Medical News

RSS

Health law implementation: Insurance, coverage and Medicare payment questions

Kaiser Health News reports that the insurance industry — traditionally a state-regulated industry — is facing new federal scrutiny by four officials in the new Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "On this year's to-do list: writing rules to define when premium increases are 'unreasonable,' creating new coverage for people who can't get it because of health conditions and making sure insurers comply with consumer protections. The new director of the office is Jay Angoff, a former Missouri insurance commissioner.

2 Jun 2010

Amgen's Prolia receives FDA approval for treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Amgen Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Prolia™ (denosumab) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture, defined as a history of osteoporotic fracture, or multiple risk factors for fracture; or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy. Prolia, the first and only FDA-approved RANK Ligand inhibitor, is an every six month 60 mg subcutaneous injection administered by a health care professional.

2 Jun 2010

Teva Pharmaceutical launches Gianvi Tablets

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that it has commercially launched Gianvi (Drospirenone and Ethinyl Estradiol) Tablets, the Company's generic version of Bayer's Yaz® Tablets.

2 Jun 2010

HTDS commences clinical trials for MEVAC-A vaccine in Vietnam

Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. and Shenzhen Mellow Hope announce, that the company commenced clinical trials for the company's Hepatitis A (brand name MEVAC-A) vaccine.

2 Jun 2010

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals raises $45M in Series C financing

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing breakthrough synthetic chemistry technology to discover and develop next-generation antibiotics, today announced that it has raised $45 million in a Series C financing.

2 Jun 2010

New model reveals molecular basis of multiple hereditary exostoses

Children born with multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE) suffer from abnormal growths on their bones. These bony protrusions stunt their growth and can cause pain and disfigurement.

2 Jun 2010

FDA approves Prolia for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Prolia, an injectable treatment for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fractures.

2 Jun 2010

GOP candidates for California governor struggle with budget issues, including health care

The two candidates in California's Republican gubernatorial primary, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, "agree on several budget fixes, including a spending cap, a hiring freeze, and reforms to welfare, pensions and prison health care." Both candidates seek to rid waste and create a leaner, more cost efficient budget, but cuts can come at a cost. "Reaction to Schwarzenegger's proposed budget revision this month indicates what the next governor is in for.

2 Jun 2010

Encision enters into purchasing agreement with HealthTrust

Encision Inc., a medical device company owning patented surgical technology that is emerging as a standard of care in minimally-invasive surgery, announced today that it has entered into a purchasing agreement with HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP, effective June 1, 2010.

2 Jun 2010

Study results show calcium consumption increases prostate cancer risk in Chinese

Among Chinese men, calcium consumption — even at relatively low levels and from non-dairy food sources such as soy, grains and green vegetables — may increase prostate cancer risk, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2010

911 program aims to reduce ER visits

USA Today reports on a 911 pilot program that aims to reduce unnecessary trips to the emergency rooms.

2 Jun 2010

DARA BioSciences regains compliance with NASDAQ minimum bid price requirement

DARA BioSciences, Inc. today announced that, on May 28 2010, NASDAQ notified the Company that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement as set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). On May 26, 2010, the Company's closing bid price was $3.58 per share, the tenth consecutive day it had been above $1 per share.

2 Jun 2010

Businesses fret penalties, seek opportunities in health overhaul

Some small businesses may get financial help as part of the health overhaul that could cover up to 35 percent of business's premium costs for insuring employees in the form of new tax credits, Kaiser Health News explains in a consumer column.

2 Jun 2010

Results from AMRI's on-going Phase I clinical study of ALB 109564(a) published online

AMRI announced today that on-going results from its Phase I clinical study on its novel tubulin inhibitor, ALB 109564(a), were published on the website of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (abstract.asco.org/alb). These results indicate that ALB 109564(a) is well tolerated at the doses tested and shows preliminary evidence of clinical activity in disease types not typically treated with approved vinca alkaloids.

2 Jun 2010

Firms chase opportunities in online medicine

General Electric Co. chief executive Jeffrey Immelt urged Japan, at a conference in Tokyo Monday, to use health information technology to improve home-based health care as a hedge against the strains of an aging population, The Wall Street Journal reports. Japan's over-65 population is growing, and could top 30 percent by 2030.

2 Jun 2010

CoaguSense unveils first portable point-of-care PT/INR Monitoring System for patients on oral anticoagulants

CoaguSense™, Inc., a diagnostic device company that has been in stealth mode for the past two years, today unveiled the first portable point-of-care Prothrombin Time/International Normalized Ratio (PT/INR) analyzer to directly detect blood clotting time for patients stabilized on oral anti-coagulation medications such as Coumadin® or warfarin.

2 Jun 2010

Paid parental leave in Australia may soon be a reality

Australia’s Liberal opposition has allowed the Rudd government to implement the paid parental leave scheme with effect from 1st January 2011. As per this scheme both parents will get an 18 weeks' paid leave at the minimum wage rate of $543 a week. At present Australia is one of the only two OECD countries that does not have a paid parental scheme.

1 Jun 2010

Bowel cancer to cost $1 billion by 2011 – more emphasis on screening programs needed

Findings from a new study show that more and more Australians are being diagnosed with bowel cancer and costs of treatment may well touch $1 billion next year a sharp rise from the $235 million in 2001. The study says that there are more than 13,500 Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer each year.

1 Jun 2010

New technique transforms iPS cells into natural tumor killers

A technique for producing natural killer T (NKT) cells, known for their role in suppressing tumor growth, has been successfully demonstrated for the first time using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Developed by researchers at RIKEN, Japan’s flagship research institution, the technique opens the door to effective new cell-targeted treatments for cancer.

1 Jun 2010

AMA President to unveil multi-million dollar ad campaign

Today, the 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut goes into effect, leaving health care for seniors and military families in jeopardy. On June 3, AMA President J. James Rohack, MD, will hold a telephone news conference to unveil a multi-million dollar AMA ad campaign urging Americans to call their senators to help avoid a Medicare meltdown.

1 Jun 2010