Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

VIVUS holds End-of-Review meeting with FDA for QNEXA NDA

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that it held an End-of-Review meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the New Drug Application (NDA) for QNEXA®, an investigational drug for the treatment of obesity. The meeting occurred on January 19th at the FDA's offices in Maryland and was attended by senior members of the FDA and VIVUS' management and consultants.

21 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 21, 2011

Today's headlines highlight the House GOP's plans to advance the "replace" part of their strategy to reverse the health overhaul.

21 Jan 2011

HHS announces new funding opportunity for states to implement Health Insurance Exchanges

Today, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new funding opportunity for grants to help states continue their work to implement a key provision of the Affordable Care Act - Health Insurance Exchanges.

21 Jan 2011

inVentiv Health to acquire Campbell Alliance and i3

inVentiv Health, Inc., a leading provider of outsourced clinical development, launch and commercialization services to the global healthcare industry, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Campbell Alliance, a leading management consulting firm specializing in serving the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Yesterday, inVentiv announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase i3 from Ingenix.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 21 Jan 2011

HCLA testifies that medical lawsuit abuse threatens patient care

The Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA) testified today before the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives in a hearing titled, "Medical Liability Reform – Cutting Costs, Spurring Investment, Creating Jobs." Stuart L. Weinstein, MD, a spokesperson for the HCLA, called on the Congress to "create a climate for patient centered care by reforming a medical liability system that continues to put everyone's health care at risk."

21 Jan 2011

The Ensign Group to purchase CHRISTUS St. Joseph Villa located in Utah

The Ensign Group, the parent company of the Ensign group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services, hospice care and assisted living companies, announced today that it has agreed to purchase CHRISTUS St. Joseph Villa, a continuing care retirement community located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the CHRISTUS Marian Center, a behavioral health center operated within St. Joseph Villa.

21 Jan 2011

Northeast Ohio healthcare sector companies attracted $132 million in investments in 2010

In 2010, 62 Northeast Ohio companies collectively raised $221 million from venture capitalists and angel investors, an increase of 121 percent over the amount raised by companies in 2009. The growth rate of dollars invested in regional companies is higher than recently released data from Thomson Reuters showing a 19 percent increase in dollars invested nationally.

21 Jan 2011

Study highlights relationship between language and health care quality

Wayne State University researchers have found that when patients and providers speak the same language, patients report less confusion and better health care quality.

21 Jan 2011

BOKA Powell releases new images of Methodist Hospital for Surgery in Texas

BOKA Powell released new images today of the completed Methodist Hospital for Surgery in Addison, Texas, a dedicated surgical hospital which opened last month.

21 Jan 2011

U.S., China announce public-private health care partnership

In conjunction with the state visit to the U.S. by Chinese President Hu Jintao, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other federal agencies on Wednesday announced a new public-private health care partnership between the U.S. and China, Modern Healthcare reports (Blesch, 1/19).

21 Jan 2011

EDAP announces placement of first Sonolith i-sys electroconductive lithotripter in South Africa

EDAP TMS SA, the global leader in therapeutic ultrasound, reported today placement of the first Sonolith i-sys electroconductive lithotripter in South Africa.

21 Jan 2011

House GOP passes health law repeal

In what is considered to be a symbolic vote, House Republicans joined with three Democrats to fulfill a campaign pledge to pass a bill that would undo the sweeping health overhaul.The vote represented the Republican House majority's first official rebuke of the Obama agenda. Senate action, however, is unlikely.

21 Jan 2011

AHRQ finds 30% increase in Medicaid-covered patient hospital admissions

Hospital admissions of patients covered by Medicaid jumped by 30 percent between 1997 and 2008, compared to a 5 percent growth in those of patients with private health insurance, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

21 Jan 2011

MGH Bipolar CHOICE trial to evaluate effectiveness of new medications compared to lithium

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Bipolar Clinic and Research Program with the Bipolar Trials Network is launching Bipolar CHOICE, a 10-site nationwide trial evaluating the real-world advantages and disadvantages of quetiapine, a widely prescribed second generation antipsychotic mood stabilizing medication, compared to lithium, the gold standard mood stabilizer, for the treatment of outpatients with bipolar disorder.

21 Jan 2011

IMDx enters multi-year agreement with Abbott Molecular for m2000 instrument system

IMDx today announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement with Abbott whereby IMDx will design, develop, regulatory clear, and manufacture assays for the Abbott Molecular FDA cleared, m2000 instrument system to be distributed worldwide. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

21 Jan 2011

EHSI's NASA bioreactor will help reduce pain and trauma caused by harvesting of adult stem cells

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. expects that the company's NASA-developed bioreactor will help reduce patients' pain and trauma caused by the harvesting of adult stem cells for therapeutic and research purposes, said EHSI President and CEO Cindy Morrissey.

21 Jan 2011

Scottsdale Healthcare inaugurates new Military Medical Training Center

Local, state and national leaders gave the new Scottsdale Healthcare Military Training Center a "thumbs up" during grand opening dedication ceremonies held Jan. 19.

21 Jan 2011

Supreme Court considers drug-pricing lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court questioned in oral arguments whether local governments and their hospitals can sue pharmaceutical companies over drug-pricing agreements with HHS.

21 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Endorsing - and repudiating - health law repeal; Gov. Brewer on Ariz. Medicaid; Medical devices 'red tape'

The reason the GOP never got around to proposing a serious plan to expand coverage and control costs is because doing that is excruciatingly hard and politically dangerous. Look how long Democrats struggled to craft a measure and what happened to them after they passed it.

21 Jan 2011

Ultrasound practice accreditation is now available in Fetal Echocardiography: AUSM

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine announced today that ultrasound practice accreditation is now available in Fetal Echocardiography. The program sets the standard for care in fetal echocardiography and builds on the development of AIUM guidelines aimed at fostering its safe and effective use.

20 Jan 2011