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FOLOTYN available for commercial sale in the United States

Allos Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that FOLOTYN (pralatrexate injection) is now available for commercial sale in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for FOLOTYN for use as a single agent for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) on September 24, 2009. This indication is based on overall response rate.

6 Oct 2009

Ankota releases Healthcare Delivery Management software

Ankota, Inc. a Baltimore, MD-based software company, announced today the release of the Ankota Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM) software suite for Home Medical Equipment (HME), Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and Respiratory Therapy (RT).

6 Oct 2009

Vocollect Healthcare's alliance with American HealthTech to deliver unified EMR

Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc. and American HealthTech, Inc. announce the sharing of information to contribute towards a more timely and unified Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for American HealthTech clients. This alliance interfaces the market's top performing interactive point-of-care delivery system into American HealthTech's market-leading clinical software and EMR offering.

6 Oct 2009

Incentives move doctors to e-prescribe; hospitals slow to join HIT exchanges

"The number of U.S. physicians and other medical professionals prescribing electronically is expected to more than double this year, enticed by higher Medicare payments tied to the technology's use," Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports.

6 Oct 2009

Pomegranate juice beneficial for patients with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors: Study

According to a clinical study released in The American Journal of Cardiology, a daily serving of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice may decrease the progression of arterial plaque in patients with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study was intended to see if POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice may slow the progression of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT) in patients with moderate coronary heart disease risk.

6 Oct 2009

Guided Therapeutics awarded $2.5M NCI grant for marketing LightTouch technology

Guided Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it was awarded a $2.5 million matching grant by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to bring to market and expand the array features for its LightTouch™ non-invasive cervical cancer detection technology. The award provides resources to complete the regulatory process and begin manufacturing ramp up for the device and single-patient-use disposable.

6 Oct 2009

Antibiotic minocycline may be used for treatment of strokes: Study

The antibiotic minocycline may revolutionize the treatment of strokes. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience, describes the safety and therapeutic efficacy of the drug in animal models.

6 Oct 2009

ALS patients' bone marrow cells capable of differentiating into nerve-supporting cells

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, announced today that bone marrow cells taken from ALS patients were capable of differentiating into nerve-supporting cells.

5 Oct 2009

athenahealth sign merger agreement with Anodyne Health Partners

Athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of internet-based business services for physician practices, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Anodyne Health Partners, Inc., a provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business intelligence (BI) solutions for healthcare providers.

5 Oct 2009

Wellstar International update on the Duke Study for predicting nosocomial pressure ulcers

The study was designed to determine that long-wave infrared imaging can be used to identify skin temperature changes associated with underlying tissue changes. We wanted to determine if the use of Long Wave infrared imaging is as effective as the Braden Score in predicting nosocomial pressure ulcers.

5 Oct 2009

UTEK launches new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices

UTEK Corporation (NYSE Amex:UTK), a global IP licensing and innovation services company, is pleased to announce the launch of its new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices: www.MedicalDeviceLicensing.com.

5 Oct 2009

Health Communications launches new version of TIPS program

Health Communications, Inc., provider of the TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures) Program, today announced the release of its new version of the TIPS for the University Program.

5 Oct 2009

$40B needed to 'dramatically' reduce millions of child deaths annually, report says

Two million infants die within 24 hours of birth each year and almost nine million children died before the age of 5 in 2008, according to a report by Save the Children, which says it would take $40 billion annually to "dramatically" cut these numbers, Agence France-Presse reports (Mohiuddin, 10/5).

5 Oct 2009

Signostics launches new palm-sized ultrasound product for diagnosis at the point of care

Signostics Inc., a U.S. and Australian-based medical device company developing innovative portable and affordable handheld medical devices, today announced the launch of its new palm-sized, affordable ultrasound product for point-of-care use by medical practitioners.

5 Oct 2009

MSF calls on drug companies to pool HIV patents

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) recently launched an e-mail campaign calling on nine of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to "release their patents on specific HIV drugs into a collective pool that will increase access and affordability to treatment in developing countries," Inter Press Service reports (Borde, 10/1).

5 Oct 2009

Uncontrolled maternal asthma during pregnancy increases the likelihood of the child developing asthma

Expectant mothers who eschew asthma treatment during pregnancy heighten the risk transmitting the condition to their offspring, according to one of the largest studies of its kind published in the European Respiratory Journal.

5 Oct 2009

Eleventh-hour lobbying campaigns hope to lower costs to industry

As the Senate Finance Committee finalizes its health reform proposal, medical-device makers are hoping to convince lawmakers to make one last change, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, the trade group for the larger device manufacturers, wants [Committee Chair Max Baucus of Montana] to reduce $40 billion in fees over the next decade to $15 billion, according to people close to the negotiations. But industry was told that offer is too low.

5 Oct 2009

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

The Baltimore Sun reports that congressional efforts to reform the health care system could lead to improvements in care for the nation's mentally ill.

5 Oct 2009

ZirMed launches new denial management solution for healthcare revenue cycle management

ZirMed®, a leading national revenue cycle management software and solutions provider to the healthcare industry, today announced the immediate availability of its new Denial Management and Decision Support (DMDS) solution, part of ZirMed's Analytics services.

5 Oct 2009

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

"A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. "Greenspan told the ABC program 'This Week' that the federal debt was already getting too big, so reforming health care must do more than achieve what politicians call revenue neutrality — bringing in as much money as it costs."

5 Oct 2009