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Rhetoric heats up between insurers and lawmakers

Politico: "Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) is scolding the nations' health insurance companies for 'gaming' the new health care law and is pushing the administration and states to impose stringent controls under the law on industry expenditures for non-medical purposes. Saying the industry had turned its focus from opposing the law to influencing its implementation, Rockefeller said he was 'extremely concerned that the health insurance industry is mounting an all-out effort to weaken' the law.

11 May 2010

Aastrom Biosciences reports third quarter 2010 FY results

Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., the leading developer of autologous cellular therapies for the treatment of severe cardiovascular diseases, today reported financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010, and also announced progress in its late-stage clinical development programs and corporate operations.

11 May 2010

Alexza Pharmaceuticals first-quarter net loss increases to $13.4 million

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 and provided a business update.

11 May 2010

Free health clinics still drawing large crowds in cities across U.S.

Parade: A series of no-cost health care clinics are making their way across America. In Atlanta 1,050 volunteers gave their time to serve uninsured Americans who needed medical care. "The Atlanta mega-clinic was the sixth in a series that began in September. (The first was held in Houston in partnership with TV talk-show host and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.)

11 May 2010

CrystalGenomics completes European Phase I SAD study of CG400549 antibiotic candidate

CrystalGenomics, Inc., a novel drug R&D company announced today that the Phase I SAD (Single Ascending Dose) study for its novel antibiotic candidate, CG400549, has been successfully completed in Europe.

11 May 2010

Intellectually disabled in Victorian government run facilities treated in a “Victorian” manner

A disturbing new report has revealed that nearly 150 patients with intellectual disabilities in Victoria’s Grampians and Loddon Mallee regions in the last financial year were restrained using chemical or mechanical means and often secluded.

10 May 2010

Nuts added to unhealthy diets can still reduce cholesterol and benefit the heart

It has been known for a while now that eating nuts regularly offers cardiovascular benefits. Now a new study has established the fact that a regular intake of nuts can lead to better and healthier cholesterol levels.

10 May 2010

Genetic link to risk for diabetes and weight gain: New study

A recent study published in the international journal Diabetologia showed that Australians who eat too many high fat snacks tend to put on more weight if they have someone in their family with diabetes.

10 May 2010

Jubilant Organosys reports 17.7% increase in fourth-quarter consolidated revenue

Jubilant Organosys Limited, an integrated pharmaceutical industry player and the largest Custom Research and Manufacturing Services Company in India, today announced its financial results for Q4 & FY2010.

10 May 2010

Behavioral economics tested in new health law

The new health law contains "many opportunities to nudge people toward better health choices. … 'In healthcare, for years and years and years there's been an interest in changing provider and consumer behavior,'" says Stanford professor Alan Garber. "What's new is that money is flowing into research on behavioral economics, and the government is getting involved, Garber and others said.

10 May 2010

Span-America declares special dividend and regular quarterly dividend

Span-America Medical Systems, Inc. announced today that the Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $1.00 per share. The Board also declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share. Both the special dividend and the regular quarterly dividend are payable on June 4, 2010 to shareholders of record on May 20, 2010.

10 May 2010

ImmunoGen announces underwriter's exercise of over-allotment option

ImmunoGen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted anticancer therapeutics, announced today that the underwriters of its previously announced public offering of common stock have exercised in full their option to purchase 1,350,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $8.00 per share.

10 May 2010

Hospital operator HCA plans to offer $4.6 billion IPO

HCA Inc., the nation's biggest hospital operator by number of facilities, filed plans last week for a $4.6 billion initial public offering as it "looks to return to the public markets," The Wall Street Journal reports.

10 May 2010

PositiveID reports $673,000 revenue for first-quarter 2010

PositiveID Corporation announced that it has reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, its first full quarter of operations since its acquisition of Steel Vault Corporation in November 2009 and the resulting name change to PositiveID. The Company reported revenues of $673,000 for the first quarter of 2010, compared to revenues of $8,000 for the first quarter of 2009.

10 May 2010

Today's Opinions: The need for federal review of rate increases; Dems and GOP share blame for health costs; A phoney deal on Medicaid

This hodgepodge of controls over premiums needs to be backstopped by a national law that would allow the federal government to block unjustified rate increases where state officials lack the authority to do so. Attempts to include such powers in the newly enacted health care reform law failed (5/9).

10 May 2010

BIOTX introduces Estrofil menopause supplements in North America

BIOTX Limited – a manufacturer and developer of dietary supplements based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, today launched Estrofil in North America - an all-natural nutritional menopause supplement for the relief of menopausal symptoms. This new menopause natural remedy is not estrogen or hormone replacement therapy.

10 May 2010

Connectyx to expand market presence in U.S. EHR market

Connectyx Technologies Holdings Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Company is set to expand its market presence in the U.S. Electronic Health Record (EHR) Market. The EHR market is poised to grow at a rate of 13.5 percent over the next four years, and by 2015 it will top $4.85 billion, according to a new study by Kalorama Information.

10 May 2010

Takeda appoints BNY Mellon as depositary bank for sponsored ADR program

BNY Mellon, the global leader in asset management and securities servicing, has been appointed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) as the depositary bank for its sponsored American depositary receipt (ADR) program. Each Takeda ADR represents one-half of a common share and trades on the over-the-counter (OTC) market under the symbol TKPYY. Takeda's common shares trade on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as well as four other exchanges in Japan under the code "4502." Previously, Takeda traded as an unsponsored ADR program serviced by multiple depositaries.

10 May 2010

Multicomponent psychological intervention helps reduce alexithymia and cancer pain

An Italian study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics examines the relationship between cancer pain and inability to express feelings and the effects of treatment.

10 May 2010

CVS calls on FDA to suspend use of contaminated rotavirus vaccines

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened a panel of experts to review recent findings that rotavirus vaccines given to infants in the U.S., Rotateq, produced by Merck Pharmaceuticals and Rotarix produced by GlaxoSmithKline, are contaminated with DNA from pig viruses PCV1 and PCV2. On March 22nd the FDA Commissioner asked doctors to suspend use of the Rotarix vaccine due to the contamination. Upon additional testing, Rotateq was also found to be contaminated.

10 May 2010