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Recession led to cuts in health system use

The New York Times: The recession is causing d people in the United States to cut their use of the health care system "much deeper than in countries with universal health care systems," a new report says. "The study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, finds that 'Americans, who face higher out-of-pocket health care costs, have reduced their routine medical care' much more than people in Britain, Canada, France and Germany.

18 Aug 2010

Cryo-Cell International collaborates with MNSH to identify potential therapy for autoimmune diseases

Cryo-Cell International, Inc., one of the largest and most established leaders in stem cell innovation, today announced a research and development collaboration agreement with Monash University in Australia. The partnership will allow scientists from the University's Centre of Inflammatory Diseases to conduct pre-clinical studies using Cryo-Cell's proprietary C'elle menstrual stem cell technology (MenScs) to identify potential future therapies to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

18 Aug 2010

CaridianBCT releases version 6.0 of Trima Accel Automated Blood Collection System

CaridianBCT, the leading global provider of technology, products and services in the blood banking, transfusion medicine and cell therapy industries, announced the global release of the Trima Accel® Automated Blood Collection System Version 6.0. The latest version of the flagship automated blood collection platform provides streamlined operations and potentially increased cost savings for customers worldwide.

18 Aug 2010

ProMedica to implement Amerinet Diagnostix's AccuPrice daily price auditing solution

Amerinet Inc., a leading national healthcare group purchasing organization, recently partnered with ProMedica Health System to implement AccuPrice®, a daily price auditing solution from Amerinet Diagnostix®, in its laboratory to quickly identify and resolve more than $8,000 in pricing errors.

18 Aug 2010

Biomet provides explanation to FDA regarding marketing rights for Signature Personalized Patient Care system

Biomet received a Warning Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the Signature™ Personalized Patient Care system, alleging that Biomet does not have appropriate clearance or approval to market the system in the United States.

18 Aug 2010

Medtronic to acquire Osteotech for $6.50 per share

Medtronic Inc.,and Osteotech, Inc.,today announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Medtronic will acquire Osteotech for $6.50 per share in cash for each share of Osteotech common stock. The total value of the transaction is expected to be approximately $123 million.

18 Aug 2010

HHS awards $1 million grants to state insurance regulators

The Los Angeles Times: "The Obama administration is sending $1-million grants to state insurance regulators to help increase oversight of rising health insurance premiums, a key step in implementing the new healthcare law. The grants announced Monday, which went to all but five states, will enable many to expand public access to information about rate hikes and to hire experts to review what insurers want to charge.

18 Aug 2010

Gentiva closes acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today announced the closing of its acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare, Inc. in an all cash transaction for a price of $27 per share of Odyssey common stock, without interest, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.0 billion, including fees and expenses.

18 Aug 2010

NCI grants SBIR award to MabVax Therapeutics

MabVax Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of vaccine and antibody based therapies to address the unmet medical need of preventing recurrent cancer, announces that it has received a Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the agency's Streamlined Non-competing Award Procedures (SNAP).

18 Aug 2010

BioMarin Pharmaceutical acquires ZyStor Therapeutics, furthers development of ZC-701 for Pompe disease

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that it has acquired ZyStor Therapeutics, Inc. (ZyStor), a privately-held biotechnology company developing enzyme replacement therapies (ERT) for the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders. ZyStor's lead product candidate is ZC-701, a novel fusion of insulin-like growth factor 2 and alpha glucosidase (IGF2-GAA) in development for Pompe disease.

18 Aug 2010

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics raises $6.5 million in second quarter 2010

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics today announced second quarter results for the period ended June 30, 2010. The Company utilized $1.13 million of cash in its operations during the quarter. The increase in net burn is reflective of increased personnel costs as well as increase in Research and Development costs associated with the planned phase II clinical trial for ICT-107.

18 Aug 2010

Equinox Surgical Solutions introduces SutureAssist device for streamlining suture management procedures

Equinox Surgical Solutions LLC today announced the launch of their new product, SutureAssist®, designed and developed by a minimally invasive, Board Certified, OB/GYN surgeon Dr. Warren Volker M.D., Ph.D. and his team to improve patient and surgical team safety. This proprietary device lets surgeons and scrub techs acquire, hand-off, dispose of and reload sutures with an efficient, one-handed motion resulting in significantly quicker wound closure and mitigation of both needle-stick risk to the surgical team and post-op needle management liability exposure.

18 Aug 2010

SANImagenetix first quarter net sales decrease 36%

SANImagenetix, Inc. announced today results for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Net sales decreased 36% for the first quarter of fiscal year 2011 to $1,085,000 from $1,702,000 for the same period of last year. Net loss for the first quarter was $604,000 or $.05 per share compared to a loss of $415,000 or $.04 per share for the same period of the prior fiscal year.

18 Aug 2010

Cancer is the world's top 'economic killer,' report finds

The Associated Press: "Cancer is the world's top 'economic killer' as well as its likely leading cause of death, the American Cancer Society contends in a new report it will present at a global cancer conference in China this week. Cancer costs more in productivity and lost life than AIDS, malaria, the flu and other diseases that spread person-to-person, the report concludes.

18 Aug 2010

ChromaDex Corporation 2010 second quarter revenue increases

ChromaDex Corporation, a leader in phytochemical reference standards and contract research, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2010. On a reported basis calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP), ChromaDex announced a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $0.01 per share for the thirteen week period ended July 3, 2010.

18 Aug 2010

BioMarin commences Phase 3b study of Kuvan's neuropsychiatric effects in phenylketonuria patients

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that the first subject has initiated treatment in a Phase 3b study (PKU-016) to evaluate the effects of Kuvan (sapropterin dihydrochloride) on neuropsychiatric symptoms in subjects with phenylketonuria (PKU). BioMarin expects to report results in the first half of 2012.

18 Aug 2010

Aastrom Bioscience fourth quarter net loss decreases to $0.18 per share

Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., the leading developer of autologous cellular therapies for the treatment of severe cardiovascular diseases, today reported operating results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2010.

18 Aug 2010

Health on the Hill – August 16, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with Bloomberg News' Drew Armstrong and KFF's Jackie Judd about recent developments, including the latest on the medical loss ratio calculation and how much power states have to enforce provisions of the health law (8/16).

18 Aug 2010

Brothers delay puberty in younger sisters: Study

In a new study Australian researchers have found that having an older brother delays the age at which girls get their periods. The study conducted by Human behavioral ecologist Dr Debra Judge and PhD student Fritha Milne, of the University of Western Australia in Perth was published in this week's Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

17 Aug 2010

Bid to save the Gulgong Hospital

Residents campaigning to save the 100 year old Gulgong Hospital from closing have been informed that it could be some time before it is known whether the Federal Government will support plans for a multi-purpose health service (MPS).

17 Aug 2010