Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

China PharmaHub announces new joint venture for humanized antibody

China PharmaHub Corp., announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Dr. David Weaver and Dr. Michael Rynkiewicz. In addition, PharmaHub contemplates merging with World Wide Relics, Inc. of which it recently purchased a 77% interest.

2 Jul 2010

FDA approves Purdue's Butrans Transdermal System CIII for management of chronic pain

Purdue Pharma L.P. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Butrans™ (buprenorphine) Transdermal System CIII for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in patients requiring a continuous, around-the-clock opioid analgesic for an extended period of time. Butrans Transdermal System is an analgesic product that delivers continuous release of medication for seven days.

2 Jul 2010

Medical groups back medicare nominee Berwick

About 90 groups, including medical societies, patient and employer groups, all backed the nomination of Donald Berwick, a physician and health care quality advocate, to lead the federal Medicare agency.

2 Jul 2010

Blacks often diagnosed with advanced cancer, more likely to have other underlying health problems

Black people with cancer are up to twice as likely as other races to die from their disease. While disparities exist for nearly every common cancer type, the largest differences occur among cancers that benefit most from treatment -- suggesting that black patients are not getting needed lifesaving treatments, according to a review from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Jul 2010

New Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan from HHS

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today the establishment of a new Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) that will offer coverage to uninsured Americans who have been unable to obtain health coverage because of a pre-existing health condition.

2 Jul 2010

Federal government launches new health insurance website

NPR reports that the website, which was mandated in the new health reform law, is meant to guide consumers through the process of securing health insurance.

2 Jul 2010

Medibase's BASEmetric solution using Hitachi's Finger VeinID technology deployed at Ohio health system

Hitachi America, Ltd. and Medibase Solutions, Inc today announced that an Ohio health system with two hospitals is using Hitachi's Finger vein authentication (VeinID), which incorporates Medibase's identity management technology to help ensure accurate patient identification. Initially, the Ohio health system plans to deploy Hitachi's SDK and finger vein scanners in the Emergency Departments of both hospitals.

2 Jul 2010

High-risk insurance pools open to people 'locked out' of market

People who have been unable to obtain health insurance in the commercial market because of pre-existing conditions can apply for a new, federally funded high-risk insurance pool beginning Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The program is the first major plank of the health overhaul signed into law in March, and it's designed as a temporary provision to expand coverage until 2014, when a requirement kicks in that insurers accept all applicants."

2 Jul 2010

AHF members urge Congress to honor AIDS funding commitment

Five AIDS treatment clients and medical care providers from Uganda are visiting Washington, DC for a series of over 50 meetings this week on Capitol Hill with Senate and Congressional leaders to lobby Congress to honor the US' landmark commitment to PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the successful US global AIDS program.

2 Jul 2010

Medical school association suggests clinical conflict-of-interest policies

The Association of American Medical Colleges has asked academic medical institutions to adopt conflict-of-interest policies for clinical care similar to those they apply to medical research, Modern Healthcare reports.

2 Jul 2010

Fidelitone to provide logistics services for OROMed Healthcare

Fidelitone Logistics, an industry leader in third-party logistics and supply chain performance, has been selected to provide logistics services for OROMed Healthcare, a leading manufacturer of fully automatic, adjustable sleep systems.

1 Jul 2010

Diagnostic Hybrids receives Chinese SFDA approval for D3 Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit

Diagnostic Hybrids, a Quidel Company, received approval from the People's Republic of China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for its D3 Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit. The D3 Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit is a direct fluorescence assay (DFA) that provides rapid, sensitive and specific screening and identification of Influenza A, Influenza B, Parainfluenza 1, 2, & 3, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Adenovirus.

1 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 1, 2010

Today's health policy headlines highlight news about the launch of a government health insurance web site and the start of the high-risk health insurance pools mandated in the health reform law.

1 Jul 2010

Survey: 66% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer are now tested for KRAS

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has revealed new results from a global survey demonstrating that 66% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are now tested for KRAS to determine if they could benefit from a personalized therapy, such as Erbitux® (cetuximab). This represents a 50% increase in levels of KRAS testing in just one year.

1 Jul 2010

University College London neurology professor becomes first recipient of Lord Brain Memorial Medal

Andrew Lees, Professor of Neurology at University College London, is to be the first ever recipient of the Lord Brain Memorial Medal - awarded for the scientific contributions he has made to the field of movement disorders within the UK. He will receive the medal following his delivery of the inaugural Lord Brain Memorial Lecture; "Brainwashed by the Black Stuff," at Barts and The London Medical School on June 24, 2010.

1 Jul 2010

New and expectant moms do not discuss preterm birth with healthcare providers, shows survey

A new survey shows a majority of new and expectant moms have not discussed preterm birth with their healthcare providers, despite the fact that early prenatal care, including discussion about lifestyle habits and medical history, may give babies a better chance of a healthy, full-term birth. This new survey, titled SPEAKing About Preterm Birth, was conducted among moms and healthcare providers including obstetricians/gynecologists and maternal fetal medicine specialists, by the March of Dimes and BabyCenter, and sponsored by Ther-Rx Corporation.

1 Jul 2010

Lensless cell phone microscope

Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope.

1 Jul 2010

A-Life Medical named winner in Red Herring 100 North America award competition

A-Life Medical, Inc., the pioneer and leading provider of computer-assisted coding (CAC) products and services to the healthcare industry, announced today it was named a winner of Red Herring's Top 100 North America award, a prestigious honor recognizing leading private companies from North America, which celebrated these startups' innovations and technologies across their respective industries.

1 Jul 2010

Best practices issued to help hospitals manage challenging repercussions of healthcare reform legislation

API Healthcare, the leader in healthcare-specific workforce management solutions, today issued a set of best practices to help hospitals of all sizes effectively prepare for and manage the challenging repercussions of healthcare reform legislation. Industry experts expect this legislation to generate millions of new patients, create a severe nursing shortage and have a significant financial impact on hospitals and other healthcare providers.

1 Jul 2010

HHS Secretary to introduce www.HealthCare.gov consumer empowerment tool

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will introduce www.HealthCare.gov, a powerful new tool for consumers. The Secretary and Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer for HHS, will roll out the new site, called for in the Affordable Care Act, demonstrate some of its important features and answer questions from the media.

1 Jul 2010