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Hot button health reform issues: The individual mandate and selling insurance across state lines

News outlets report on several of the hot button issues in the health care debate, including the individual mandate and selling insurance across state lines.

18 Feb 2010

Javelin Pharmaceuticals’ Dyloject NDA receives FDA PDUFA date

Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading developer and marketer of specialty pharmaceutical products for pain management, today announced that its New Drug Application (NDA) submitted on December 2, 2009 to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its investigational product candidate, Dyloject™ (diclofenac sodium) Injection, has received an FDA PDUFA date of October 3, 2010. This NDA review is in support of US marketing approval and registration of Dyloject for the management of acute moderate-to-severe pain in adults.

18 Feb 2010

Genzyme announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results

Genzyme Corp., a diversified, global biotechnology company, today announced fourth-quarter and full year 2009 financial results and provided 2010 guidance that reflects growth across its businesses and a focus on strengthening core areas of the company.

18 Feb 2010

Insurance rates soar in various states

People who buy their own health insurance are seeing their premiums increases by 15 percent or more in four states, and those in others could be faced with the same, The Associated Press/Seattle Times reports.

18 Feb 2010

Feeding preterm infants in response to hunger and satiation cues may allow earlier hospital discharge

Although many parents and health care providers attempt to schedule a preterm newborn's feeding pattern, a new review of studies reveals that feeding in response to the infant's own hunger cues might result in earlier discharge from the hospital.

18 Feb 2010

The Ensign Group announces record $542.0M total revenue for full-year 2009

The Ensign Group, Inc., the parent company of the Ensign™ group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services, hospice care and assisted living companies, today reported record results for the fourth quarter and full year 2009.

18 Feb 2010

FedSources releases in-depth report on Federal healthcare technology market

FedSources, a Washington Management Group company, has released an in-depth report analyzing spending trends within the Federal healthcare technology market, including health IT.

18 Feb 2010

New mobile phone technology may promote healthier lifestyle

Most people know the rules of healthy eating, but most of us might eat a little healthier if we were reminded. Now a researcher at Georgia Tech is testing using a mobile phone to help community members steer themselves away from that chocolate cake and toward the fruits and veggies.

18 Feb 2010

Utah tries to improve state health insurance exhange; Mich. plans for doctor shortage

The Salt Lake Tribune: "State health reform got a boost Tuesday with House passage of a fix-it bill to improve the Utah Health Exchange, an online tool for purchasing health insurance. Pitched as a free-market approach to lowering costs for small businesses, the exchange has had limited success. Only 400 people are receiving health insurance in its experimental first stage. And some of its 66 plans are up to 130 percent more expensive than what some companies were already paying. That's because insurers are calculating premiums differently 'inside' and 'outside' the exchange, said House Speaker Dave Clark" (Stewart, 2/16).

17 Feb 2010

Sorafenib drug therapy can reduce the size of primary kidney tumors before surgery

More than 57,000 Americans face a diagnosis of kidney cancer each year. Now patients with advanced disease may soon have another treatment option. Physicians who conducted a pilot study at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center found that therapy before surgery with the drug sorafenib can reduce the size of large tumors and could be safely undertaken administered without adding significantly to the risks of surgery.

17 Feb 2010

PositiveID acquires intellectual property rights and assets of Easy Check Medical Diagnostics

PositiveID Corporation announced today that it has acquired intellectual property rights and assets of Easy Check Medical Diagnostics, LLC, to expand its portfolio of non-invasive glucose-level testing products and diabetes management tools under development. Easy Check has two primary products under development: the Easy Check breath glucose detection system and the iGlucose™ wireless communication device.

17 Feb 2010

New research units established for Japanese-German research collaboration

With its ten new Research Units, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is intensifying interdisciplinary and multiple-location collaboration among researchers pursuing specific scientific questions and new avenues of research.

17 Feb 2010

WellPoint cancels investor meeting to prepare for congressional hearing on premium hikes

WellPoint, the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, has canceled an investor meeting "so that executives can prepare for a congressional hearing on the company's large rate hikes in California," the Los Angeles Times reports. "A subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has called WellPoint Inc. Chief Executive Angela F. Braly to testify Feb. 24 about planned premium increases of as much as 39% for many of Anthem's 800,000 individual policyholders in California."

17 Feb 2010

Calif. budget cuts would end aid to new legal immigrants; Minn. Dems criticize Pawlenty for relying on federal funds

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest proposals to close California's budget shortfall would end public assistance for most new legal immigrants, eliminating emergency cash, food and medical aid for those who don't yet qualify for federal welfare. The proposal would represent an about-face for the state.

17 Feb 2010

Roche completes enrollment in RG7128 Phase 2b PROPEL study

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today the complete enrollment by Roche of the 12 week RG7128 Phase 2b study (PROPEL) of approximately 400 treatment-naive patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 4. The study remains blinded to Roche and Pharmasset.

17 Feb 2010

ACP urges Congress and Obama to enact comprehensive health care reform

"The unfortunate truth is that by many measures, the State of America's health care is in decline," Joseph W. Stubbs, MD, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP), reported today at ACP's annual State of the Nation's Health Care briefing. "We have too many uninsured, too few primary care physicians, and the cost of health care is rising faster than we can afford."

17 Feb 2010

Codexis announces two separate collaborations in pharmaceutical manufacturing

Codexis, Inc. today announced two separate collaborations in pharmaceutical manufacturing with Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals and AMPAC Fine Chemicals LLC, a subsidiary of American Pacific Corporation. These agreements expand the application of Codexis technology to a broadened pipeline of branded innovator pharmaceutical products.

17 Feb 2010

Former Senate parliamentarian questions reconciliation, Senators want public option back

A former Senate parliamentarian said Tuesday that using reconciliation to pass health care reform will be difficult because the procedure wasn't meant to make policy, Politico's Live Pulse blog reports. The former parliamentarian, Robert Dove, who now teaches at George Washington University, said there are many things that cannot be put into the reconciliation bill. "Dove would know. In 1974, in the midst of his 36-year Senate career, he helped design the Congressional Budget Act, which first created the rules for reconciliation.

17 Feb 2010

New sugar-based polymer for disposing food packaging and other plastic items

Food packaging and other disposable plastic items could soon be composted at home along with organic waste thanks to a new sugar-based polymer.

17 Feb 2010

Carriage Services reports record $45.1M total revenue for fourth-quarter 2009

Carriage Services, Inc. today announced results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

17 Feb 2010

Medical News

Hot button health reform issues: The individual mandate and selling insurance across state lines

Javelin Pharmaceuticals’ Dyloject NDA receives FDA PDUFA date

Genzyme announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results

Insurance rates soar in various states

Feeding preterm infants in response to hunger and satiation cues may allow earlier hospital discharge

The Ensign Group announces record $542.0M total revenue for full-year 2009

FedSources releases in-depth report on Federal healthcare technology market

New mobile phone technology may promote healthier lifestyle

Utah tries to improve state health insurance exhange; Mich. plans for doctor shortage

Sorafenib drug therapy can reduce the size of primary kidney tumors before surgery

PositiveID acquires intellectual property rights and assets of Easy Check Medical Diagnostics

New research units established for Japanese-German research collaboration

WellPoint cancels investor meeting to prepare for congressional hearing on premium hikes

Calif. budget cuts would end aid to new legal immigrants; Minn. Dems criticize Pawlenty for relying on federal funds

Roche completes enrollment in RG7128 Phase 2b PROPEL study

ACP urges Congress and Obama to enact comprehensive health care reform

Codexis announces two separate collaborations in pharmaceutical manufacturing

Former Senate parliamentarian questions reconciliation, Senators want public option back

New sugar-based polymer for disposing food packaging and other plastic items

Carriage Services reports record $45.1M total revenue for fourth-quarter 2009

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