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Reports find disparities of care based on insurance coverage, race

HealthDay/Yahoo: Coverage and race can mean better or worse care for cancer patients, a series of studies has found. "The reports, documenting financial and racial factors that impact diagnosis, treatment and survival, were scheduled for presentation this weekend at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Miami.

4 Oct 2010

Del Global fourth-quarter consolidated net sales increase 19.8% to $13.4 million

Del Global Technologies Corp. today announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 fourth quarter and year ended July 31, 2010.

4 Oct 2010

Brothers lead charge for electronic medical records push, but find barriers

The New York Times reports on the Doerr brothers, one a venture capitalist and the other a physicianr and software designer, who are leading the charge to push doctors to use electronic medical records. "It seems straightforward. Just combine technology skills with investment money, and then develop innovative products. But to date, the push for a digital revolution in doctors' offices has brought mostly frustration for the many companies big and small that are trying to conquer the field.

4 Oct 2010

Enzo commences clinical trial of Optiquel for chronic non-infectious uveitis

Enzo Biochem, Inc., announced today that, following filing of a investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA, its Enzo Therapeutics division is commencing a clinical trial of Optiquel™ , the Company's proprietary oral therapeutic for chronic non-infectious uveitis. The trial is designed as a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study with a long-term follow-up and is being conducted by the National Institute of Health's National Eye Institute (NEI).

4 Oct 2010

Drug companies accused of skirting requirement to submit prices

Drug makers frequently ignore a federal requirement that they submit "pricing data needed to calculate discounts on medications prescribed for poor people under Medicaid, federal investigators say in a new report," The New York Times reports.

4 Oct 2010

Today's OpEds: Orszag's latest health column, the MLR and parables

Improving the quality of health care and reducing its cost will require that doctors make many changes — but working weekends and consenting to quality management are two clear ones (Peter Orszag, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

Decision Resources: NSCLC drug market to grow from $4 billion in 2009 to over $6.5 billion in 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues finds that the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug market will increase from approximately $4 billion in 2009 to more than $6.5 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

4 Oct 2010

FDA announces dates for public hearing on Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a two-day public hearing on Nov. 2-3, 2010, on the implementation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation (BPCI) Act of 2009. The hearing will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the FDA's White Oak Campus, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Building 31, room 1503, in Silver Spring, Md.

4 Oct 2010

Titan Spine to release new Endoskeleton TC system in first-quarter 2011

Titan Spine announced that it will begin full commercial release of its new Endoskeleton® TC system first quarter of 2011. The Endoskeleton® TC is an interbody fusion device for the cervical spine. The product received 510(k) clearance in July of this year and has been in limited market release since early August. The device has an acid etched titanium surface and is biomechanically designed to promote spinal fusion.

4 Oct 2010

GlobalNet Services awarded $14M contract to support FDA Unified Registration and Listing System

GlobalNet Services, Inc., a premier information technology provider for businesses and the Federal government, today announced that it had been awarded a $14 million contract to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Unified Registration and Listing System (FURLS). This five-year contract, which includes one base year and four option years, supports federal initiatives that require all facilities, which manufacture, process or hold FDA-regulated products to be registered with the Agency.

4 Oct 2010

GSA awards Vision-Sciences FSS Contract for flexible endoscopy solutions

Vision-Sciences, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a Federal Supply Schedule ("FSS") Contract from the General Services Administration ("GSA") for its flexible endoscopy product lines. The contract period is from October 15, 2010 – October 14, 2015. This GSA contract enables access to the company's technology for all federal healthcare facilities, including the Veterans Administration, Indian Health Service, and Department of Defense facilities.

4 Oct 2010

Public hospitals in two Australian states acquire GreenLight HPS laser consoles for BPH treatment

American Medical Systems, a leading provider of world-class devices and therapies for male and female pelvic health, today announced that eight GreenLight HPS® laser consoles have been acquired for public hospitals in the Australian states of Victoria and Queensland. The laser technology will treat patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), a non cancerous enlargement of the prostate experienced by 50 percent of men over 60.

4 Oct 2010

Health industry funding more Republicans than Dems, anti-reform political activity ramps up

Politico: "A new portrait of the health industry landscape has begun to take shape, with some of those major players shifting their dollars from the very Democrats who passed the law they seemingly endorsed at the White House. The insurance industry, for instance, has consistently donated more to Republicans than to Democrats ever since August 2009."

4 Oct 2010

X-rays increase risk of developing childhood leukemia

Diagnostic X-rays may increase the risk of developing childhood leukemia, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health.

4 Oct 2010

Massachusetts eHealth Institute names e-MDs as EHR vendor and IOO

e-MDs, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solutions, announced they have been named a selected EHR vendor and Implementation Optimization Organization (IOO) by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI). The Institute will serve as a Regional Extension Center (REC) in Massachusetts, working to facilitate the adoption of EHR technology by the state's providers. As a selected vendor, e-MDs will help ensure effective implementation and provider achievement of Meaningful Use.

4 Oct 2010

VIVUS announces divestiture of MUSE to Meda

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Meda - an international specialty pharma company - for MUSE®, transurethral alprostadil, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Under the agreement, Meda will acquire the MUSE assets including the United States and foreign MUSE patents, existing inventory and the manufacturing facility located in Lakewood, New Jersey.

4 Oct 2010

LC Luxuries announces acquisition of domain name CannaCare.com

LC LUXURIES LIMITED today announced that it has acquired the domain name CannaCare.com and will begin developing CannaCare.com as its nationwide physician marketing engine as it relates to the cannabis industry. Development is underway and the Company anticipates the site operational by the end of the year. Bonni Goldstein, MD, a board member for LC Luxuries Limited, will be materially involved with the content and direction of CannaCare.com.

4 Oct 2010

IBM employee-wellness program shows some success for kids

Reuters: "In 2008, IBM launched an Internet-based 'children's rebate program' that let employees and their families choose from a selection of goals revolving around healthy eating, group physical activity, reduced 'screen time' and positive parental role-modeling. A $150 check was offered as incentive to complete the 12-week program. … More than 22,000 employees signed on to participate, representing about half of all employees with children covered by IBM's health plan." About 12,000 completed the program and received the rebate.

4 Oct 2010

FDA clears Orthovita's VITOMATRIX Bone Graft Substitute for dental procedures

Orthovita, Inc., an orthobiologics and biosurgery company, announced that it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market VITOMATRIX Bone Graft Substitute as a bone grafting material in certain dental procedures.

4 Oct 2010

KHN column: Medical loss ratio rule should encourage health care fraud fighting

In this Kaiser Health News column, Louis Saccoccio, executive director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, makes a case for including health plans' investments in fraud-fighting activities in the medical loss ratio definition.

4 Oct 2010