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Berwick's first hearing marked by strong defense of health law, GOP 'relative gentleness'

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Dr. Donald Berwick survived his first Senate hearing yesterday by rebutting criticism of the health law and because Republicans were relatively gentle, The New York Times reports.

19 Nov 2010

Sekisui enters asset purchase agreement to acquire Genzyme's Diagnostic products

Genzyme Corporation today announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement under which Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. will acquire Genzyme's Diagnostic products business for $265 million in cash.

19 Nov 2010

Cerulean presents data on CRLX101, CRLX288 study for cancer at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Cerulean Pharma Inc., a leader in designing and developing nanopharmaceuticals, today announced that the Company's senior executives presented at the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, ongoing in Berlin, Germany.

19 Nov 2010

FDA approves IDE application for Home Hemodialysis system

Baxter International Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application for a Home Hemodialysis (HD) system in development through a collaboration between DEKA Research and Development Corp., HHD LLC, and Baxter.

From Baxter International Inc. 19 Nov 2010

Bipartisan task force recommends Medicare and Medicaid overhaul

Congress must overhaul Medicare and Medicaid and end tax-free health coverage to help bring the federal debt to manageable levels, a bipartisan task force said Wednesday.

19 Nov 2010

Cholera confirmed in Florida woman who traveled to Haiti

"The first known case of cholera in the United States linked to the outbreak in Haiti was confirmed Wednesday by health officials who said a southwest Florida woman contracted the disease while visiting family in a region at the heart of Haiti's epidemic," the New York Times reports.

19 Nov 2010

New findings show promising treatment for MS

Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

19 Nov 2010

Health law revision suggestions pour in from lawmakers, groups

Kaiser Health News reports that vulnerable Democrats are looking for alternatives to the health law's mandate that nearly all Americans carry health insurance. "Under political pressure as a result of the new health law, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has asked the Government Accountability Office to study alternatives to the controversial mandate requiring most Americans to obtain coverage." Because Nelson is from a typically "red" state, Republicans have targeted him as one Democrat willing to play ball on scaling back the law (Vaida, 11/17).

19 Nov 2010

GWCI join forces with Banca Civica to fight cancer in Washington, D.C.

The GW Cancer Institute at The George Washington University Medical Center has joined forces with Banca Civica, a financial institution from Spain pioneering the innovative concept of civic banking, to fight cancer in Washington, D.C.

19 Nov 2010

Americans' confidence in health care system lower than other industrialized counties, study finds

"Despite having the most expensive healthcare system in the industrialized world, Americans tend to have the least confidence that their system will provide them the most-effective care compared to residents of 10 other industrialized nations, a Commonwealth Fund survey has found. A survey of nearly 20,000 people in the U.S. and 10 other industrialized nations has found that U.S. consumers reported the highest level of confusing complexity of their health insurance plans, and the highest level of concern that they would not be able to afford their healthcare coverage" (Carlson, 11/18).

19 Nov 2010

Volpara breast imaging software receives FDA clearance

Offering radiologists a reliable and cost-effective tool to generate automatic volumetric breast density values, Volpara, Ltd., announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for its Volpara breast imaging software. Volpara, a subsidiary of Matakina Technology, Limited of New Zealand, is responsible for commercial operations in the United States.

19 Nov 2010

Eisai signs statement of intent with WHO to supply medicine for treatment of lymphatic filariasis

Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito) announced today that it has signed a statement of intent with the World Health Organization to supply free of charge a primary medicine for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis.

19 Nov 2010

KHN column – The Medicare doc fix: Physicians again are staring into the abyss

What used to be an annual exercise -- waiting to see whether and by how much Congress would increase payments to physicians under Medicare -- has now become a more frequent and even more frustrating activity for physicians.

19 Nov 2010

Clinical data of CU-201, CUDC-101 presented at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced the presentation of data in two poster presentations at the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on "Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics," held in Berlin, Germany, November 16-19.

19 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: The ObamaCare suit; Fixing physician pay; A federal takeover of Medicaid; Cues from Britain

The voters showed their loathing for the law on November 2, and a large, united legal front of states would increase the chances that the courts find it unconstitutional and preserve our federal system (11/18).

19 Nov 2010

Women prefer diet advice from women: Study

A new study shows that women do not pay heed to diet advice from men. The study conducted by the Australian National University (ANU) suggests women are more inclined to listen and change their behaviour if the speaker is also female.

18 Nov 2010

University of Missouri researchers find key to combating medication non-adherence

Medications do not have a chance to fight health problems if they are taken improperly or not taken at all. Non-adherence to medications costs thousands of lives and billions of dollars each year in the United States alone, according to the New England Healthcare Institute. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed an intervention strategy that is three times more effective than previously studied techniques at improving adherence in patients.

18 Nov 2010

COPD both a burden and a loss

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, revealed that they perceive their disease as both a burden they must deal with and as a loss they have experienced, according to recent in-home research conducted by GlaxoSmithKline. Patients participating in the research characterized their sense of loss as a combination of factors including loss of energy, loss of control, loss of independence and loss of their old self.

18 Nov 2010

57 million Americans have prediabetes: Study

Prediabetes is a warning sign that type 2 diabetes is around the corner. People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Approximately 24 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, but an even more staggering 57 million people in the United States have prediabetes, meaning they are at grave risk of developing this disease. And once a prediabetic person becomes diabetic, there is no turning back.

18 Nov 2010

NTU to develop Five Peaks of Excellence under 5-year strategic plan

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) today unveiled NTU 2015, a five-year strategic plan that maps out how the university will become a great global university by 2015. Under this blueprint, NTU will build on its current strengths and heritage to make its mark globally in sustainability, healthcare, new media, the best of the East and West, and innovation.

18 Nov 2010