Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Bayer signs agreement to supply Adalat XL product to Teva Canada

Bayer Inc. and Teva Canada Limited today announced they have entered an agreement regarding Bayer's Adalat XL (nifedipine) 20, 30 and 60 mg product. Effective immediately, Bayer Inc. will supply Adalat XL exclusively to Teva Canada Limited and Teva Canada Limited will become the sole distributor in Canada of brand name Adalat XL product.

28 Jun 2010

Mass. panel overturns cap on insurer's premiums; Calif. finds 'substantial' errors in planned premium increase

A Massachusetts "insurance appeals board yesterday overturned the state's cap on health premium increases for small business and individual customers covered by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care." The panel "found that rate increases Harvard Pilgrim initially sought in April are reasonable given what it must pay to hospitals and doctors. That ruling trumped the Insurance Division's earlier finding that the requested increases were excessive, a view that reflects Governor Deval Patrick's campaign to curb health costs. Insurers yesterday cheered the ruling" (Abelson and Wallack, 6/25).

25 Jun 2010

Linden completes fundraising for LCP II

Linden LLC, a Chicago-based healthcare focused private equity firm, today announced that it has successfully completed fundraising for Linden Capital Partners II, which closed with $375 million of committed capital and exceeded its target of $300 million and initial cap of $350 million.

25 Jun 2010

Friday opinions: Mandate to buy insurance; Medicare and 'political game'

If Americans want a private health insurance system that does not base the price of individually sold policies on that individual's health status and that does not allow an insurer to refuse to sell a policy because of an individual's health issues, then they should accept a mandate that all Americans purchase at least a minimum package of health insurance (Uwe Reinhardt, 6/25).

25 Jun 2010

Medco Health Solutions, BIG direkt gesund execute agreement for advanced pharmacy-driven solutions

Medco Health Solutions and BIG direkt gesund today announced that they have executed an agreement for an innovative portfolio of advanced pharmacy-driven solutions, which upon expressed patient consent, is designed to leverage innovative technologies for improving patient outcomes, adherence, and lowering overall healthcare costs. BIG direkt gesund, a German sick fund that provides health insurance coverage for about 400,000 beneficiaries nationwide, has become the inaugural client for Medco's Advanced Clinical Solutions service offering.

25 Jun 2010

New method to synthesize drug candidates for testing

Some drugs may be more effective the longer they last inside the body. To prevent such drugs from being broken down too rapidly, pharmaceutical manufacturers often attach a fluorine-containing structure called a trifluoromethyl group. However, the processes now used require harsh reaction conditions or only work in a small number of cases, limiting their usefulness for synthesizing new drug candidates for testing.

25 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 25, 2010

Today's headlines reflect the latest news about the House passing a temporary ban on cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors, while Senate Democrats failed to gain approval for their jobs bill, which included enhanced Medicaid aid to states.

25 Jun 2010

PGXL announces new contractual agreement with GH

PGXL, a Louisville-based molecular diagnostics laboratory, announced a new contractual agreement with Generation Health, Inc. The agreement makes PGXL a preferred genetic testing lab for GH. The lab will provide molecular diagnostic tests for GH, which will help physicians make therapeutic decisions and facilitate what has come to be known as "personalized medicine."

25 Jun 2010

Saint Francis Hospital achieves Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services

Saint Francis Hospital has achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credential Center's Magnet Recognition Program. The unanimous decision was based on Saint Francis Hospital's adherence to strict guidelines and criteria for nursing professionalism, quality patient care and teamwork. Only 6 percent of hospitals across the United States currently have the Magnet designation.

25 Jun 2010

Digoxin drug may increase risk of premature death in patients with kidney disease

For patients with kidney disease on dialysis, the widely used heart medication digoxin may lead to an increased risk of premature death, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

25 Jun 2010

Spiration to become a consolidated subsidiary of Olympus

Olympus Corporation is pleased to announce that an agreement was reached with Spiration, Inc. (Head Office: Redmond, Washington, U.S.A; President and CEO: Rick Shea) in which all shares of Spiration® will be acquired by Olympus Corporation of the Americas, a North American subsidiary of Olympus.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 25 Jun 2010

House will take up stand-alone 'doc fix' as senate tries once again to advance broader jobs bill

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House may pass a bill as early as Thursday evening that would spare doctors from cuts in Medicare payments." This legislation also is part of a larger piece measure that provides assistance to states and extends some unemployment benefits. "Pelosi said it is "clear" the Senate will be unable to pass the larger bill, so the House is considering passing a much smaller bill that deals only with Medicare payment for doctors."

25 Jun 2010

Despite cuts, GOP continues block of Bill to extend Medicaid assistance, 'fix' Medicare payments

A Republican filibuster may kill a bill that would extend jobless benefits and extra Medicaid assistance to states while also leaving in limbo efforts to delay cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.

25 Jun 2010

NKI awarded Phase II SBIR grant to develop new ophthalmic screening device for diabetic retinopathy

Neuro Kinetics, Inc., manufacturers of noninvasive medical diagnostic equipment used worldwide to test for vestibular and neurological conditions, said today that it has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant to further the company's development of a new ophthalmic screening device and testing protocols for the detection and diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

25 Jun 2010

Details emerge on young adults coverage, small business health law provisions

More details are emerging on what aspects of the new health reform law mean for coverage for young adults and how small businesses will be affected by the changes.

25 Jun 2010

FHCRC selects SciQuest to enhance its ERP system and improve on cost-efficiency

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a world-renowned research and treatment institution in Seattle, has selected SciQuest, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand strategic procurement and supplier enablement solutions, to enhance its enterprise resource planning system and improve on cost-efficiency.

25 Jun 2010

Workers in small businesses more likely to have high premium for employer-sponsored health plans: AHRQ

Nearly 13 percent of workers with employer-sponsored health plans who worked in firms with 10 or fewer employees had premiums of $7,200 or more a year for single-coverage plans in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This amount is much higher than the $4,704 average, national premium for employer-sponsored single-coverage health plans in 2008.

25 Jun 2010

UNICEF and Kiwanis team up to protect mothers and babies from tetanus

Kiwanis International and UNICEF have joined forces to save the lives of babies and their mothers by eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus (MNT), a disease that kills an estimated 60,000 newborns and 30,000 mothers each year.

25 Jun 2010

Study: Low BP levels are unhealthy for CKD patients

Recent guidelines by The National Kidney Foundation Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI)1 call for lower target blood pressure levels in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

25 Jun 2010

e-Health identifiers for Australians to be allocated next week

The new Australian electronic healthcare database service has been on the cards for a while now. The legislation that flags off this scheme passed in the federal parliament and may be implemented next week on 1st July. This will ensure that every Australian is given a unique healthcare identification number. Doctors, hospitals, healthcare organisations and allied health providers will receive similar identifiers.

24 Jun 2010