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CLC bio to expand into Japanese market, accepts Filgen as its reseller

Today, the leading provider of Next Generation Sequencing analysis solutions, CLC bio, announced that it has started a new expansion phase of the distribution of its Next Generation Sequencing solutions into the Japanese market.

27 Oct 2009

More than 150 health ministers meet in Ethiopia to discuss maternal mortality

At a U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, "[h]ealth ministers from around the world have agreed that swift action must be taken to reduce the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth," the BBC reports. While there appeared to be some agreement "that family planning was the most cost-effective way of [tackling] the problem ... no unanimous declaration was adopted at the Addis Ababa talks," according to the news service (10/26).

27 Oct 2009

UnitedHealth Group invests $5M in Mendocino Coast District Hospital’s bonds

Mendocino Coast District Hospital received $5 million in capital from UnitedHealth Group to help the organization deliver quality health care services to Fort Bragg-area residents and rural communities in Mendocino County.

27 Oct 2009

Broadlane partners with Trinity Sterile to provide 22% average savings to its healthcare clients

Broadlane has delivered an average savings of 22 percent to healthcare clients by partnering with Trinity Sterile Inc., a minority business enterprise, for intravenous (IV) standard and custom start kits. The relationship has also increased Trinity Sterile’s business by more than $5 million.

27 Oct 2009

URI scientists discover a new and effective approach for treating cancerous tumor

Two University of Rhode Island associate professors, biophysicists Yana Reshetnyak and Oleg Andreev, have discovered a technology that can detect cancerous tumors and deliver treatment to them without the harming the healthy cells surrounding them, thereby significantly reducing side effects.

27 Oct 2009

Not enough med students choosing primary care, experts say

"It's one small piece of health care reform, but it's a big deal for medical schools and doctor's offices: forgiving the student loans of doctors who choose primary care," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

27 Oct 2009

New York Times examines journal editorial on neglected tropical diseases in Islamic nations

The New York Times examines the conclusions drawn in a recent PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial that the Islamic world is suffering from a "devastating burden" of neglected tropical diseases.

27 Oct 2009

Americans overwhelmingly support meaningful medical liability reform: HCLA poll

Americans overwhelmingly support meaningful medical liability reform and agree that changes to our nation's broken medical liability system should be included in health care reform legislation passed by the Congress, according to a new poll released today by the Health Coalition on Liability and Access.

27 Oct 2009

Developing countries paying more for food, WFP executive director says

Despite drops in commodity market prices due to the global economic downturn, "[m]ost of the developing world is paying more for food," and the price of food staples in developing countries has risen, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), said Monday, the Associated Press reports.

27 Oct 2009

Hyperion Therapeutics enrolls first patient in HPN-100 phase III clinical trial for urea cycle disorders

Hyperion Therapeutics today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its pivotal phase III clinical trial of investigational compound HPN-100 (glycerol phenylbutyrate). The 4-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, cross-over study is designed to evaluate the non-inferiority of glycerol phenylbutyrate to BUPHENYL® (sodium phenylbutyrate) Tablets and Powder in adults with urea cycle disorders.

27 Oct 2009

HIV infections, deaths declining in Caribbean, senior official says

Ahead of the regional Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) meeting, a senior official announced that the number of new HIV infections in the region has fallen since last year, Agence France-Presse reports.

27 Oct 2009

Reid's end game? Senate bill will have public option with 'opt out'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced yesterday that he will include a public insurance plan in the final Senate health overhaul legislation.

27 Oct 2009

House Democrats continue courting, counting votes for 'robust' public option

The New York Times reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to discuss the public option and health costs with other Democratic leaders. "Ms. Pelosi has been working hard to build support for the most liberal version of a government-run insurance plan, the so-called robust public option, which would generally tie payments to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to Medicare rates. But so far Ms. Pelosi has been coming up short."

27 Oct 2009

Gateses to appeal for ongoing U.S. funding of global health

Bill and Melinda Gates are expected to ask Washington officials on Tuesday to "continue funding global health initiatives despite the recession and to commit to nearly halve the number of child deaths worldwide by 2025," the Washington Post reports.

27 Oct 2009

H1N1 overwhelms hospitals; Sebelius addresses flu vaccine shortage

Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed "as waves of flu patients arrive at their doors, doubling their emergency room volume," USA Today reports. "Just as significant is the effect on intensive care units: A relatively small number of flu patients are requiring intensive care, but some are so ill they will need round-the-clock care for weeks.

27 Oct 2009

BIOTRONIK launches its new, unified platform pacemaker series in Europe

BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, the pioneer of wireless remote monitoring technologies and leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, today announced the European launch of its new, unified platform pacemaker series, Evia, and several new products to further strengthen its bradycardia portfolio.

27 Oct 2009

Consumer health informatics applications help patients to better manage their health care

Electronic tools and technology applications for consumers can help improve health care processes, such as adherence to medication and clinical outcomes like smoking cessation, according to a report by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

27 Oct 2009

More people rely on alternative medicine

As consumers look to save money in a tough economy, many turn to alternative health care options. CBS 4 reports: "Health care costs are soaring. Thousands of people are without jobs and without the benefits afforded them. Now, those people are turning to preventative or alternative measures. ... The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) shows 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of kids are now using alternative therapies to treat pain. In fact, Americans are now reportedly spending $34 billion a year on alternative therapies" (Demos, 10/26).

27 Oct 2009

Senators draw lines around a handful of swing voters

Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Maine Republicans, have been in the spotlight this year because of their ability to cross party lines with political impunity, Politico reports. Collins took the lead in negotiating a stimulus bill in February that drew three GOP votes, including Snowe's. Snowe is now at the center of the health reform debate.

27 Oct 2009

Discovery of AVM can relieve pain due to chronic back pain and neurologic deficits

The discovery of a multi-level arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the thoracic epidural space can now bring relief to potentially thousands of suffers of chronic thoracic pain and progressive myelopothy. Identified as thoracic epidural arteriovenous malformation (T.E.A.M.), this particular AMV primarily affects younger women ages 20 to 40.

27 Oct 2009