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Whistleblower complaints about WellCare operations unsealed in Florida

The St. Petersburg-Times: Three complaints by whistleblowers suing WellCare Health Plans Inc. have been unsealed in recent days as part of a federal probe into the company's operations. Federal officials raided the company offices in 2007. In the most recent complaints, "Clark J. Bolton, a former supervisor of special investigations at WellCare, said the insurer encouraged overbilling and refused to audit claims for fraud in order to curry favor with doctors and hospitals and build market share.

1 Jul 2010

Researchers identify a set of molecular signatures for biliary atresia

Researchers have identified a set of "molecular signatures" for biliary atresia - the most common diagnosis leading to liver transplant in children - that can help identify the progression of disease at diagnosis and predict clinical outcomes.

1 Jul 2010

Prasco commences shipments of generic prescription ZEGERID Capsules

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that pursuant to its distribution and supply agreement with Prasco, LLC, Prasco is commencing shipments of an authorized generic of prescription ZEGERID® (omeprazole/ sodium bicarbonate) Capsules in 20 mg and 40 mg dosage strengths in the U.S. under the Prasco label. ZEGERID is an immediate-release proton pump inhibitor (PPI) approved as a prescription product in the U.S. for the treatment of certain upper gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.

1 Jul 2010

EIN News introduces new way for medical professionals, researchers to keep up with latest autism news

EIN News, one of the Internet's most popular online news-monitoring services, introduces a new way for medical professionals and researchers to keep up with the latest autism news.

1 Jul 2010

Poll shows growing popularity for health reform law, politicians sound off

"The health-care overhaul gained popularity from May to June, according to a new tracking poll." The poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation "found that 48 percent of the public had a favorable view of the law in June while 41 percent had an unfavorable opinion." (Kaiser Health News is a program of the foundation.) In May, the tracking poll had found "41 percent favorable to 44 percent unfavorable."

1 Jul 2010

GSD signs agreement with Axis-Shield to distribute its proprietary assays in the U.S. Market

Gold Standard Diagnostics, Inc. a leading supplier of products and services to the medical diagnostic industry today announced the execution of an agreement with Axis-Shield to distribute their proprietary assays in the U.S. Market. Axis-Shield owns a number of patents in the areas of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and more recently, sepsis. GSD will initially focus on distribution of Homocysteine, but also gains access to distribute Axis-Shield's other key products such as Anti-CCP.

1 Jul 2010

Fero Industries closes acquisition of rights related to production, marketing and distribution of Sucanon

Fero Industries, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has closed the acquisition of certain intellectual property and other associated rights related to the production, marketing, and distribution of Sucanon, a treatment for Type II diabetes.

1 Jul 2010

Lawmakers, others worry about stimulus funds, Medicaid money

As federal stimulus funds begin to run out, including enhanced federal support for swelling Medicaid rolls, lawmakers and others are worried that the U.S. economy could again stall. "[M]any important programs are losing funding. Among the most crucial is unemployment insurance. … Stimulus funds have also helped subsidize health benefits through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, which gives jobless workers an opportunity to continue their coverage at group rates for a limited time. Efforts to extend those provisions are stalled in Congress. The National Employment Law Project estimates that 1.63 million workers will exhaust their benefits by the end of this week, and at least 140,000 workers will lose COBRA coverage."

1 Jul 2010

Patel sentence today

Dr. Jayant Patel, 60, a Bundaberg Base hospital surgeon has been found criminally negligent in his patient care. He was brought before the court on three accounts of manslaughter and causing grievous harm to another person. The incidents occurred during his tenure at the hospital as Director of Surgery between 2003 and 2005.

1 Jul 2010

Bortezomib may offer hope for treating inflammatory diseases: New research

Those looking for a new treatment for a range of inflammatory diseases like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and lupus may need to look no further than a drug already available for treating cancer. In a research report published in the July 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, Japanese scientists use mice to show that bortezomib, currently used to treat cancers that affect white blood cells, induces cell death only in harmful (active and proliferating) T cells, leaving the rest unharmed.

1 Jul 2010

Biomerix receives FDA 510(k) Clearance to market Ventral Hernia Repair Mesh

Biomerix Corporation announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) Clearance to market its Biomerix Ventral Hernia Repair Mesh, the latest addition to its innovative portfolio of soft tissue repair devices. The Biomerix Ventral Hernia Repair Mesh, with two distinctly different sides, is the first and only device featuring the Biomerix Biomaterial on one side, designed to promote tissue ingrowth, and a resorbable protective film on the other side, designed to minimize tissue attachment to the device in case of direct contact with the viscera.

1 Jul 2010

Health reform's early retiree reinsurance program accepting applications; Other overhaul initiatives get attention

HHS announced Tuesday that it "has begun accepting applications for the early retiree reinsurance program created by the new health law. The law sets aside $5 billion that businesses, unions and state and local governments can use to cover the healthcare costs of their retirees — and their spouses and dependents — who are older than 55 but don't yet qualify for Medicare." Some are worried that money for that program won't last through 2014, when other parts of the law take effect.

30 Jun 2010

Key mechanism present in virgin olive oil protects body against breast cancer: Researchers

Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, led by Dr Eduard Escrich, have discovered a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil, in contrast to other vegetable oils, protects the body against breast cancer.

30 Jun 2010

Antibacterial ingredient in honey identified

Sweet news for those looking for new antibiotics: A new research published in the July 2010 print edition of the FASEB Journal explains for the first time how honey kills bacteria. Specifically, the research shows that bees make a protein that they add to the honey, called defensin-1, which could one day be used to treat burns and skin infections and to develop new drugs that could combat antibiotic-resistant infections.

30 Jun 2010

DataCare completes Type II SAS 70 audit of Ahshay electronic workplace application

DataCare Corporation, the leader in web-based workers' compensation software, today announced it has successfully completed a Type II SAS 70 audit of Ahshay -- the company's electronic workplace application. The resulting Independent Service Auditor's Report certified that DataCare follows required procedures, has solid security controls, and protects clients' data in accordance with best practices.

30 Jun 2010

SuperGen encouraged by Eisai's intent to file Dacogen sNDA for new indication

SuperGen, Inc., a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel cancer therapies, announced that Eisai Inc. today released information regarding a randomized Phase III clinical trial of Dacogen® (decitabine) for Injection in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The comparator in this trial was low-dose cytarabine, a chemotherapy agent, or supportive care.

30 Jun 2010

GE Capital supports Guardian Healthcare with $90 million in senior secured credit facilities

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services provided and serves as administrative agent for $90 million in senior secured credit facilities to Guardian Healthcare, a leading Medicare-certified provider of professional home healthcare services. The credit facilities will be used for a significant acquisition and to refinance existing indebtedness. The remaining funds will be used for additional growth capital and general corporate purposes. GE Capital Markets served as the lead arranger for the credit facilities.

30 Jun 2010

Vicept completes $16 million Series A financing

Vicept™ Therapeutics Inc., a privately held specialty biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing the first effective topically applied therapy for erythema (facial redness) of rosacea, announced that it has secured $10 million to complete a total $16 million Series A financing. The Series A was led by Vivo Ventures, Sofinnova Ventures and Fidelity Biosciences.

30 Jun 2010

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals closes $40 million Series C financing

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced it has closed a $40 million Series C financing. The financing was led by Quogue Capital, LLC along with existing investors Alta Partners, Amgen Ventures, Frazier Healthcare and Three Arch Partners and new investor Latterell Venture Partners.

30 Jun 2010

TAP announces sale of first advanced micro bioreactor system

The Automation Partnership (TAP), a world leader in the design and development of innovative automation for life science applications, today announced it has sold its first advanced micro bioreactor system (ambr™) system to a global antibody therapeutics company, where ambr is being used to help predict how antibody expressing cell lines will behave in large scale bioreactors.

30 Jun 2010