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FDA Advisory Committee recommends approval of dabigatran etexilate for stroke prevention in AFib patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee today voted 9 to 0 in favor of approving dabigatran etexilate for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). An estimated 2.3 million Americans have AFib and the prevalence is expected to increase 2.5 fold to 5.6 million by 2050, reflecting the growing population of elderly individuals.

21 Sep 2010

Biomerix, Synthecon enter strategic distribution agreement for 3D cell culture scaffolds

Biomerix Corporation, a medical technologies company developing and manufacturing innovative regenerative medicine biomaterials, and Synthecon, a leading biotechnology company specializing in the design and manufacturing of rotating cell culture systems, today announced a strategic distribution agreement for three-dimensional cell culture scaffolds developed using Biomerix Corporation's unique biomaterial technology.

21 Sep 2010

Six3 gene safeguards future retina

New research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators adds to evidence that the Six3 gene functions like a doorman in the developing brain and visual system, safeguarding the future retina by keeping the region where the eye is forming free of a signaling protein capable of disrupting the process.

21 Sep 2010

FDA approves Medtronic's Integrity Coronary Stent System

Delivering another innovation for interventional cardiology, Medtronic, Inc.,announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Integrity Coronary Stent System. The new platform for Medtronic's coronary stents, including the Integrity bare-metal stent, is based on an advance in biomedical engineering called continuous sinusoid technology that enables the exploration of other breakthrough device concepts such as a polymer free drug filled stent.

21 Sep 2010

Corindus announces clinical results of CorPath 200 System

Corindus Vascular Robotics announced the results of the first clinical study of the CorPath 200 System and invites attendees of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2010 conference (September 21-25 in Washington, DC) to experience firsthand the CorPath 200 System.

21 Sep 2010

Zynex to develop central blood volume monitoring device

Zynex, Inc., a provider of pain management systems and electrotherapy products for medical patients with functional disability, announces that its newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary, Zynex Monitoring Solutions Inc., is developing a device for monitoring of central blood volume for use in operating rooms, detecting blood loss during surgery and detecting internal bleeding in the recovery room.

21 Sep 2010

Opinions: MDGs

"The overarching and noble goal [of this week's Millennium Development Goal (MDG) summit in New York] is reducing global poverty. But the most compelling and achievable objectives - huge reductions in maternal and child mortality worldwide - will be severely undermined if the Obama administration either directly or covertly integrates abortion into the final outcome document," Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

21 Sep 2010

Clemson biochemist receives grants to study DNA repair pathways

A Clemson biochemist has received grants totaling $787,000 to study how cells repair damaged DNA, which can cause cancer and genetic illnesses. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Weiguo Cao three-year funding to investigate two DNA repair pathways.

21 Sep 2010

Aviv REIT, Lindsay Goldberg enter strategic partnership

Aviv REIT, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Lindsay Goldberg LLC to further Aviv's growth. Aviv also completed a series of debt transactions led by GE Capital Healthcare Financial Services in connection with the Lindsay Goldberg equity investment.

21 Sep 2010

AstraZeneca urges to increase funds for FDA fiscal year 2012 budget

AstraZeneca urged the Obama Administration to increase funding for the Food and Drug Administration's fiscal year 2012 budget by 20 percent to help the agency effectively manage a growing list of complex public health responsibilities.

21 Sep 2010

Health Care REIT to offer 7,000,000 shares of common stock

Health Care REIT, Inc. announced that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, 7,000,000 shares of its common stock. Health Care REIT intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,050,000 shares to cover over-allotments, if any. The shares of common stock will be registered under Health Care REIT's existing shelf registration statement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

21 Sep 2010

LTC Properties declares quarterly cash dividend on 8.0% Series F Cumulative Preferred Stock

LTC Properties, Inc. announced today that it had declared the quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share on the Company's 8.0% Series F Cumulative Preferred Stock. The dividend is payable on October 15, 2010 to stockholders of record on October 1, 2010.

21 Sep 2010

BioNeutral third quarter revenue increases to $15,500

BioNeutral Group Inc., a specialty chemical technology-based life science company, today announced financial results for the third quarter and nine-month period ended July 31, 2010.

21 Sep 2010

Dengue fever vaccine in the pipeline

Australians researchers are moving towards producing the first ever vaccine for dengue fever, the potentially life-threatening infection spread by mosquitoes in the tropics. At present late stage clinical trials are underway for a vaccine that would protect against all four known strains of the disease. Participants are now being recruited in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

20 Sep 2010

Nurses union breaks from the Australian Labor party

The Queensland Nurses Union’s (QNU) association with the Labor party will not be renewed when it expires next year. Acting Premier Paul Lucas however feels it is not politically damaging. “I'm obviously disappointed that they're not renewing their affiliation but we deal with all sorts of unions whether they're affiliated or not,” he said. The decision however could cost the ALP $50,000 a year. QNU on the other hand feels that this break would give them more political flexibility.

20 Sep 2010

Gene links to ovarian cancer and diagnostic delays

According to the latest research a group of genes may help predict a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. Studies have also shown that breast and ovarian cancer may share some of the same genetic risk factors.

20 Sep 2010

NQF endorses 8 outcome measures for pulmonary, cardiovascular conditions and care provided in ICU

To improve healthcare quality and give patients and providers more information about the results of care, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed eight outcome measures for pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions and care provided in the intensive care unit (ICU). This is the first in a set of patient outcome measures NQF is reviewing.

20 Sep 2010

Medicare receives increased scrutiny regarding fraud, payment issues

USA Today: "Proposed regulations being unveiled today seek to crack down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud by subjecting operators of certain medical firms to fingerprinting and stopping payments when credible fraud allegations are made, documents show. The rules would give federal health officials key powers to identify fraud early and reduce the estimated $55 billion in improper payments made each year in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, said Peter Budetti, director of the new anti-fraud office at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services" (Young, 9/20).

20 Sep 2010

Biomarkers may help predict children at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Children who have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes might be identified earlier by way of tell-tale genetic indicators known as biomarkers. Some of those new biomarkers might be pinpointed in research led by Nancy F. Butte and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Institutes of Health.

20 Sep 2010

GOP plan to change or repeal health law could bring new complications

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agness Carey reports: Republicans, buoyed by recent polls suggesting that their party could win the House and pick up seats in the Senate in November, are vowing to repeal or make major revisions in the health overhaul law that Democrats squeezed through Congress last spring.

20 Sep 2010