Medical News

RSS

In New Hampshire, Obama promises not to quit on health care overhaul

President Barack Obama pledged not to give up on his health care overhaul Tuesday.

2 Feb 2010

GenSpera’s G-115 anti-cancer drug awarded US patent

GenSpera, Inc. announced that its patent application, entitled “Tumor Activated Prodrugs,” has been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as US Patent 7,635,682. The patent covers the composition and potential uses of G-115, GenSpera’s second anti-cancer drug in development.

2 Feb 2010

Hovione announces filing of new drug application in Japan for the influenza drug CS-8958

Hovione is announcing the filing of a new drug application in Japan by its licensee Daiichi Sankyo Company Ltd. for the influenza drug CS-8958, which is delivered using Hovione's TwinCaps(R) inhaler.

2 Feb 2010

Research offers new hope for rare metabolic disorder

A research team led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has for the first time determined the mechanism of one of the cell's "recycling" enzymes, human alpha-galactosidase or alpha-GAL, as it breaks down substances in the lysosome, the cell's recycling center.

2 Feb 2010

Legislators set sights on temporary Medicare 'Doc fix,' again

Politico: "Doctors and seniors lobbying to stave off looming annual Medicare cuts have won a reprieve of sorts but are still pushing for a permanent fix. The Senate on Thursday passed so-called pay-go legislation that would require Congress to pay for much of its future spending without adding to the deficit, but it exempted $82 billion from the requirement to prevent reductions to doctors' Medicare reimbursement rates." The move could prevent five years of cuts, the longest such stretch lawmakers would have approved since 2002. "The cuts stem from a 1997 balanced budget bill" (Frates, 2/2).

2 Feb 2010

FDA accepts Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' BLA for XM02 G-CSF

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing Teva’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for XM02, a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for the reduction in the duration of severe neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia in patients treated with established myelosuppressive chemotherapy for cancer.

2 Feb 2010

Mary Ann Liebert launches Videourology journal for urologists

Videourology- is the first and only videojournal for urologists, publishing fully peer-reviewed surgical and micro-invasive video demonstrations of the latest techniques and technologies used to optimize surgical patient care.

2 Feb 2010

Alpha II announces new medical coding content for medical facilities

Alpha II, a leader in healthcare coding, compliance and reimbursement, announced today a medical coding content offering, supplying the customers of its developer partners with Alpha II CodeSets – including ICD-9 CM (International Classification of Disease, 9th edition Clinical Modifications), CPT® (Current Procedural Terminology) and HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System) codes.

2 Feb 2010

Hospital mergers may rise

Business Week/Bloomberg: "Failure to pass the health-care overhaul may accelerate a push by Community Health Systems Inc., Health Management Associates Inc. and LifePoint Hospitals Inc. to acquire facilities weakened by the recession.

2 Feb 2010

Javelin Pharmaceuticals' NDA for Dyloject Injection accepted for formal review

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 been accepted for formal review.

2 Feb 2010

FDA approves INNOPHARMA's ibutilide fumarate injection ANDA

INNOPHARMA LLC announced today FDA approval of the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for ibutilide fumarate injection (the generic equivalent of Corvert® from Pfizer Inc).

2 Feb 2010

Abstinence-only program shows success in reducing teen sex

"An experimental abstinence-only program without a moralistic tone can delay teens from having sex, a provocative study found," The Associated Press reports. "Billed as the first rigorous research to show long-term success with an abstinence-only approach, the study differed from traditional programs that have lost federal and state support in recent years." The classes did not focus on a message of saving sex until marriage or "disparage condom use." Instead, the classes "involved assignments to help sixth- and seventh graders see the drawbacks to sexual activity at their age."

2 Feb 2010

Current health reform efforts echo past struggles as chances are weighed

The chances for President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress to enact health reform is being weighed by a number of analysts, who are handicapping the outcome based on past and present experiences.

2 Feb 2010

Compugen discovers CGEN-15001 protein for treatment of autoimmune disorders

Compugen Ltd. announced today the discovery and experimental validation of CGEN-15001 for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

2 Feb 2010

Gentag signs license agreement to develop and commercialize post surgery wireless skin patch

Gentag, Inc. and The CORE Institute® are pleased to announce the signing of a license agreement to develop and commercialize a disposable wireless skin patch to allow patients to self monitor themselves in the comfort of their homes after orthopedic surgery in hospitals through the use of cell phones

2 Feb 2010

Xiaflex receives FDA approval for treatment of Dupuytren's contracture

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Xiaflex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) as the first drug to treat a progressive hand disease known as Dupuytren's contracture, which can affect a person's ability to straighten and properly use their fingers.

2 Feb 2010

Aetna, Grove City Medical Center sign a three-year agreement

Aetna announced today that it has signed a three-year agreement with Grove City Medical Center, expanding network access for its members in Western Pennsylvania’s Mercer County.

2 Feb 2010

AHM completes acquisition of Advogent Group

Advanced Health Media, LLC (AHM), the leading U.S. provider of pharmaceutical sales, marketing and compliance technology and services, announced it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Advogent Group, Inc. (Advogent), a Piscataway, NJ-based provider of marketing services for the pharmaceutical industry.

2 Feb 2010

Pelosi: Insurance antitrust bill next week, Dems continue health reform planning

News outlets covered the mixed signals on Capitol Hill on the prospects for Democratic health legislation.

2 Feb 2010

Another COBRA subsidy extension included in Obama's budget plan

"Federal COBRA health insurance premium subsidies provided to involuntarily terminated employees would be extended again, the Obama administration proposed Monday," Business Insurance reports. "Under the latest extension—embedded in the administration's proposed federal budget for fiscal 2011—employees who are laid off from March 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2010, would be eligible for the 65% premium subsidy for up to 12 months.

2 Feb 2010