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Conatus acquires Idun Pharmaceuticals

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that Conatus acquired the Idun Pharmaceuticals subsidiary of Pfizer Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed. Conatus Pharmaceuticals is a privately-held drug development company focused on liver disease and oncology.

31 Jul 2010

Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Archives of Internal Medicine: Racial Differences In Admissions To High-Quality Hospitals For Coronary Heart Disease - "Racial disparities in the management of coronary heart disease (CHD) are widely documented, yet the reasons behind persistent gaps in quality of care are not fully understood," write the authors, who examined "Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) admitted during 2002 through 2005 to hospitals located in markets with top-ranked cardiac hospitals, as ascertained from the US News and World Report 'America's Best Hospitals' annual rankings."

31 Jul 2010

Siepser donates Lasik procedure to Shane Victorino Foundation for raising funds

Steven Siepser, M.D., one of the Delaware Valley's most distinguished ophthalmologists, is donating a Lasik eye procedure to the Shane Victorino Foundation.Money raised during the benefit goes to the Shane Victorino Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged youth in Hawaii and Philadelphia with educational, recreational and wellness programs.

31 Jul 2010

Microsulis launches Acculis percutaneous microwave tissue ablation system at ECIO

Microsulis Medical Ltd (MML), the leading company in microwave technology for medical devices, has successfully launched the Acculis percutaneous microwave tissue ablation system, Accu2i pMTA, at the second European Conference on Interventional Oncology (ECIO) in Florence, Italy. A revolutionary new device for destroying tumours, the system is a 1.8mm diameter closed water-cooled needle, with performance matching the existing Acculis open surgery MTA system.

31 Jul 2010

Study shows estrogen stabilization may protect women from brain aneurysms risk

Results from a retrospective, case-control study presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) 7th Annual Meeting could have significant implications for women at risk of brain aneurysms as data shows that oral contraceptives (OC) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may yield the additional benefit of protecting against the formation and/or rupture of brain aneurysms – balloon-like sacks that form in a weakened artery wall and, upon bursting, can cause severe disability or death.

31 Jul 2010

Opinions: IDUs and HIV; AIDS 2010; International Violence Against Women Act

In a Los Angeles Times opinion piece, Evan Wood, associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, writes about the Vienna Declaration, a document he helped to draft, that calls for international leaders to revise drug policies to incorporate greater scientific evidence and promote HIV prevention, treatment and care for drug users.

31 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicare at 45; The politics of entitlement spending; Deciding health care's value

Forty-five years ago today, the creation of Medicare transformed our health-care system and our nation. It helped to make us a stronger and more prosperous country by freeing older Americans from the fear that sickness or injury would cost them their lifetime savings and security. ... The reason we have the Medicare we have today is that over the last 45 years, we have repeatedly acted to strengthen and update it for changing times (Kathleen Sebelius, 7/29).

31 Jul 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Center for Global Development memo offers suggestions for the U.S. to improve its commitment to policies that benefit poor countries after it ranked 17th out of 22 wealthy in the 2009 Commitment to Development Index. Among a set of 20 recommendations, the authors suggest the U.S. "[i]ncrease foreign aid, especially through such vehicles as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which gives to relatively well-governed countries, or a global 'Cash on Delivery' fund that would pay countries after making confirmed progress toward agreed-upon outcomes, thereby reducing the proliferation of aid projects," the authors write(Prieto/Roodman).

31 Jul 2010

Epigenetic changes to DNA in breast cancers linked with environmental risk factors, tumor size: Study

Researchers from Brown University and the University of California San Francisco have found that epigenetic changes to DNA in breast cancers are related to environmental risk factors and tumor size, providing a window into the severity of the disease. The study is published in today's edition of PLoS Genetics. The researchers found that epigenetic profiles of tumors had a direct association with diet, alcohol, and tumor size.

31 Jul 2010

Functional MRI can be used to assess tumor viability

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (the disease commonly referred to as pancreatic cancer) carries the worst prognosis of any cancer. As current treatments offer minimal benefit, entirely new approaches are needed. Given the success of local therapies, as opposed to intravenous systemic therapies, for liver diseases (such as hepatocellular carcinoma), it is thought that similar local therapies may benefit patients with pancreatic cancer. To develop such therapies, it would be useful to devise targets that are easy to obtain and can indicate the efficacy of these new therapies in models of pancreatic cancer.

31 Jul 2010

GSK anticipates to supply over 30 million doses of FLULAVAL, FLUARIX for 2010-2011 flu season

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has released the first lots of FluLaval® [Influenza Virus Vaccine] allowing distribution in the U.S. to begin for the 2010-2011 flu season. GSK anticipates distribution of Fluarix® [Influenza Virus Vaccine] to follow in the next several weeks.

30 Jul 2010

Ten steps to successful breastfeeding from WHO and UNICEF

During World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries, WHO reiterates its call on health facilities and health workers to implement ten steps to help mothers breastfeed successfully and improve their babies' health and chances of survival.

30 Jul 2010

THL signs definitive merger agreement to acquire Intermedix from Parthenon

Intermedix Corporation, a leading provider of revenue cycle management and software solutions to the emergency healthcare industry, announced today that Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire the Company from Parthenon Capital Partners and its minority shareholders.

30 Jul 2010

FDA clears ZOLL's new Propaq MD Monitor/Defibrillator

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market and begin distribution of the new Propaq® MD Monitor/Defibrillator that was developed specifically to meet the special needs of military customers and air medical operations worldwide. Development of this product was a joint undertaking between the Department of Defense and a cooperative arrangement between Welch Allyn and ZOLL.

30 Jul 2010

ZIOPHARM second-quarter net loss from operations increases to $5.1 million

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc., a biopharmaceutical cancer company addressing unmet medical needs, today reported its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2010 and provided an update on the Company's continued progress with its clinical programs.

30 Jul 2010

Paperwork for reimbursement prevents PCTs access to high-cost cancer drugs

The amount of paperwork that primary care trusts (PCTs) have to fill out in order to be reimbursed for cancer drugs is so great that they may be missing out on millions of pounds, a report suggests.

30 Jul 2010

Vaccine scares may do more harm than previously believed to population's 'herd immunity'

Public immunization efforts may be much more sensitive than previously realized to small changes in the perceived costs or risks of vaccination, scientists at Harvard University report this week. In some cases, the spread of vaccine avoidance via social networks can make the difference between a minor, localized outbreak and an epidemic four times as large.

30 Jul 2010

Opportunity in European embolization coil market leads to major acquisitions in 2010: MRG

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, high market opportunity in the European embolization coil market has led to several major acquisitions in 2010. The European market alone was valued at approximately $100 million in 2009, making successful niche competitors in this market attractive acquisition targets.

30 Jul 2010

USIBC applauds Abbott for 100 years of improving healthcare in India

Today the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) saluted Abbott Laboratories for 100 years of improving healthcare in India. In 1910, Abbott was one of the first multinationals to establish operations in India. Over the past century, Abbott has been dedicated to connecting Indian patients with access to quality medication and patient care, enhancing the quality of life for its customers.

30 Jul 2010

Endo Pharmaceuticals total revenues for second-quarter 2010 increase 6% to $396.5 million

Endo Pharmaceuticals today reported financial results for the second quarter 2010. Total revenues during the second quarter of 2010 increased 6 percent to $396.5 million, compared with $373.1 million in the same quarter of 2009. Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2010 was $51.5 million, compared with $30.0 million in the comparable 2009 period.

30 Jul 2010

Medical News

Conatus acquires Idun Pharmaceuticals

Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Siepser donates Lasik procedure to Shane Victorino Foundation for raising funds

Microsulis launches Acculis percutaneous microwave tissue ablation system at ECIO

Study shows estrogen stabilization may protect women from brain aneurysms risk

Opinions: IDUs and HIV; AIDS 2010; International Violence Against Women Act

Today's OpEds: Medicare at 45; The politics of entitlement spending; Deciding health care's value

Recent releases in Global Health

Epigenetic changes to DNA in breast cancers linked with environmental risk factors, tumor size: Study

Functional MRI can be used to assess tumor viability

GSK anticipates to supply over 30 million doses of FLULAVAL, FLUARIX for 2010-2011 flu season

Ten steps to successful breastfeeding from WHO and UNICEF

THL signs definitive merger agreement to acquire Intermedix from Parthenon

FDA clears ZOLL's new Propaq MD Monitor/Defibrillator

ZIOPHARM second-quarter net loss from operations increases to $5.1 million

Paperwork for reimbursement prevents PCTs access to high-cost cancer drugs

Vaccine scares may do more harm than previously believed to population's 'herd immunity'

Opportunity in European embolization coil market leads to major acquisitions in 2010: MRG

USIBC applauds Abbott for 100 years of improving healthcare in India

Endo Pharmaceuticals total revenues for second-quarter 2010 increase 6% to $396.5 million

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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