Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Sanofi-aventis to acquire BMP Sunstone

Sanofi-aventis and BMP Sunstone Corporation announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which sanofi-aventis is to acquire all outstanding shares of BMP Sunstone for cash consideration of USD 10 per share, or a total of approximately USD 520.6 million on a fully diluted basis.

29 Oct 2010

Low birth weight linked to poor growth in children with CKD

The lower the birth weight, the greater the chance of poor growth rate in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a new study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

29 Oct 2010

More details of the health law revealed as implementation unfolds

The law imposes stringent restrictions on physician-owned hospitals, which critics say cherry pick the lucrative specialty patients community hospitals depend on to stay afloat, Kaiser Health News/USA Today report.

29 Oct 2010

Geron 2010 third quarter revenue increases from $494,000 to $546,000

Geron Corporation today reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

Caliper Life Sciences third quarter GAAP revenue decreases 8% to $29.7 million

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., today reported results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2010. Third quarter GAAP revenue decreased 8% to $29.7 million from $32.2 million in the same period in 2009 as a result of divestitures in 2010 and 2009. Revenue from on-going business increased 10% on a reported basis and 11% on an organic basis.

28 Oct 2010

AACN joins call for system-wide programs for medication reconciliation

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) added its bold voice to hospital healthcare leaders by endorsing a white paper that calls for system-wide programs for medication reconciliation — the process of verifying that current patient medications are correct, medically safe and necessary.

28 Oct 2010

New oncology training program for registered nurses in Ghana

The National Cancer Coalition (NCC) and the Ghana based organization Breast Care International (BCI) are pleased to announce the successful implementation of their oncology training program for registered nurses in Ghana. The program was officially sponsored by the US headquartered Johnson & Johnson and focuses on early detection of breast and cervical cancers for improved survival outcomes.

28 Oct 2010

CCS presents new 2010 Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines

The Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) presented its new 2010 Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines, the first update in six years, at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) in Montreal.

28 Oct 2010

PSS World Medical second quarter net sales decrease 11.7% to $496.2 million

PSS World Medical, Inc. announced today its results for the fiscal 2011 second quarter ended October 1, 2010.

28 Oct 2010

Transcend 2010 third quarter revenue increases 24% to $22,916,000

TRANSCEND SERVICES, INC. a leading provider of clinical documentation services to the U.S. healthcare market, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

28 Oct 2010

Future of health reform legislation and voting for Congressional elections

A comprehensive review of national opinion polls, including newly released data, shows that those who say they intend to vote for a Democratic congressional candidate in 2010 and those who say they intend to vote for a Republican in their district hold starkly different views of what they want the future of health reform legislation to be, mirroring the divide between Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress on this issue.

28 Oct 2010

PCP credits dedicated primary care community for formation of Harvard's new Center

Harvard Medical School's (HMS) establishment of its $30 million Center for Primary Care is a powerful statement of the importance of primary care and the role major medical institutions must play in its transformation, according to Boston-based nonprofit Primary Care Progress (PCP). PCP credits a dedicated and engaged primary care community, partnering with a visionary dean, for the formation of Harvard's new Center.

28 Oct 2010

Outcomes detects over one million drug therapy problems through Targeted Intervention Program

Outcomes Pharmaceutical Health Care® has announced it has detected over one million drug therapy problems through its Targeted Intervention Program (TIP®).

28 Oct 2010

Cholera outbreak in Haiti shows 'slight slowing,' but experts say interventions should continue

Nearly 300 people have died from cholera and 3,612 have been diagnosed with the disease in Haiti's week-old epidemic, Reuters reports, citing numbers from Haitian health authorities.

28 Oct 2010

New national campaign to drive awareness on DVT and PE prevention in women

As many as 600,000 people are affected by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) every year, and more than half of those are never diagnosed. Some people experience swelling and varying levels of discomfort in the affected area, and some don't feel anything at all. But the symptoms of DVT can be similar to other conditions, like a pulled muscle, and because some people with DVT do not have any symptoms, there is often a delay in diagnosis. That's when DVT can be fatal.

28 Oct 2010

B. Braun initiates voluntary recall of heparin injection products

B. Braun Medical Inc. was recently notified by its supplier, Scientific Protein Laboratories LLC (SPL), of a nationwide recall of a lot of Heparin Sodium USP Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) sold to B. Braun because additional testing of retained crude heparin samples used by SPL to manufacture this single API lot indicated a trace amount of oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) contaminant.

From B. Braun Melsungen AG 28 Oct 2010

More effective therapeutic exercises underutilized in treatment of chronic neck pain

Duke University and University of North Carolina (UNC) researchers report in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research that narcotics and diagnostic testing are overused in treating chronic neck pain. Their findings indicate clinicians may overlook more effective treatments for neck pain, such as therapeutic exercise. According to reviews cited in the study, evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise in treating chronic neck pain is good, yet only 53% of subjects were prescribed such exercise.

28 Oct 2010

Omnyx initiates research testing of digital pathology platform

GE Healthcare and UPMC announced today that their imaging joint venture, Omnyx, is initiating clinical research testing of a breakthrough digital pathology platform that is expected to help transform the 125-year-old practice of pathologists using glass slides.

28 Oct 2010

Horizon to distribute Hitachi MRI and CT Product Lines in Canada

Hitachi Medical Systems America (HMSA) is pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement with Horizon Medical Services Ltd., in Mississauga, Ontario to be their exclusive MRI and CT sales and service representative in Canada.

28 Oct 2010

Candidates on health care offense, defense in final week before election

Candidates are in full campaign mode ahead of midterm elections that will likely spell out how the health law is implemented. The New York Times reports that some Democrats are playing defense after voting for health reform. They include Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello who is running against Republican state Sen. Robert Hurt.

28 Oct 2010