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CVS Caremark supports FDA pathway for approval of biogeneric options

CVS Caremark reiterated the company's support that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implement regulations necessary to approve biogeneric drugs under the Affordable Care Act. The company's Senior Vice President of Specialty Pharmacy Operations, Scott Reid, testified before the FDA today during a public hearing to address the development of an approval pathway for biosimilar and interchangeable biological products held at the agency's headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

3 Nov 2010

NeurAxon’s NXN-188 compound effective for acute migraine treatment

NeurAxon, Inc., announced today Phase 2 clinical study results for NXN-188, a novel, first-in-class treatment with the potential to raise the current standard of care in acute migraine.

1 Nov 2010

Merck reports $342 million net income for 2010 third quarter

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the third quarter of $0.85, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, restructuring costs, merger-related expenses and a $950 million legal reserve.

29 Oct 2010

IntriCon third quarter net sales increases 14% to $14.7 million

IntriCon Corporation a designer, developer, manufacturer and distributor of body-worn medical devices, today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

Latuda tablets receive FDA approval for treatment of adults with schizophrenia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Latuda (lurasidone HCl) tablets for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia.

29 Oct 2010

Health department officer admits taking bribes

The Western Australia Corruption and Crime Commission is now inquiring into the case of a senior public servant who admitted to using his position in the Health Department to personally gain around a million dollars in money and gifts between 2004 and 2009.

28 Oct 2010

Mass. hospitals turn away mentally ill kids, Anthem braces for rate hearings, other state news

The Boston Globe reports that children with mental illnesses are "increasingly being turned away from some Massachusetts hospitals' psychiatric wards, a problem the hospital industry acknowledges and blames on insufficient insurance payments to cover treatment of such sick children. … Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, the state's health and human services secretary, said yesterday that hospitals licensed to treat mentally ill children must provide that care if they have sufficient staffing and beds, regardless of the reimbursement rates" (Lazar, 10/27).

28 Oct 2010

Health care angst keeps campaigns on edge in final week

Interest and anger about health care is fueling tension in political campaigns for offices ranging from insurance commissioner to U.S. senator.

27 Oct 2010

Racial disparities among children with frequent ear infections can influence access to health care resources

Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.

26 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 26, 2010

In today's headlines, more reports from the campaign trail -- highlighting how tempers and politics continue to flare around health overhaul issues.

26 Oct 2010

Potential technologies to help older people sleep better

The Somnia conference has been led by academics at the University of Surrey in conjunction with other academics including those working on new technology at the University of Bath.

26 Oct 2010

Health law implementation hitting snags

Despite pledges to leave employer-based health plans intact, benefits consultants say some firms are considering ending or reducing coverage for their workers, The Associated Press reports, adding: "That's just not going to happen, White House officials say." But an executive for the consulting firm Deloitte said, "What we are hearing in our meetings is, 'We don't want to be the first one to drop benefits, but we would be the fast second.' We are hearing that a lot."

25 Oct 2010

New ear implant for Meniere’s disease

Meniere’s disease is a disease that affects the inner ear – a region responsible for balance. It affects 1% of Americans and can be quite disabling since it leads to attacks of vertigo. At present medications can not completely cure the condition and surgery is often unsuccessful.

24 Oct 2010

Canadian hospitals' contracts with consultants scrutinized

Cerberus Capital Management is poised to purchase Caritas Christi Health Care. This morning, at a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court hearing, Caritas and Cerberus face the final hurdle in an approval process that began in the spring.

22 Oct 2010

UW Medicine patient receives implantable device for vestibular problems

A University of Washington Medical Center patient on Thursday, Oct. 21, will be the world's first recipient of a device that aims to quell the disabling vertigo associated with Meniere's disease.

21 Oct 2010

A new way of seeing the world

Scientists at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University have discovered that our brains have the ability to determine the shape of an object simply by processing specially-coded sounds, without any visual or tactile input. Not only does this new research tell us about the plasticity of the brain and how it perceives the world around us, it also provides important new possibilities for aiding those who are blind or with impaired vision.

20 Oct 2010

Judge in Va. to rule on health law's mandate by year's end

A federal judge will rule by the end of the year on a Virginia challenge to the federal health law provision requiring people to buy insurance, The New York Times reports.

20 Oct 2010

Scientists probe functional connectivity among neurons in auditory cortex gives rise to map of acoustic space

Just as we visually map a room by spatially identifying the objects in it, we map our aural world based on the frequencies of sounds. The neurons within the brain's "hearing center"-the auditory cortex-are organized into modules that each respond to sounds within a specific frequency band. But how responses actually emanate from this complex network of neurons is still a mystery.

19 Oct 2010

Catholic officials approve Caritas sale in Mass., Boston and Milwaukee hospitals strengthen their financial standing

Catholic church officials have signed off on the sale of Caritas Christi Health Care to a private equity firm, according to a document filed with the Supreme Judicial Court.

18 Oct 2010

FDA revokes marketing clearance for knee orthopedic device

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that an orthopedic device used in the knee should not have been cleared for marketing in the United States. The announcement follows a re-evaluation of the scientific evidence that was undertaken after a September 2009 agency report identified problems in the agency's review of the device.

15 Oct 2010