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Hospital tries 'speed dating' to attract doctors, patients

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold, working in collaboration with NPR, reports on a new way for patients to find physicians: "It's Tuesday afternoon, and time for speed dating to begin - at a local hospital near Dallas.

19 May 2010

Lentigen receives NIH STTR grant for Hunter syndrome lentiviral gene therapy

Lentigen Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of lentiviral gene delivery technologies, announced today that it has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) small business technology transfer (STTR) grant for a program on "Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Mucopolysaccharidosis."

19 May 2010

FDA approves Conceptus' ESS305 Essure procedure for increased bilateral placement rate of 96.9%

Conceptus Inc., developer of the Essure(R) procedure, the first and proven non-surgical permanent birth control method, announced today that the third generation (ESS305) of the Essure procedure has received FDA-approval for an improved bilateral placement rate of 96.9%. Improvement in the hysteroscopic time of 9 minutes is an additional benefit.

19 May 2010

PCMA releases statement on AARP's report on price increase in brand name prescriptions

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association released the following statement on a new report from AARP that found that the price of brand name prescriptions most widely used by Medicare beneficiaries increased by 9.7 percent in the 12 months ending with March 2010 and was much higher than the rate of increase observed during any of the prior eight years

19 May 2010

Health law already affecting consumers, insurers, brokers

The New York Times profiles one man's current insurance dilemma, one which is not likely to happen in the future under the new health law: "Ever since Thomas DeLorenzo was accepted to three law schools outside his home state of California, he has spent entire days on the phone with health insurers in other states, compiling information that he enters on a giant spreadsheet." DeLorenzo, "who has AIDS, will lose his health coverage in California if he moves out of state.

19 May 2010

States combat health costs, workforce and safety issues

"The Massachusetts Senate is weighing a bill aimed at curbing soaring health care costs for individuals and small businesses. Senate President Therese Murray says the bill will ease market instability, smooth out annual fluctuations in premiums and require insurers [to] offer affordable small business plans" (5/18).

19 May 2010

Researchers discover biological pathway signature of ccRCC

By examining expression of every human gene in clear cell renal cell carcinoma compared to normal kidney cells, researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have discovered gene signatures they say explain much of the biology of this common and difficult-to-treat kidney cancer.

19 May 2010

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals prices underwritten public offering at $0.41 per unit

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of a novel therapeutic peptide, Thymosin beta 4, for tissue and organ protection, repair and regeneration in cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system injuries, ophthalmic indications and dermal wounds, announced the pricing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 11,500,000 units of its securities at a public offering price of $0.41 per unit.

19 May 2010

Majority of patients experience depression following hospitalization for TBI: Study

During the year following hospitalization for a traumatic brain injury, a majority of patients experienced major depression, according to a study in the May 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on mental health.

19 May 2010

AARP: Cost of brand name drugs rose 9.7% last year

"The AARP says that manufacturer prices for brand-name prescription drugs commonly used by people on Medicare rose 9.7% for the year ending in March — the biggest annual jump since the group started tracking prices in 2002," The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports.

19 May 2010

Breathe Technologies to fund commercialization of mobile ventilation system with $23M Series C financing

Breathe Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of innovative technology solutions for people with respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sleep apnea, announced today it has secured $23 million in Series C financing.

19 May 2010

To sell plan, White House officials focus on four key aspects of health reform

White House officials eager to sell the most popular aspects of the health reform law are focusing on four areas to gain votes and popularity for key lawmakers ahead of November's midterm elections.

19 May 2010

Federal health IT investments get cautious reception

The federal government is investing tens of billions of dollars in health information technology, but the medical groups that stand to benefit from the money are less enthusiastic than their government benefactors, arguing that the push is "too much, too soon," Politico reports.

19 May 2010

FDA grants Illumina 510(k) clearance for VeraCode Genotyping Test for Factor V and Factor II

Illumina, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) market clearance for the VeraCode® Genotyping Test for Factor V (Leiden) and Factor II (Prothrombin).

From Illumina, Inc. 19 May 2010

Four deaths while waiting in the emergency spur new hospital construction

After the four recent deaths of patients in the emergency department there is a mass attempt to speed up the construction of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in south-east Queensland.

18 May 2010

Higher risk of deaths at public hospitals compared to private: Report

In a new and most extensive national survey conducted in Australia, it has been found that patients in public hospitals are more likely to die there than their counterparts in private hospitals.

18 May 2010

Antibiotics have significant resistance effects on individual patients in primary care

Antibiotics prescribed in primary care make a considerable contribution to the problem of antimicrobial resistance, both in individual patients and the population as a whole, according to research from the University of Bristol published in this week’s BMJ.

18 May 2010

Where are Australia’s missing hepatitis C cases?

Around 90% of those infected have not received treatment, despite the potential for cure, a report to coincide with National Hepatitis Week shows

18 May 2010

30 percent risk of heart attack in Australians over 55

According to a new study researchers have warned that at least one in five Australians over the age of 55 have a 30 percent chance of suffering a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke in the next five years.

18 May 2010

Taking the final step from the bench to the hospital or clinic bedside

A new Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Center for Aging Research (IUCAR) study provides effective strategies to help hospital systems, physicians and other care providers to overcome end zone hurdles and actually take evidence-based research to the patient’s hospital or clinic bedside.

18 May 2010