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Healthcare reform – debates begin all over again

The US Justice Department this Tuesday announced its intention to appeal a federal court’s ruling against a key part of the Obama administration's healthcare law.

14 Dec 2010

Adoption rates plummet to a three decade low

Adoption rates in Australia have touched an all time low since 1970’s. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that in the last financial year there were just 412 adoptions. That is compared with a peak of more than 8,000 adoptions a year in the early 1970s.

14 Dec 2010

Health report card for NSW

The latest report on NSW health shows that it is better than most in heart disease and cancer statistics. However 60% of the state are overweight or obese says the report and 70% of the NSW adults say they have been diagnosed with long-term illnesses.

14 Dec 2010

World's first remote 3D keyhole surgery to be performed at University of Surrey

Doctors will shortly be performing the world's first remote 3D keyhole surgery during a symposium at the University of Surrey. Keyhole surgery - where doctors operate on organs through a tiny incision - reduces the length of hospital stays and post-operative complications. This also means that patients experience less scarring and pain. 3D keyhole surgery is a state-of-the-art extension of standard keyhole surgery that uses 3D cameras like those used to make the film 'Avatar'. It puts the surgeon right inside the patient's body and significantly improves accuracy.

14 Dec 2010

ISTA commences bepotastine besilate nasal spray Phase 2 study in seasonal allergic rhinitis

ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray for the treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, the inflammation of the nasal passages caused by allergies. The randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group environmental study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of bepotastine besilate, dosed twice daily, in patients presenting with allergic rhinitis caused by one of the most potent seasonal allergy triggers, Mountain Cedar pollen.

14 Dec 2010

Glycotope receives innovation award 2010 for GlycoExpress technology platform

Glycotope GmbH, a leading glycobiology company, has won the innovation award 2010 jointly presented by the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg in recognition of the company's GlycoExpress™ technology platform. GlycoExpress™ combines a very efficient improvement of the activities and side effects of a broad range of protein biopharmaceuticals with the suitability for a much broader patient population and a very high productivity.

14 Dec 2010

Bohai to acquire rights to 14 approved Traditional Chinese Medicines for $7,200,000

Bohai Pharmaceuticals Group, Inc., a China-based pharmaceutical company engaged in the production, manufacturing and distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has entered into a binding agreement with Shandong Daxin Microbiology Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd. to acquire the rights to 14 approved TCM medicines that were previously issued to Daxin by the Shandong Branch of the State Food and Drug Administration of China ("SFDA").

14 Dec 2010

MEDNAX acquires pediatric hospitalist group practice in San Antonio

MEDNAX, Inc. today announced the acquisition of a pediatric hospitalist group practice based in San Antonio, TX.

14 Dec 2010

Tolerx commences TRX518 Phase 1 trial in malignant melanoma

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer by modulating T cell activity, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles of TRX518, a monoclonal antibody designed to enhance the immune system by enabling T cells to more effectively attack cancer cells.

14 Dec 2010

DARPA awards Pulmatrix $5.7 million grant to advance iCALM therapies

Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing a new class of therapies for the prevention, treatment and control of respiratory diseases, today announced that it has been awarded a grant for $5.7 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a component of the Department of Defense (DOD), focused on identifying and advancing novel technologies to support defense of our nation's soldiers and civilian population.

14 Dec 2010

Provectus commences PH-10 Phase 2c trial for psoriasis

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, has initiated a Phase 2c clinical trial of PH-10 for psoriasis. This multicenter, randomized controlled Phase 2c study is expected to enroll up to 90 subjects at four different sites, beginning in late December.

14 Dec 2010

SunOpta subsidiary closes acquisition of Edner

SunOpta Inc. today announced that its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary SunOpta Fruit Group Inc. has completed the previously announced acquisition of the assets and business of Edner of Nevada, Inc..

14 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 14, 2010

Today's headlines detail yesterday's ruling by a federal court judge in Virginia that strikes at a key part of the health law.

14 Dec 2010

60% of Americans concerned about negative health impact of beverages

A recent BeveragePulse.com study by Concept Catalysts and iModerate Research Technologies, found that 60% of Americans are concerned about the negative health impact of the beverages they drink and the majority of them will be drinking healthier beverages in the next 12 months. The study also shows that health concerns are the primary driver of recent changes in what consumers buy and drink and will remain the main driver of change for some time to come. Currently, 74% of Americans do not think that beverage companies are concerned about their health.

14 Dec 2010

Concordia sociologist documents men's changing and increasingly confusing roles

"Man up!" is an emerging expression whose significance has become loaded in our society, according to Anthony Synnott, a professor at the Concordia University Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In his most recent book, Re-Thinking Men: Heroes, Villains and Victims (Ashgate), Synnott documents the increasingly confusing roles men are to assume in society.

14 Dec 2010

Study explores meaning of respect in medical student education

Along with integrity and compassion, respect for patients, colleagues and other team members is an essential attribute of medical professionalism. A new study examines how medical students learn respectful or disrespectful professional behavior.

14 Dec 2010

Marketers must pay $2.1M to refund purchasers of Disney- and Marvel heroes-licensed vitamins

As part of its ongoing efforts to stop bogus health claims, the Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement requiring major marketers of children's vitamins to stop making false and unproven claims that their supplements promote healthy brain and eye development in children. The companies have agreed to pay $2.1 million to provide refunds to consumers who purchased certain multivitamins in their Disney and Marvel Heroes line.

14 Dec 2010

Implementation and strong management support crucial for successful worksite health programs

To meet their goal of lowering health care costs, worksite health promotion programs must be well implemented and have strong management support, reports the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

14 Dec 2010

Natural Prosthetic Dental Lab launches 'Digital revolution of dentistry'

News briefs concerning economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay region from the Tampa Bay Partnership:

14 Dec 2010

Talecris evaluates response to $37M jury verdict in favor of Plasma Centers of America

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Inc. announced today that a jury in the General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division, Wake County, North Carolina, rendered a verdict on December 13, 2010 in the amount of $37 million in favor of Plasma Centers of America, LLC, against its subsidiary, Talecris Plasma Resources, Inc., in a breach of contract claim.

14 Dec 2010