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Four largest insurers in Mass. post first-quarter losses

The Boston Globe's Business Updates: Massachusetts' "four biggest health insurers today posted first-quarter losses totalling more than $150 million, with three of the carriers blaming the bulk of their deficit on the Patrick administration's decision to cap rate increases for individuals and small businesses." Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Fallon Community Health Plan all reported loses.

18 May 2010

Democrats strategize by touting early benefits but in some areas party is facing tough fight

Democrats enlisted a reliable strategy by "front-loading their legislation with consumer-friendly, insurance industry reforms and other fixes they hope will generate support for the new law in the run-up to the pivotal midterm elections." Democrats are hoping that a skeptical public will come around to their side of the equation, but Republicans say voters will remember all the legislation, not just part of it, when they vote in November.

18 May 2010

BioPharm Asia first-quarter revenues increase 41.6% to $32.1 million

BioPharm Asia, Inc., a producer, distributor and retailer of medical products in China, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

18 May 2010

FDA issues complete response letter for roflumilast NDA

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Nycomed today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for roflumilast. Roflumilast was reviewed as a potential treatment to reduce COPD exacerbations associated with chronic bronchitis in patients at risk for exacerbations.

18 May 2010

No clear evidence of a mobile phone and brain cancer link

Use of mobile phones has been under scrutiny for a while now with many claiming a link between mobile phone use and brain cancer. The mild radioactive waves generated from mobile phones have so far been poorly understood. There are no known mechanisms by which mobile phone radiation could cause cancer. Unlike x-rays, mobile phone radiation is non-ionising, and is too weak to break apart DNA, which is necessary to induce other cancers. However scientists do agree that this radiation might speed up a growing brain tumor.

17 May 2010

Is gluten the latest villain in the battle for better health?

If you've been food shopping or out to eat lately, you've probably noticed that "gluten-free" foods now claim their own grocery store shelves and dozens of national restaurant chain menus highlight "gluten-free" entrees.

17 May 2010

Australian doctors identify new disease and devise its cure

A team of Australian doctors have identified a new disease and its cure. In their report published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases the doctors from The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) report a case of a young NSW woman ill for almost a decade with repeated hospitalizations. She is now said to be suffering from a diseases that disabled the signaling processes of her immune system. The diseases is not named yet. Dr Maher Gandhi, head of QIMR's Immunohemotology Laboratory believes there are more cases of this disease. He said this Monday, “I haven't got a name for it other than T-cell signaling defect of which I assume there are quite a few different types… There are no recorded cases of this in the literature. Katie is unique ... I think we're at the tip of the iceberg here.”

17 May 2010

USAID's Shah on six-day visit to Africa

"[O]n his first visit to Africa since taking charge as the administrator of USAID in January," Rajiv Shah said in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday that the agency "is working to make Africa a bigger priority within the organization," the Associated Press writes. USAID, which "funds and runs programs to improve health, food security, democracy and entrepreneurship in Africa," has offices in 23 countries on the continent, according to the AP (5/15).

17 May 2010

LifeVantage third-quarter net revenue up 316%

LifeVantage Corporation, the maker of science-based solutions to oxidative stress, announced today unaudited third quarter fiscal 2010 financial and operating results.

17 May 2010

Cardiocom releases new pulse oximeter

Cardiocom today announced the release of its new pulse oximeter. Cardiocom's internally developed pulse oximeter offers better integration with its telehealth platform. Cardiocom designs and manufactures telehealth communication devices and vital sign peripherals including: blood pressure system, weight scale, and now offers its new pulse oximeter.

17 May 2010

To achieve MDGs, economic policies must help poor, UNDP head says

Economic policies that help the poor will bring the world closer to meeting the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] - "[g]lobal targets to halve poverty and improve basic health by 2015," Helen Clark, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) administrator, said Friday at the end of a four-nation tour of Africa, Agence France-Presse reports.

17 May 2010

WaferGen Biosystems first-quarter revenues increase to $389,785

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genome analysis systems, today reported performance results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

17 May 2010

Medicare cuts for physicians loom, yet again

A 21 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements that has loomed over physicians all year will go into effect on June 1, unless Congress acts to further delay the cuts, CNNMoney reports. "If the proposed cuts go through, physicians are worried their practices will be so strapped that they'll have to drop some of the 43 million Americans who are covered under Medicare."

17 May 2010

Highwoods Properties, INC Research expand relationship

Highwoods Properties, Inc., the largest owner and operator of suburban office properties in the Southeast, today announced that it has expanded its relationship with INC Research®, Inc., a therapeutically focused contract research organization that conducts global clinical development programs.

17 May 2010

KHN Column: The health care cost problem we refuse to see

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Austin Frakt writes: "I agree with those who think the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act doesn't do enough soon enough to control the rate of increase in health insurance premiums.

17 May 2010

Hawthorn announces licensing deal with University of Pittsburgh for novel monoclonal antibodies for cancer

Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced a global licensing deal with the University of Pittsburgh covering a series of novel monoclonal antibodies for cancer. The antibody portfolio targets a variety of cancers through the cell surface chondrotin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), which plays an important role in signaling pathways regulating tumor cell survival, growth, and motility.

17 May 2010

Health law's affect on ERs, doctors' panel, young adults examined

Officials and stakeholders are examining the new health reform law for changes that the reform will mean for their organizations and industries.

17 May 2010

BaroFold licenses PreEMT Technology to Nuron Biotech for development of BaroFeron

BaroFold, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement to exclusively license its PreEMT™ Technology to Nuron Biotech for the development of BaroFeron™ and follow-on interferon beta products. BaroFeron is a proprietary recombinant human interferon beta being developed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Specific terms of the agreement are not disclosed.

17 May 2010

Health Robotics re-acquires European rights for CytoCare from B. Braun

Health Robotics and B. Braun Melsungen AG today announced that in exchange for undisclosed consideration, Health Robotics has re-acquired from B. Braun the exclusive marketing, sales, installation, implementation, interface, manufacturing, and technical support European rights for CytoCare, a robot designed to manufacture chemotherapy and hazardous IV Admixtures, and which rights B. Braun had previously acquired from Health Robotics in 2007 and 2008.

From B. Braun Melsungen AG 17 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Support for Berwick and health reform's next tests

He is well-qualified to make the many crucial decisions surrounding Medicare and Medicaid, and could end up being one of the most significant appointees in the administration (5/17).

17 May 2010