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Care to Care granted license to manage outpatient diagnostic imaging services in Virginia

Care to Care, a radiology benefits management company, has been granted a license by the Virginia Department of Health to manage outpatient diagnostic imaging services in the State of Virginia as a Private Review Agent (PRA).

27 Jan 2010

Regrouping Democrats consider next steps on health overhaul

Democrats are trying to regain health reform momentum during the week of the president's State of the Union address.

27 Jan 2010

Thoratec expands MCS portfolio with innovative catheter pump technology

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support (MCS) therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, said today that it has acquired an innovative catheter pump technology that it plans to use in the development of a minimally invasive, acute cardiac axial flow pump that can be delivered percutaneously in the cardiac catheterization lab and operating room.

27 Jan 2010

Phadia's ImmunoCAP Rapid System receives FDA marketing clearance

Phadia, the world leader in allergy blood testing diagnostics, today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the ImmunoCAP® Rapid Reader II, a part of the ImmunoCAP Rapid System, used to aid in the diagnosis of allergy in the physician’s office.

27 Jan 2010

APHA urges Congress to press ahead and send comprehensive health reform legislation to the president

The American Public Health Association today urged Congress to press ahead and send comprehensive health reform legislation to the president in the coming weeks.

27 Jan 2010

Radiation therapy safe and effective for cancer treatment

In response to the issues raised by the Jan. 24 New York Times article, "Radiation Offers New Cures and Ways to Do Harm," US Oncology, Inc. wants to ensure that cancer patients and the general public understand that the benefits received from radiation therapy in cancer care far outweigh the risks, and that cancer patients fighting their disease with help from the US Oncology physician network, and their loved ones, can rest assured that extensive quality control measures are put in place to minimize risks.

27 Jan 2010

WHO rejects accusations it mishandled H1N1, updates worldwide stats

WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl on Monday rejected accusations that the organization miscategorized H1N1 (swine flu) as a pandemic, calling such accusations "irresponsible," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "WHO also dismissed claims it colluded with drug companies to bring economic benefit to the industry by playing up the danger of the new H1N1 [swine flu] influenza strain," the news service writes.

27 Jan 2010

FDA approves Novo Nordisk's Victoza for type 2 diabetes

Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new drug application for Victoza® (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection), the first once-daily human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Victoza is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

27 Jan 2010

Aurora physician receives Hind Rattan Award for MS research

Today the NRI Welfare Society of India recognized Bhupendra Khatri, M.D., of Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center with its prestigious Hind Rattan Award.

27 Jan 2010

Texas to invest $4.5 mn in cancer research at UT Health Science Center

Texas plans to invest $3 billion in cancer research over the next 10 years and six scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are among the first to receive grants.The researchers, whose grants total $4.5 million, are working to protect girls from cervical cancer, to interrupt tumor growth at the molecular level and to develop a new approach for the treatment of colon cancer, among other cutting-edge projects.

27 Jan 2010

Applied Biosystems signs cross-licensing agreement with Idaho Technology

Applied Biosystems LLC, part of Life Technologies Corporation, and Idaho Technology, Inc. have signed a cross-licensing agreement which covers a broad range of products including hardware, software and reagents.

27 Jan 2010

Number of Americans in excellent or good health has declined

The New York Times reports on health in the U.S. "The percentage of people who reported having excellent or very good health declined to 66.6 percent in the 2009 period, from 69.1 percent in 1998.

27 Jan 2010

Promising results in mice could prevent fatal iron buildup in humans

A new study shows that a protein found in blood alleviates anemia, a condition in which the body's tissues don't get enough oxygen from the blood. In this animal study, injections of the protein, known as transferrin, also protected against potentially fatal iron overload in mice with thalassemia, a type of inherited anemia that affects millions of people worldwide.

27 Jan 2010

Democratic leaders still pondering reconciliation pros and cons for health bill

Congressional Democrats are facing a critical decision about whether to use the procedural maneuver known as budget reconciliation to pass a health care reform bill, The New York Times reports.

27 Jan 2010

Dynavax Technologies to present data on its SD-101 Phase 1b trial for chronic HCV infection

Dynavax Technologies Corporation announced today data from two studies that differentiate SD-101 from standard-of-care as well as emerging treatments for chronic HCV infection. The findings of a Phase 1b clinical trial and an in vitro study of SD-101's mechanism of action show that the second-generation TLR9 agonist is well tolerated and safe and induces both IFN-lambda and IFN-alpha at concentrations producing antiviral activity. The data will be presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria in April 2010.

27 Jan 2010

Fetal and infant mortality rate in inuit-inhabited areas higher than rest of Canada

The fetal and infant mortality rate for women in Inuit-inhabited areas of Canada was 2.7 times higher than in the rest of Canada, and women had higher rates of preterm birth, found an article (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj082042.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

27 Jan 2010

Over 125M pregnant women worldwide exposed to malaria annually, study finds

More than 125 million pregnant women worldwide are exposed to malaria each year, according to a study published Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, ANI/oneindia reports. Previously, such estimates were limited to malaria risk in Africa. "Most malarial deaths are among young children in sub-Saharan Africa but pregnant women and their unborn babies are at high risk," the news service writes, adding that "[n]early 10,000 women and 200,000 babies die every year because of malaria in pregnancy, which often leads to miscarriages, pre-term births, and low-birth-weight births" (1/26).

27 Jan 2010

Waters sales rise 3%, E.P.S. grows 5% in fourth quarter

Waters Corporation reported fourth quarter 2009 sales of $429 million, an increase of 3% from sales of $418 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. In the quarter, foreign currency translation increased sales growth rate by 4% and on a currency neutral basis, sales decreased by 1% in comparison to the prior year’s fourth quarter sales. On a GAAP basis, earnings per diluted share (E.P.S.) for the fourth quarter were $1.08, compared to $1.01 for the fourth quarter of 2008. On a non-GAAP basis, including the adjustments in the attached reconciliation, E.P.S. grew 5% to $1.12 from $1.07 in the fourth quarter of 2008.

27 Jan 2010

Doctors react to recent health overhaul developments

Some doctors are already living in a post-health-reform world because of their own initiatives, including efforts to control costs and improve the quality of care, reports The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise.

27 Jan 2010

Curemark commences CM-AT Phase III autism clinical trial enrollment at ten sites

Curemark, LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that the company is now enrolling patients in Phase III clinical trials for CM-AT, its autism treatment, at ten sites across the country.

27 Jan 2010