Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

SBi announces new joint venture with Khazanah Nasional Berhad and MTDC

Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi), a leading, privately held orthopedics company focused exclusively on technologies and treatments for the small bones & joints, announced the formation of a joint venture with Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) and Malaysian Technology Development Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MTDC). The joint venture, SBi Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd. (SBi APAC), is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

16 Dec 2009

PatientKeeper closes $13 million round of funding

PatientKeeper, Inc., the leading provider of Physician Information Technology, today announced that it has closed a $13 million round of funding comprised of equity and debt.

16 Dec 2009

Dendritic cell changes suggest new strategy to identify and treat debilitating lung disease

A new study links chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, with increased activity of cells that act as sentinels to activate the body's immune system.

15 Dec 2009

Hoyer: House could pass health bill without public option

"Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday the House can pass a healthcare bill without a public option," The Hill reports.

15 Dec 2009

FDA grants marketing approval for EnzySurge's new SilverStream solution for prescription use

EnzySurge Ltd. (EnzySurge), a provider of innovative solutions for the advanced chronic wound management market, announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its new SilverStream(TM) solution for prescription use. The FDA also cleared DermaSept, an Over-the-Counter version of the SilverStream product.

15 Dec 2009

Advanced Plasma Products launches its new TriClean Pro air sanitizer

Applied Science Products, Inc., announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Advanced Plasma Products Inc., has introduced its new TriClean Pro air sanitizer product powered by the company's newest advanced plasma generator design.

15 Dec 2009

White House report says health reform will cut cost growth

The New York Times: The chair of the White House Council of Economics Advisers said Monday that the Senate health care reform bill would slow the grown of spending by 1 percent each year. "I want to tell you that what's going on on the floor of the Senate right now is probably the most important thing we can do for the long run fiscal health of this country," said Christina Romer, according to the Times.

15 Dec 2009

U.S. questions California's CHIP program; Milwaukee schools face rising retiree health care costs

News outlets report on California's children's health program, health care costs for Milwaukee's schools and indigent care in Minnesota.

15 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Drug trafficking in Kenya; violence in S. Sudan; Uganda bill; sleeping sickness

Drug trafficking and use are fueling the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya, according to a recent report by the U.N. Security Council, the Nation reports. "A statement from the council's Presidency currently … states that Afghan heroin was being imported, causing a dramatic increase in heroin addiction and spreading HIV/AIDS in the slums of Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya's two main cities," the newspaper writes.

15 Dec 2009

Pfizer to co-promote Actos with Tianjin Takeda Pharmaceuticals in China

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) and Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Pfizer in China will co-promote Takeda’s Actos® (pioglitazone HCl) with Tianjin Takeda Pharmaceuticals in China.

15 Dec 2009

Democrats say victorious Lieberman flip-flopped on Medicare buy-in

CNN: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., "an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has emerged as the majority party's main obstacle to its efforts to get a health care bill through the Senate before Christmas. He ratcheted up his public opposition to the bill Sunday by threatening to join a Republican filibuster if the legislation contains either a government-run public health insurance option or a proposed alternative that would expand Medicare to people as young as 55" (Bash and Cohen, 12/14).

15 Dec 2009

Safe Life increases production of its A400 Series respirators

Safe Life Corp., an innovative antimicrobial company dedicated to developing novel technologies that prevent the spread of infection and disease, announced today that it is ramping production of its comfortable, breathable, A400 Series respirator to help healthcare providers and government agencies address the global shortage of N95 respirators during the H1N1 pandemic.

15 Dec 2009

New website launched by A.D.A.M.

A.D.A.M., Inc., a leading provider of consumer health information, benefits technology solutions and award-winning education products, today announced the launch of www.adamimages.com.

15 Dec 2009

Gamma Medica-Ideas signs exclusive license and commercialization agreement with Mayo Clinic

Gamma Medica-Ideas, Inc. ("GMI"), a leading developer of digital molecular imaging systems, announced today that it has signed an exclusive license and commercialization agreement with Mayo Clinic to further develop and commercialize a suite of technologies invented by a team of Mayo physicians and scientists, headed by Michael O'Connor, PhD.

15 Dec 2009

Abbot announces definitive agreement to acquire STARLIMS Technologies for $123 million

Abbott announced today a definitive agreement to acquire STARLIMS Technologies Ltd., a leading provider of laboratory information management systems, for approximately $123 million in cash.

15 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 15, 2009

A glance at today's health policy headlines offers a common theme: Senate Democrats are likely to abandon the Medicare buy-in plan, which just last week was heralded as part of a compromise plan in that chamber's health bill.

15 Dec 2009

CHPA comments on NIDA's Monitoring the Future survey

Following is a statement by Linda A. Suydam, D.P.A., president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), regarding today's release of the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Monitoring the Future survey:

15 Dec 2009

Insights and recommendations for transition to ASC X12 5010 transaction standard and ICD-10 code sets

Foresight Corporation’s Chief Technology Officer Ed Hafner testified Thursday, December 10, before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) Subcommittee on Standards, providing insights and recommendations to help the industry prepare for the upcoming transition to the ASC X12 5010 transaction standard and ICD-10 code sets, as mandated by HIPAA.

15 Dec 2009

New study shows healthcare spending is an investment rather than an expenditure

As the national discussion of health care focuses on costs, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that it might be more accurate to think of health care spending as an investment that can spur economic growth.

15 Dec 2009

Medicare power mobility remains a viable option for beneficiaries

Across America, seniors, together with their families and caregivers, are making difficult decisions about the future. Did that last emergency room visit after a fall mean it's time to consider nursing homes? How much longer can their loved one remain safely in their own home or apartment?

15 Dec 2009