Medical Device Industry Headlines
PEPFAR 'Most Impressive' Of Bush's Efforts In Africa, Opinion Piece Says
President Bush "did better than most people are willing to admit in his dealings with Africa, a continent long victimized by the geopolitical tug of war between America and its adversaries," columnist DeWayne Wickham writes in a USA Today opinion piece.…
Board Adopts Recommendations To Overhaul Oregon Health Care System
The Oregon Health Fund Board on Monday unanimously adopted recommendations to overhaul the state's health care system and provide coverage to all state residents by 2019, the Oregonian reports.…
President-Elect Obama Likely To Pick CBO Director Orszag As Director Of U.S. Office Of Management And Budget
President-elect Barack Obama reportedly plans to name Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, the AP/Miami Herald reports (Taylor, AP/Miami Herald, 11/19).…
Open Season For Medicare Part D Enrollment
From November 15th to the end of December is "open season" for American senior citizens to sign up for another year to benefit from the federal government program known as Medicare Part D designed to help eligible older Americans pay for prescription drugs.…
Lesotho's HIV Testing Program Has Not Met Goals, Groups Say
An HIV testing campaign launched in Lesotho in 2005 has failed to meet its goals because of a lack of funding and administrative issues, according to a report released on Tuesday by Human Rights Watch and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The campaign aimed to test 1.…
Most Massachusetts Physicians Surveyed Practice 'Defensive Medicine,' Which Could Be Driving Up State Health Care Costs
Eighty-three percent of physicians surveyed in Massachusetts say they practice so-called "defensive medicine" because they are concerned they might be sued by patients, a trend that adds at least $1.4 billion annually to state health care costs, according to a report by the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Boston Herald reports.…
Automaker Bankruptcies Would Require Taxpayers To Pay $3B Annually For Health Care, UAW President Gettelfinger Says
Taxpayers would have to pay at least $3 billion annually in the event that the Big Three automakers -- General Motors, Chrysler and Ford -- have to file for bankruptcy and no longer pay for retiree health care, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said on Tuesday during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, the Detroit News reports.…
Misconceptions Continue To Contribute To Discrimination Against HIV-Positive People In China, UNAIDS Official Says
People living with HIV/AIDS in China continue to experience discrimination based on public misconceptions of the disease, Bernhard Schwartlander, UNAIDS China country coordinator, said on Tuesday, Xinhuanet reports.…
Panel Of Experts Warns FDA Of Frequent Use Of Antipsychotics In Children
Certain antipsychotic medicines are being prescribed too frequently to children, and FDA should take action to discourage the drugs' growing use, a panel of federal drug experts told agency officials Tuesday, the New York Times reports.…
Sen. Kennedy Taps Senators To Lead Various Working Groups Aimed At Improving U.S. Health Care
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Tuesday named committee members to lead three working groups that will target specific aspects of the health care system in writing overhaul legislation, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.…
GenVec Announces Interim Survival Data In Pivotal Trial Of TNFerade™ In Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq:GNVC) announced today top-line results of an interim analysis from its ongoing Phase III Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trial with TNFerade™ (PACT) in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.…
Children Of Centenarians Live Longer, Have Lower Risk Of Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes
A recent study appearing in the November issue of Journal of American Geriatrics Society revealed that centenarian offspring (children of parents who lived to be at least 97 years old) retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged cohort.…
Randomized Phase 2 Study Of IMC-A12 For HER2-Expressing Advanced Breast Cancer Commences Patient Enrollment
ImClone Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: IMCL), a global leader in the development and commercialization of novel antibodies to treat cancer, today announced that its disease-directed randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of IMC-A12 in patients with previously treated HER2-expressing locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer has commenced patient enrollment.…
Bovie Medical Corporation Announces FDA 510(K) Clearance To Market SEER Tissue Resection Device
Bovie Medical Corporation (the "Company") (NYSE Alternext US: BVX), a manufacturer and marketer of electrosurgical products, today announced the Company received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its SEER tissue resection device intended for initial use in liver oncology surgery.…
Gore Receives Approval To Market GORE EXCLUDER(R) AAA Endoprosthesis And GORE TAG(R) Thoracic Endoprosthesis In Canada
W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced at the 35th annual VEITHsymposium™ in New York that it has received regulatory clearance from Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate to market the GORE EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis and GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis in Canada.…
Red Cross Awards Inaugural Humanitarian Prizes
Recognizing the achievements of individuals who have tangibly improved life and living conditions in one of the world's most challenging regions, the American Red Cross, in partnership with The Atlantic, announces the first annual American Red Cross Humanitarian Prize. Younis Al Khatib, President, Palestine Red Crescent Society, and Dr.…
Successfull Completion Of Phase I Development Of In Vivo Glucose Sensing RFID Microchip
VeriChip Corporation ("VeriChip") (NASDAQ:CHIP), a provider of RFID systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, and its development partner RECEPTORS LLC, a technology company whose AFFINITY by DESIGN™ chemistry platform can be applied to the development of selective binding products, ann…
Innovative Drugs-of-Abuse Testing System Announced By Philips And Concateno
Concateno plc, Europe's largest provider of drug and alcohol testing programmes, and Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) have today announced an innovative handheld drugs-of-abuse detection device.…
Walgreens Offers Assistance In Sorting Through Changes To Medicare Part D Plans
The six-week open enrollment period for Medicare Part D is under way and seniors are facing the annual task of evaluating prescription plans to nail down their choices for the coming year. Medicare enrollees have until Dec. 31 to review their current plan for any changes in cost or coverage and make certain it still meets their needs.…
Gannett Desert Sun Examines Antiretroviral Isentress
Gannett/Desert Sun on Monday examined Merck's antiretroviral drug Isentress, which was approved by FDA last year. According to Gannett/Desert Sun, since FDA approved the drug, some HIV-positive people and "medical experts say it appears to work, improving the condition of some HIV patients and sparking hope that drugmakers may develop similar medications.…
