Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

GE Capital deploys $1 billion in the U.S. healthcare market for the first six months of 2009

GE Capital’s Healthcare Financial Services business ended the first six months of 2009 as one of the most active capital providers in the U.S. healthcare market, deploying approximately $1 billion for more than 45 transactions. Loans were used to refinance existing debt, support working capital needs and fund growth initiatives.

21 Sep 2009

Recession is contributing to acute physical pain for Americans: Survey

A new survey from the American Pain Foundation says economic pain from the recession is contributing to acute, or short-term, physical pain for Americans. According to the survey, released today during National Pain Awareness Month, 68 percent of people who experienced acute back pain or other minor muscle strains and sprains in the past year said that the recession caused, increased or affected their pain, often because of greater stress and working harder at home and on the job.

21 Sep 2009

Maxygen completes joint venture transaction with Astellas Pharma

Maxygen, Inc. (Nasdaq:MAXY) today announced the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the previously announced joint venture agreement between Maxygen and Astellas Pharma Inc. Under the joint venture transaction, which closed on September 18, 2009, the parties established a newly-formed joint venture, Perseid Therapeutics LLC, to focus on the discovery, research and development of multiple protein pharmaceutical programs.

21 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 21, 2009

Today's headlines indicate that President Obama's weekend media blitz will set the stage for this week's health policy action.

21 Sep 2009

Open letter to shareholders from London & Pacific Healthcare

Throughout this past year, the Board of Directors, in conjunction with the management team, key investors, business partners, employees, and experienced market consultants, has explored a variety of alternatives for significantly increasing shareholder value.

21 Sep 2009

Sleep Diagnostics assests sold to Embla Systems

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that it had completed the previously announced sale of its Sleep Diagnostics assets to Embla Systems. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

21 Sep 2009

Flu Preparedness Program offering latest information on the H1N1 virus

TeleVox Software, Inc., a leading provider of communication solutions for the healthcare industry, today launched its Flu Preparedness Program (www.televox.com/fluprogram), designed to enable health care providers to give their patients the latest information about fighting the Flu and the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as the swine flu. Doctors can easily communicate with their patients through a variety of methods such as voice, email, postcards and text messages.

21 Sep 2009

SmarterTravel releases precautionary checklist for travelers regarding swine flu

SmarterTravel(R), a comprehensive travel advice resource for the budget-conscious traveler, today released a checklist of strategies for staying safe while traveling during this highly anticipated flu season.

21 Sep 2009

Optimized diabetes management with the CONTOUR(R) USB blood glucose meter

Bayer Diabetes Care today announced U.S. Food & Drug Administration clearance to market the CONTOUR(R) USB blood glucose meter. Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter is the first and only blood glucose monitor that plugs directly into a computer providing users with instant access to information that can help optimize diabetes management. The CONTOUR USB meter is integrated with Glucofacts(TM) DELUXE software for easy retrieval of data as well as longer-term tracking and analysis of blood glucose test results.

21 Sep 2009

Duraprint wristband application process saves hospital time and increases work flow efficiency

In today's busy hospitals, caregivers appreciate products that provide quick and easy application, allowing them to focus more time on patients. Precision Dynamics-TimeMed, the global leader in healthcare identification, streamlines and simplifies the wristband application process with its new DuraPrint® laser printable wristband and label system. Unlike traditional laminated wristbands, DuraPrint's® patented design doesn't require a laminate overlay, which saves hospital time and increases work flow efficiency.

21 Sep 2009

Ipsen's Azzalure muscle relaxant receives Spanish AEMPS marketing approval

Galderma, the leading pharmaceutical company in dermatology, and Ipsen (Euronext: IPN), an international innovation-driven specialty pharmaceutical group, today announced that Azzalure® (botulinum toxin type A manufactured by Ipsen), a local muscle relaxant specifically developed for aesthetic use, has received a marketing authorization in Spain from the Spanish Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (AEMPS) for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines seen at the frown (vertical lines between the eyebrows), in adult men and women aged 65 years and under, when the severity of these lines has an important psychological impact on the patient.

21 Sep 2009

Widespread misinformation about Obama's healthcare proposals

A new Harris Poll finds that large numbers of people either believe damaging misinformation about the health care proposals being discussed in Washington or are not sure what to believe. The polls also shows that almost half of all adults continue to support what they see as President Obama’s health care reform proposals, significantly but not substantially more than oppose them.

21 Sep 2009

EPIC's stock dividend postponed due to joint venture

EPIC Corporation, a financial services company, announced the formation of a joint venture, Hallmark Heritage, LLC, with Level 3 Capital Partners, LLC, and Senior Care Group, Inc.; the formation of Senior Care Communities Trust, Inc., and, in light of entering into the joint venture, EPIC's board of directors postponed the stock dividend announced in May 2009.

21 Sep 2009

Clothes for women who undergo a mastectomy

One in eight U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and currently slightly more than half, 56 percent, undergo mastectomy. Few fashion options exist for those who don’t seek reconstructive surgery or postpone it until after their treatment and recovery — a condition the clothier Wear Ease (www.WearEase.com) seeks to remedy.

21 Sep 2009

"We are going to make sure healthcare is affordable and accessible for everybody": SEIU

"This is a moment of profound change for this country -- from kitchen tables to town halls to the floor of the Senate, this nation is engaged in a vigorous and heated debate about how we rebuild our economy, solve our national healthcare crisis and restore the American Dream.

21 Sep 2009

Recent releases: Climate change, health; ITNS; Mexico H1N1; Policy Tracker; TB treatment; blogs

In addition to the Lancet's recent publication of an opinion piece and letter by 18 doctor association leaders about the potential health risks associated with climate change, the journal includes an editorial about sexual and reproductive health and climate change and a comment on the upcoming Copenhagen conference in December (9/19).

21 Sep 2009

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

There's enough wrong with the Baucus proposal as it stands to make it unworkable and unacceptable. But that said, Senator Baucus's mark is better than many of us expected. If it serves as a basis for negotiation, and the result of those negotiations is a plan that's stronger, not weaker, reformers are going to have to make some hard choices about the degree of disappointment they're willing to live with (Paul Krugman, 9/17).

21 Sep 2009

Obama: Vitriol on health proposal is 'proxy' for other issues

To advocate for his health care proposal, President Barack Obama taped interviews with five Sunday talk shows (CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Univision) and each was allowed to use one excerpt before the programs are broadcast.

21 Sep 2009

ICTs play a major role in the health care sector

Today the GridTalk project launches its 8th GridBriefing at the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) conference in Barcelona. The report covers how information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly computing grids, are used in the health and biomedical sectors of European research. EGEE has supported this research community since the project's birth and it is the second largest user group after physics research.

21 Sep 2009

Nasdaq issues deficiency notice to TeamStaff

TeamStaff, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSTF), a national provider of healthcare and administrative staffing services, today announced that on September 15, 2009, it received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Global Market (Nasdaq) stating that for the last 30 consecutive trading days, the Company's common stock has not maintained a minimum market value of publicly held shares of $5,000,000, as required by the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Market set forth in Listing Rule 5450(b)(1)(C) (the "Listing Rule").

21 Sep 2009