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Odyssey HealthCare acquires Westchester

Odyssey HealthCare, Inc., one of the largest providers of hospice care in the United States, today announced that it has acquired Westchester, Illinois-based Generations Healthcare, expanding the Company’s presence in the Chicago metropolitan area.

6 Jan 2010

Dialysis extension at Atlanta hospital eases crisis for illegal immigrants

The New York Times: "In early October, when Grady, Atlanta's public hospital, closed its outpatient dialysis unit for budgetary reasons, it agreed to pay for three months of dialysis at private clinics for about 50 dislocated patients.

6 Jan 2010

Enzon Pharmaceuticals treats first patient in Phase 2 studies of PEG-SN38

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been treated in the Phase 2 studies of PEG-SN38 for metastatic breast cancer. PEG-SN38 or EZN-2208 is Enzon’s PEGylated form of SN38, the active metabolite of the cancer drug Camptosar® (irinotecan HCl injection).

6 Jan 2010

Dana-Farber researcher honored for scientific advancement

Kai W. Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD, a researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been named a Fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

6 Jan 2010

House Democrats develop wish list for final reform package, return to the White House

Heading into a key White House meeting this afternoon, House leaders are eyeing several items that they would like in a final health care reform deal with the Senate, but it's not clear whether their wish list will have much of an impact in the face of threats from conservative Senators to withdraw their support for the bill.

6 Jan 2010

Eisai acquires AkaRx for approximately $255 million

Eisai Inc. (Headquarters: Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Chairman and CEO: Hajime Shimizu, "Eisai") today announces the successful completion of its acquisition of the biopharmaceutical company, AkaRx, Inc. (Headquarters: Bridgewater, New Jersey, CEO: Robert E. Desjardins), for approximately $255 million.

6 Jan 2010

New evidence suggests long-term exposure to cell phone signals may protect against Alzheimer's disease

The millions of people who spend hours every day on a cell phone may have a new excuse for yakking. A surprising new study in mice provides the first evidence that long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves associated with cell phone use may actually protect against, and even reverse, Alzheimer's disease.

6 Jan 2010

Tumor Biology Center to initiate Phase 2 clinical trial with CytRx’s INNO-206

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the Tumor Biology Center, Freiburg, Germany, plans to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial with CytRx’s doxorubicin prodrug INNO-206 as a treatment for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

6 Jan 2010

New study reveals high-silica coal causes lung cancer

The volcanic eruptions thought responsible for Earth's largest mass extinction - which killed more than 70 percent of plants and animals 250 million years ago - is still taking lives today. That's the conclusion of a new study showing, for the first time, that the high silica content of coal in one region of China may be interacting with volatile substances in the coal to cause unusually high rates of lung cancer.

6 Jan 2010

Developing countries reassess need for donated H1N1 vaccine

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in some regions of the world continues to fall, developing countries scheduled to receive donated H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines from the WHO are reassessing just how many vaccines their countries need, the Canadian Press reports.

6 Jan 2010

Pfizer and Strides Arcolab announce new collaboration

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Strides Arcolab today announced a new collaboration, wherein Pfizer will commercialize off-patent sterile injectable and oral products in the United States through its Established Products Business Unit.

6 Jan 2010

BioMimetic Therapeutics amends and restates its agreement with Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that effective December 31, 2009, the Company amended and restated its manufacturing and supply agreement with Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. for the supply of bulk rhPDGF-BB to BioMimetic.

6 Jan 2010

Also in global health news: ART access in Zimbabwe; Indonesia bird flu deaths; Kenya floods; Solomon Island tsunami

Zimbabwe's government plans work with international organizations to increase the number of people receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to 300,000 by the end of the year, up from the 180,000 who currently get the drugs, Henry Madzorera, the country's health minister, said on Tuesday, ZimOnline reports.

6 Jan 2010

Democratic leaders plot course to finish health reform legislation

The Wall Street Journal: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, responding to Republican criticism of closed-door meetings on health-care legislation, said Tuesday that she would strive for transparency as Democrats kicked off their final push for a bill.

6 Jan 2010

HHS introduces National Influenza Vaccination Week to raise awareness about flu vaccine

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated the week of January 10 through 16 as National Influenza Vaccination Week, in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of the flu vaccine.

6 Jan 2010

A presidential push to finalize health reform quickly

President Barack Obama told Democratic leaders Tuesday to finalize the health reform bill as soon as possible. He also encouraged them to bypass the usual conference committee in favor of acting quickly on the bill, The Associated Press reports.

6 Jan 2010

Mayo Clinic research ends major controversy in cancer research

ChromoCure, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: KKUR) is pleased to announce the basis for the Company's technology confirmed by recent Mayo Clinic researchers. Their findings, which appear in the current issue of the journal Cancer Cell, along with an independent commentary on the discovery, end a major controversy in the field of cancer research as to whether aneuploidy is a cause or a consequence of cancer and further proves the aneuploidy basis of cancer.

6 Jan 2010

NCD to hear presentations and discuss the state of wounded warrior care and transition

The National Council on Disability (NCD), as part of its 2.5 day quarterly meeting, will hear presentations and discuss the state of wounded warrior care and transition. Presenters from the Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston Center for the Intrepid will provide their perspective.

6 Jan 2010

ORNL story tips for January 2010

World-class computing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could be unleashed to save as much as $50 billion per year in fraud, waste and abuse in the nation's health care system.

6 Jan 2010

Ensemble Discovery initiates strategic alliance with Pfizer

Ensemble Discovery today announced the initiation of a strategic alliance with Pfizer Inc. to discover and develop drug candidates of a novel class against a number of high-value pharmaceutical targets.

6 Jan 2010