Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Enox to receive European patent for 'Device and Method for Administering Therapeutic Agents'

Enox Biopharma, Inc., a leader in the development of innovative solutions for infections associated with medical devices, today announced that it has received notification from the European Patent Office that its patent application entitled "Device and Method for Administering Therapeutic Agents" has been approved and a patent will be granted.

14 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Private vs. public Medicare; N.J. Medicaid tough choices; IPAB's cost controls

Every once in a while a politician comes up with an idea that's so bad, so wrongheaded, that you're almost grateful. For really bad ideas can help illustrate the extent to which policy discourse has gone off the rails. And so it was with Senator Joseph Lieberman's proposal, released last week, to raise the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67.

14 Jun 2011

Cypress receives FDA approval for ZUTRIPRO, REZIRA NDA to treat cough and common cold

Cypress Pharmaceutical announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug application (NDA) for ZUTRIPRO Oral Solution (CIII) and REZIRA Oral Solution.

14 Jun 2011

Tiotropium Respimat inhalers can increase risk of death in patients with bronchitis, emphysema

An inhaler designed to help chronic bronchitis and emphysema sufferers breathe could be significantly increasing their risk of dying, according to new research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and three US universities.

14 Jun 2011

Smoking ban in NSW prison

In a new directive, prisoners at the Lithgow jail in central western New South Wales will be banned from smoking in their cells as part of a six-month trial to begin next year.

13 Jun 2011

Hospital trends mark changes in employment, admission patterns

Meanwhile, in Oregon, hospital profit margins were down in 2010, according to the state Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.

13 Jun 2011

HHS offers Medicaid guidance for same-sex couples

Late last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services clarified that same-sex couples are entitled to the same protections that exist for heterosexual couples when one member enters a nursing home.

13 Jun 2011

Milestone completes $13 million round of equity financing

Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc., a cardiovascular drug development company, announces the completion of a $13 million round of equity financing.

13 Jun 2011

Some Democrats may not hold steady against Medicaid cuts

There may be more to read from what wasn't included in Sen. Jay Rockefeller's letter to the White House on Thursday than what was in it.

13 Jun 2011

inVentiv Health acquires i3 CRO

inVentiv Health, Inc., offering best-in-class clinical, consulting and commercial services to the healthcare industry, today announced it has completed the acquisition of i3, a top-tier contract research organization (CRO) to the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries. i3 was previously owned by Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group company.

13 Jun 2011

HHS: Enrollment in high-risk pools tops 20,000

Figures released Friday reflect the number of participants in the health overhaul's high-risk pools as of April. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that Kansas has widened it's high-risk pool to allow child-only plans.

13 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 13, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Lawrence Lindner writes: "The Obama administration's bid to slash funding for training pediatricians at children's hospitals is provoking intense protests from medical educators and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle".

13 Jun 2011

Toshiba to highlight cardiac ultrasound applications at ASE annual meeting

Ultrasound is often used as a first-line diagnostic exam to quickly and safely diagnose a range of patient conditions. At this year's American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) annual meeting in Montreal, June 11-14, 2011, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc., will highlight cardiac and shared service ultrasound applications designed to improve cardiac ultrasound imaging.

13 Jun 2011

FDA approves Valeant's Potiga Tablets for treatment of partial-onset seizures

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Potiga Tablets, a potassium channel opener, as adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients aged 18 years and older.

13 Jun 2011

LA/hypnosis combination during surgery can aid healing process, reduce drug use and hospital stay time

Using a combination of hypnosis and local anaesthesia (LA) for certain types of surgery can aid the healing process and reduce drug use and time spent in hospital, anaesthesiologists have found. The combination could also help avoid cancer recurrence and metastases, according to new research to be presented today at the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Amsterdam.

13 Jun 2011

Pawlenty rips Romney's health plan; other GOP candidates get ready to rumble

In advance of Monday night's GOP presidential contenders' debate, news outlets covered candidates ramping up the rhetoric on health care.

13 Jun 2011

IMS Health acquires Med-Vantage

IMS Health has acquired Med-Vantage, a San Francisco-based software solutions company, to further expand its presence and capabilities in the payer marketplace. Med-Vantage offers its clients a comprehensive suite of provider performance management and member engagement solutions that promote high-quality care and address the complexities of new reimbursement and care delivery models.

10 Jun 2011

Premier healthcare alliance awards new agreements for ophthalmology products

The Premier healthcare alliance has announced that new agreements for ophthalmology products have been awarded.

10 Jun 2011

GE and Mayo Clinic receive $5.7 million NIH grant to study dedicated MRI brain scanner technology

Driving new technologies that will help expand the availability of MRI scanners beyond the hospital to smaller clinic settings, GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric Company, and Mayo Clinic, have received a five-year, $5.7 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), components of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Jun 2011

State news: Mass. immigrant care; Pension benefit changes in Calif. cities

Thousands of legal immigrants may have to wait weeks longer to find out whether the state's highest court will order Massachusetts to restore their full health insurance benefits. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Robert J. Cordy today ordered lawyers for the state to file their motions by June 23.

10 Jun 2011