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First Edition: News coverage on Dems' health reform campaign; Medicare fees; Medical marijuana

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "Will health care reform reduce spending on health care too little? Or too much? Over the last several days, one respected authority made a version of the former argument while another made a version of the latter--offering a reminder of why reform is so complicated and why the new law, for all its imperfections, is still an important step forward" (Kaiser Health News).

7 Jun 2010

Research roundup: Evidence-based medicine consumer/expert divide; Pay for performance limitations; Improving community health centers

Health Affairs: Evidence That Consumers Are Skeptical About Evidence-Based Health Care - This survey of more than 1,500 patients with employer-based insurance found "there is a fundamental disconnect between the central tenets of evidence-based health care and the knowledge, values, and beliefs held by many consumers."

5 Jun 2010

P2i completes £5.5m fund raising to support its international growth

P2i Limited, the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, has completed a £5.5m fund raising, to provide further working capital to support its rapid international growth. The funding has come from existing shareholders, Naxos Capital Partners, Swarraton Partners, Porton Capital, Unilever Ventures and Rainbow Seedfund.

1 Jun 2010

New research hopes to provide next generation HazMat boot

The rubber boots that emergency personnel wear when responding to situations where hazardous materials are present may be functional, but they're not very comfortable. New research coming out of North Carolina State University hopes to provide a next generation HazMat boot that meets both criteria.

29 May 2010

SBANE recognizes Isis Biopolymer with 2010 Rising Star Award

Isis Biopolymer has been awarded the 2010 Rising Star Award by SBANE (Smaller Business Association of New England). The Rising Star is a coveted annual award that honors innovative products and services offered by early-stage companies in New England.

19 May 2010

States combat health costs, workforce and safety issues

"The Massachusetts Senate is weighing a bill aimed at curbing soaring health care costs for individuals and small businesses. Senate President Therese Murray says the bill will ease market instability, smooth out annual fluctuations in premiums and require insurers [to] offer affordable small business plans" (5/18).

19 May 2010

IDEV launches SUPERA VERITAS Peripheral Vascular System in Europe

IDEV Technologies, Incorporated, (IDEV) an emerging leader in the development and marketing of minimally invasive medical technologies, today announced the European launch of the SUPERA VERITAS™ Peripheral Vascular System, a novel and innovative stent delivery system designed to be reliable, easy to use and precise. The SUPERA VERITAS system was formally launched in the first quarter of 2010 at the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC) 2010 conference in Leipzig, Germany.

18 May 2010

Arrowhead decreases second-quarter consolidated operating expenses by 58%

Arrowhead Research Corporation today announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 second quarter ended March 31, 2010.

13 May 2010

Jubilant Organosys reports 17.7% increase in fourth-quarter consolidated revenue

Jubilant Organosys Limited, an integrated pharmaceutical industry player and the largest Custom Research and Manufacturing Services Company in India, today announced its financial results for Q4 & FY2010.

10 May 2010

DJOFL net sales increases 10.3% to $240.1 million for first-quarter 2010

DJO Incorporated a global provider of medical device solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management, today announced financial results for its operating subsidiary, DJO Finance LLC ("DJOFL"), for the first quarter of 2010, ended April 3, 2010.

6 May 2010

Genomic Health reports 22% revenue growth, 58% decrease in net loss for first-quarter 2010

Genomic Health, Inc. today reported financial results and business progress for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.

6 May 2010

Pay-for-performance may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients

Pay-for-performance reimbursement models may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients, measuring a patient's waist circumference may be more effective in predicting surgical outcomes than the more traditional body mass index measure, and childhood obesity doubles the risk of developing colon cancer, according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week- 2010.

5 May 2010

AppDynamics closes Series B financing round, raises $11 million

AppDynamics, Inc.™, the next-generation Application Performance Management (APM) company, today announced that it has closed its Series B round of financing, and had raised $11 million. The round is co-led by existing Series A investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and Greylock Partners, and will support the company's continued expansion as it takes advantage of market demand for next-generation application performance management (APM). To date, the company has received $16.5 million in venture funding.

3 May 2010

Sexual addiction therapists Steffens Counseling and Hope Source Counseling form strategic partnership

Sexual addiction is defined as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment. Sex becomes the organizing principle of an addict's life to the extent they are willing to sacrifice what they cherish most in order to preserve and continue their unhealthy behavior.

26 Apr 2010

SGO white paper reviews current status of HPV typing, its benefits and deficiencies

The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists has published its second in a series of four papers on a variety of cervical cancer issues and topics that were the focus of its Forum "The Future Strategies for Cervical Cancer Prevention: What Do We Need to Do Now to Prepare."

22 Apr 2010

Federal health reform implementation stirring up state politics and policies

The Denver Post: In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter is scheduled to sign an executive order Tuesday that "health care advocates say is key to turning the federal government's vague framework for reform into reality." The order "will create a board of health-policy advisers to guide the transition to a new health system — everything from setting up a state insurance exchange to making sure the insurance commissioner has authority to guard against companies rejecting someone for being sick."

21 Apr 2010

NuVasive reports 36.3% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

NuVasive, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing products for minimally disruptive surgical treatments for the spine, announced today financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.

21 Apr 2010

AstraZeneca/Targacept's TC-5214 for treatment resistant depression to earn Decision Resources' gold standard status

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for treatment resistant depression therapy, AstraZeneca/Targacept's TC-5214 will earn Decision Resources' proprietary clinical gold standard status in 2013 (following its approval that year) and through 2018.

20 Apr 2010

ThromboGenics microplasmin Phase III program for symptomatic focal VMA meets primary endpoint

ThromboGenics NV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for eye disease, vascular disease and cancer, announces that its first Phase III trial with microplasmin for the non-surgical treatment of eye disease has met its primary endpoint>Europe, is due to report in the third quarter of 2010.