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Amgen second-quarter total revenue increases 2% to $3,804 million

Amgen reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.38 for the second quarter of 2010, an increase of 7 percent compared to $1.29 for the second quarter of 2009. Adjusted net income increased 1 percent to $1,326 million for the second quarter of 2010 compared to $1,311 million for the second quarter of 2009.

30 Jul 2010

Insured Americans are using fewer medical services while employers consider wellness incentives

Insured Americans are using fewer medical services, raising questions about whether patients are consuming less health care as they pick up a greater share of the costs. The drop in usage is showing up as health-care companies report financial results. Insurers, lab-testing companies, hospitals and doctor-billing concerns say that patient visits, drug prescriptions and procedures were down in the second quarter from year-ago levels. Others say that consumers are beginning to forgo elective procedures like knee replacements.

30 Jul 2010

Republicans take on cost-cutting panel backed by budget chief Orszag

Several Senate Republican leaders are now pushing a new, partial health-overhaul repeal bill that targets a Medicare cost-cutting panel, The Hill reports. The panel, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, would make cost-cutting recommendations whenever spending exceeds set benchmarks. Congress would have to adopt them, or come up with its own plan.

30 Jul 2010

GSK exercises option to obtain exclusive licence to develop, commercialise GSK '052

Anacor Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline PLC today announced that GSK has exercised its option to obtain an exclusive licence to develop and commercialise GSK2251052 (GSK '052), formerly known as AN3365. GSK '052 is a novel, systemic antibiotic derived from Anacor's boron chemistry platform.

30 Jul 2010

Fecal occult blood tests make cost effective alternatives in colorectal cancer screening

While colonoscopies are the most accurate method for the early detection of colorectal cancers, screening with fecal occult blood tests results in more efficient use of limited budgets, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International.

30 Jul 2010

Orexigen's Contrave COR-I trial results published online in journal Lancet

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. announced that results from its COR-I trial of Contrave® were published online today in the journal Lancet. COR-I was the largest of the four, 56-week, Phase 3 trials supporting the New Drug Application for Contrave, currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Results show that patients taking Contrave were two to three times more likely to lose at least 5% or 10% of their body weight compared to those taking placebo, on both an intent-to-treat (ITT) and completers basis.

30 Jul 2010

APCapital second-quarter net income decreases to $9.4 million

American Physicians Capital, Inc. today announced net income of $9.4 million or $.98 per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2010. This compares to net income of $11.0 million, or $.97 per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2009. Year-to-date, the Company has generated net income of $18.4 million or $1.88 per diluted common share in 2010, compared to $21.1 million or $1.82 per diluted common share in the first six months of 2009.

30 Jul 2010

Charles River to terminate acquisition agreement with WuXi PharmaTech

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., a leading global provider of research models and associated services and of preclinical drug development services, today announced that it has mutually agreed with WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc. to terminate their previously announced acquisition agreement. The Company also announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a new $500 million stock repurchase program.

30 Jul 2010

Phenolic compounds in peaches, plums kill breast cancer cells

A recent study performed at Texas A&M University revealed that peaches and plums may present an even sweeter, juicier treat in their ability to fight breast cancer. According to research scientists Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos and Dr. David Byrne from AgriLife Research at Texas A&M, extracts found in commercial varieties of peaches and plums have been shown to kill breast cancer cells while not harming normal cells.

30 Jul 2010

Insurers Aetna, WellPoint look for their place in health reform; WellPoint profit up

Aetna President Mark Bertolini said Wednesday that his company has seen much slower sales of national insurance accounts where large employers pay Aetna to administer plans for employees, The Associated Press reports. Under the new health overhaul, Bertolini said he expected less movement in that market because of the uncertainty in the law.

30 Jul 2010

Business groups, GOP prepare anti-health law campaigns for midterm elections

Politico reports that business groups are preparing ads for the November elections and some are targeting health reform. "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already vowed to invest $75 million in the mid-term elections. And health insurers are also planning to play big in November, although the specifics remain in flux. … Both America's Health Insurance Plans and its Coalition for Medicare Choices are expected to play a major role in the messaging, along with individual companies. But neither group, according to sources, plans to directly attack Democrats, which would risk infuriating the White House as it writes reform regulations as well as the Blue Dog Democrats who opposed the legislation."

30 Jul 2010

Acura Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $3.2M for second-quarter 2010

Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported a second quarter 2010 net loss of $3.2 million or $0.07 per share compared to net loss of $6.5 million, or $0.14 per share for the second quarter of 2009. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $7.2 million, or $0.15 per share compared to net loss of $7.8 million, or $0.17 per share for the same period in 2009. At July 29, 2010 we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $26.5 million with no term indebtedness.

30 Jul 2010

Researchers discover enzyme crucial for DNA repair

Researchers have discovered an enzyme crucial to a type of DNA repair that also causes resistance to a class of cancer drugs most commonly used against ovarian cancer.Scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Life Sciences Institute of Zhejiang University in China report the discovery of the enzyme and its role in repairing DNA damage called cross-linking in the Science Express advance online publication of Science.

30 Jul 2010

Shionogi's CUVPOSA receives FDA approval for treatment of chronic severe drooling

Shionogi Inc., a U.S.-based group company of Shionogi & Co., Ltd., today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of CUVPOSA™ (glycopyrrolate), the first liquid treatment for patients ages 3-16 who suffer from chronic severe drooling associated with neurologic conditions such as cerebral palsy. CUVPOSA™ was designated an Orphan Drug by the FDA.

30 Jul 2010

Western dietary pattern increases risk of ADHD

A new study from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research shows an association between ADHD and a 'Western-style' diet in adolescents.The research findings have just been published online in the international Journal of Attention Disorders."We found a diet high in the Western pattern of foods was associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern, after adjusting for numerous other social and family influences," Dr Oddy said.

30 Jul 2010

Life Technologies second-quarter Non-GAAP revenue increases 8% to $906 million

Life Technologies Corporation today announced results for its second quarter ending June 30, 2010. Non-GAAP revenue for the second quarter was $906 million, an increase of 8 percent over the $839 million reported for the second quarter of 2009. Excluding the impact of currency and prior acquisitions and divestitures, organic revenue for the quarter grew 6 percent over the same period in the previous year.

30 Jul 2010

SeraCare Life Sciences launches new product to diagnose HIV

SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc. today announced that the Company has launched a set of new products in its diagnostic controls and panels portfolio—the SeraCare HIV-1 Seroconversion Panels. Each of the six panels consists of a set of undiluted plasma samples from a single plasma donor collected over a period of time during the development of detectable specific antibodies to HIV in the blood, or seroconversion, and is highly characterized with enhanced product information.

30 Jul 2010

GOP advising Republicans to vote against 9/11 medical coverage bill

Politico's On Congress Blog: House Republicans are advising other Republicans to vote against a bill that would "bolster medical support to Sept. 11 victims. … The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, sponsored by New York City Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D), provides medical monitoring to those exposed to toxins at Ground Zero, bolsters treatment at specialized centers for those afflicted by toxins on 9/11 and reopens a compensation fund to provide economic loss to New Yorkers."

30 Jul 2010

Intra-Cellular Therapies ITI-007 Phase Ib/II clinical trial for schizophrenia meets primary endpoint

Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. today announced the results from a Phase Ib/II clinical trial in patients with schizophrenia with ITI-007, the Company's unique, investigational new drug for the treatment of schizophrenia. The trial met its primary endpoint demonstrating that ITI-007 was safe and well-tolerated in patients with stabilized schizophrenia.

30 Jul 2010

NMT Medical reports $2.6 million net income for second-quarter 2010

NMT Medical, Inc., an advanced medical technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary implant technologies that allow interventional cardiologists to treat structural heart disease through minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures, today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

30 Jul 2010