.

20 Oct 2010

As state commissioners meet on medical loss ratio, insurers warn of impact

Insurers are warning that a provision in the health law that requires them to spend 80 or 85 percent of premiums they collect on actual medical costs and not administrative expenses could put them out of business.

20 Oct 2010

Long term exposure to air pollution increases risk of severe COPD

Long term exposure to low-level air pollution may increase the risk of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to researcher s in Denmark. While acute exposure of several days to high level air pollution was known to be a risk factor for exacerbation in pre-existing COPD, until now there had been no studies linking long-term air pollution exposure to the development or progression of the disease.

20 Oct 2010

454 Life Sciences enters co-promotional agreement with Fluidigm

454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, and Fluidigm Corporation announced today that they have entered a worldwide co-promotional agreement for the companies' complementary amplicon sample preparation and high-throughput sequencing platforms.

20 Oct 2010

State Roundup: Md.'s heath info exchange; LA to cut retiree health benefits; N.Y.'s mental health building boom

The Washington Post: "A Maryland health information exchange that will allow hospitals, physicians, labs and radiology centers to share patient information within the state went live last week. Three hospitals, three radiology centers, Quest Diagnostics and the Laboratory Corp. of America are already participating in the exchange."

20 Oct 2010

Researchers to study effectiveness of gamma-tocotrienol on prostate cancer cells

Survival rates of the world's most common cancer might soon be increased with a new vitamin E treatment which could significantly reduce tumour regrowth. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) prostate cancer researchers are leading the fight against a disease which kills 3000 Australian men a year.

20 Oct 2010

Ceregene commences enrollment in CERE-120 Phase 2b study for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that enrollment has begun in a new double-blind sham surgery-controlled Phase 2b study evaluating CERE-120 in Parkinson's disease patients. CERE-120 is a gene therapy product that delivers the neurotrophic factor neurturin to degenerating or dying dopamine neurons. Data from the first Phase 2 clinical trial of CERE-120 are being published later this year in Lancet Neurology (to appear online October 21, 2010).

20 Oct 2010

Boeing to shift health costs to workers

The Wall Street Journal: Boeing will increase the costs of health insurance for its 90,000 nonunion workers next year in response to rising health costs, spurred, in part, a Boeing official said, by the federal health law. The company plans to "phase in higher employee costs for deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance during 2011.

20 Oct 2010