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With Baucus Bill no longer a mystery, party leaders contemplate strategy

Now that the long-awaited Baucus health overhaul is out, Democratic leaders are pondering how they will collect the votes and support necessary to move a bill through Congress.

18 Sep 2009

UHC's Clinical Documentation Audit Profile assists hospitals with RAC reviews

University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) has announced the development of the Clinical Documentation Audit Profile, designed to assist hospitals with Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) reviews.

18 Sep 2009

New vaccine may prove effective against urinary tract infections

University of Michigan scientists have made an important step toward what could become the first effective vaccine to prevent urinary tract infections, if the robust immunity achieved in mice can be reproduced in humans.

18 Sep 2009

Study reveals microRNAs affect tumor progression

UCSF researchers have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for the progression of cancer. The findings, they say, expand researchers' understanding of the important regulatory function of microRNAs in tumor biology and point to new directions for future study and potential treatments.

18 Sep 2009

Results of American Medical Systems Holdings' exchange offer announced

American Medical Systems Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMMD) (the “Company”), today announced the results of its exchange offer (the “Exchange Offer”) in which the Company offered $1,000 principal amount of its newly issued 4.00% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2041 (the “2041 Notes”) in exchange for each $1,000 principal amount of its outstanding 3.25% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2036 (the “2036 Notes”), for up to $250 million, and no less than $100 million, aggregate principal amount of 2036 Notes.

18 Sep 2009

Partnership between Wellcome Trust and Merck & Co

The Wellcome Trust and Merck & Co., Inc. today announced the creation of the MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories (www.hillemanlaboratories.in), the first of its kind research and development joint venture with a not-for-profit mission to focus on developing affordable vaccines to prevent diseases that commonly affect low-income countries.

18 Sep 2009

Proposal renews calls for tax on sugary beverages

A proposal to tax sugary drinks as a way to improve the nation's health had been considered dead. But it was given new life Wednesday by a group of experts who published their idea to tax soft drinks at a rate of 1 cent per ounce.

18 Sep 2009

Healthcare staff find it hard to diagnose pain levels in nursing home residents accurately, says study

Relatives and healthcare staff find it hard to diagnose pain levels in nursing home residents accurately, especially if they are cognitively impaired with illnesses such as dementia or unable to speak, according to a study in September issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

18 Sep 2009

Zargis Medical receives FDA approval for marketing Signal X6 device

Zargis Medical Corp., a spin-off from Siemens Corporate Research and a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp., announced today it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market its new Signal X6(TM) device.

18 Sep 2009

Disaster recovery program for schools

EdOptions (www.edoptions.com), an award-winning educational technology company, announced today that it will offer schools a built-in disaster recovery plan to provide an affordable, accessible strategy for educators to help ensure the continuity of learning.

18 Sep 2009

Premier Purchasing Partners offers agreements for bulk oxygen

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18 Sep 2009

National Institutes of Health funds for thymus research

The National Institutes of Health have awarded, as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, a two-year, $2 million grant to a University of Georgia genetics researcher and her colleagues for studies on the thymus, the organ in humans that produces disease-fighting T-cells.

18 Sep 2009

HHS Secretary announces a funding opportunity for communities and tribes

Creating ways for healthful lifestyle habits to be the natural first choice for Americans is the goal of a $650 million initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, decrease obesity, and decrease smoking in U.S. communities.

18 Sep 2009

Project to study the generation and movement of harmful algal blooms

NOAA and the National Science Foundation have awarded $824,225 in competitive funds for the first year of an anticipated four-year $2.8 million project to develop early warning forecast models for toxic harmful algal blooms, or HABs, on Pacific Northwest beaches. Funds were awarded to the University of Washington and the University of California at Santa Cruz through the interagency Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program.

18 Sep 2009

SEQUENOM's first laboratory developed cystic fibrosis test launched

SEQUENOM, Inc. today announced that the company's first laboratory developed test, the SensiGene(TM) Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Carrier Screening test, has been launched.

18 Sep 2009

Some governors worry about proposals to expand Medicaid as part of reform effort

The provisions in health care reform legislation have caused concern among some governors who fear it could increase financial burdens on their states.

18 Sep 2009

World Bank says additional 89M in 'extreme poverty' by 2010, asks for increased aid

An additional 89 million people are expected to be pushed to levels of "extreme poverty" by the end of 2010, according to a new World Bank report that urges developed nations to increase aid to developing countries, Bloomberg reports.

18 Sep 2009

Notice of Allowance issued by PTO for OSI's EGFR drug

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has issued a “Notice of Allowance” in OSI’s reissue application for U.S. Patent No.5,747,498 (the ‘498) composition of matter patent for Tarceva® (erlotinib). The reissued patent will replace the original ‘498 patent and have the same November 2018 expiration date.

18 Sep 2009

New patent grant for oligonucleotide modulators of blood coagulation factor aptamers

Regado Biosciences, a privately held company leading the development of antithrombotic aptamers with active control agents, announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) has notified the Company of its intent to grant a patent with claims directed to oligonucleotide modulators of blood coagulation factor aptamers in EP 1401853. This new patent grant in the Company's portfolio extends the scope and breadth of Regado's intellectual property estate.

18 Sep 2009

Chairman Baucus' effort on health care reform applauded

"We are pleased that Chairman Baucus' bill is a meaningful step forward toward health insurance coverage for all Americans. We look forward to working with the chairman and senators to ensure the very best enrollment strategy for connecting to coverage all those who need it.

18 Sep 2009