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AAMC report urges U.S. teaching hospitals to deal with conflicts of interest in clinical care

A new report by the AAMC urges U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies that manage financial relationships between physicians and industry so that they do not influence patient care. "In the Interest of Patients: Recommendations for Physician Financial Relationships and Clinical Decision Making" provides guidance on how academic medical centers can identify, evaluate, and disclose conflicts of interest in clinical care.

1 Jul 2010

Judge rules for Merck in state Vioxx lawsuit over Medicaid payments

A federal judge ruled in favor of Merck & Co. Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by Louisiana trying to recoup what it paid when Medicaid patients used the company's withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, The Associated Press reports. James R. Dugan II, "the lead attorney representing Louisiana, said his team would be meeting with state officials later this week to discuss appellate possibilities.

1 Jul 2010

GeoVax Labs postpones proposed public offering

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to developing vaccines that prevent and fight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), today announced that it has decided to postpone its proposed public offering of units, each consisting of a share of common stock and a warrant to purchase another share.

1 Jul 2010

XOMA reaches enrollment goal of 325 patients for Phase 2b clinical trial of XOMA 052

XOMA Ltd., a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced that it has reached the enrollment goal of 325 patients for its Phase 2b dose-ranging clinical trial of XOMA 052, and that it expects patient enrollment to close in July 2010, with top-line results available in the first quarter of 2011. XOMA 052 is a therapeutic antibody candidate that inhibits the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) which drives the inflammatory cause of Type 2 diabetes.

1 Jul 2010

Research findings open new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases

For the first time, scientists have linked a brain compound called kynurenic acid to cognition, possibly opening doors for new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. When researchers decreased the levels of kynurenic acid in the brains of mice, their cognition was shown to improve markedly, according to the study, which was published in the July issue of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

1 Jul 2010

Gen-Probe's APTIMA Trichomonas assay receives European CE mark

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that it has received a European CE mark for its APTIMA® assay for Trichomonas vaginalis, a common parasitic sexually transmitted disease.

1 Jul 2010

Wellpoint warns 470,000 insurance applicants about website security breach

"WellPoint Inc. has warned some 470,000 people who applied for its health insurance that a website security glitch may have exposed their Social Security numbers and other sensitive data to the public." WellPoint quickly fixed the problem after being notified by a consumer who noticed it. The glitch "was introduced in October by a contractor who upgraded the site," according to a company spokesman. According to WellPoint officials, the "security glitch was exploited to access information on 940 insurance applications" and "unauthorized viewers accessed spreadsheets that 'in rare cases' contained Social Security numbers" (Finkle, 6/29).

1 Jul 2010

Hospitals struggling to prove 'meaningful use' of electronic health records

"Eight out of 10 hospital CIOs recently surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) LLP said they're concerned they ... won't qualify for federal reimbursements for rolling out" electronic medical records, Computerworld reports. Last year, the federal government set aside $36 billion in stimulus funds "to help hospitals and doctors purchase equipment to computerize patient medical records, but even the most sophisticated hospitals in the country are struggling to qualify for the payments, PwC's study indicated.

1 Jul 2010

Eisai reports preliminary results from Dacogen for Injection Phase III study in AML

Eisai Inc. announced today preliminary results from a randomized Phase III clinical trial of Dacogen® (decitabine) for Injection versus either a low-dose chemotherapy agent or supportive care in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a life-threatening cancer of the blood that generally occurs in older adults.

1 Jul 2010

Threshold Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of TH-302 in patients with first line pancreatic cancer

Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has initiated a multi-center, randomized, controlled, crossover Phase 2 clinical trial of TH-302 in combination with gemcitabine in patients with first line pancreatic cancer. TH-302 is a proprietary tumor selective Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug that specifically targets tumor hypoxia.

1 Jul 2010

Sanofi-aventis signs agreement to acquire TargeGen

TargeGen, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of small molecule kinase inhibitors today announced that the Company has agreed to be acquired by sanofi-aventis. Under the agreement, the ultimate purchase price will depend on the achievement of certain future milestones events and will total $560M if such milestones are fully realized. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the 3rd quarter of 2010.

1 Jul 2010

Roche, IBM announce agreement to develop nanopore-based sequencer for decoding human DNA

Roche and IBM announced today an agreement to develop a nanopore-based sequencer that will directly read and decode human DNA quickly and efficiently. Focused on advancing IBM's recently published "DNA Transistor" technology, the collaboration will take advantage of IBM's leadership in microelectronics, information technology and computational biology and Roche's expertise in medical diagnostics and genome sequencing.

1 Jul 2010

Tracking poll finds health reform law gaining in popularity

"The health-care overhaul gained popularity from May to June, according to a new tracking poll." The poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation "found that 48 percent of the public had a favorable view of the law in June while 41 percent had an unfavorable opinion." (Kaiser Health News is a program of the foundation.) In May, the tracking poll had found "41 percent favorable to 44 percent unfavorable."

1 Jul 2010

Kagan signals legal support for health law

The Washington Post: Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan suggested at her confirmation hearing Tuesday "that a controversial requirement in the new federal health-care law that most Americans obtain insurance has a legal basis -- a question that is likely to come before the courts." In answering Republican senators, Kagan "signaled" that she supported "enacting a health-care law that for the first time will require most legal residents of the United States to obtain insurance.

1 Jul 2010

ResponseDX: Lung genetic test panel launched to detect EML4-ALK gene variants in lung cancer patients

Response Genetics Inc., a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, today announced that it has expanded its ResponseDX: Lung genetic test panel to detect the presence of EML4-ALK gene variants in lung cancer patients. EML4-ALK fusion genes are present in about four percent of tumors from patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

1 Jul 2010

Rexahn closes sale of $10 million of securities in registered direct offering

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced the closing of a previously announced sale of an aggregate of $10 million of securities in a registered direct offering. Rexahn received net proceeds of approximately $9.28 million after deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses.

1 Jul 2010

pSivida's licensee submits NDA to FDA for Iluvien

pSivida Corp., a leader in the development of sustained release back of the eye drug delivery systems for difficult-to-treat conditions, today announced that its licensee, Alimera Sciences has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Iluvien for Diabetic Macular Edema.

1 Jul 2010

Cubist commences enrollment in Phase 2 study of CXA-201 for complicated intra-abdominal infections

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading acute care therapeutics company, today announced the enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 2 study with CXA-201. This multicenter, double-blind, randomized, study will compare the safety and efficacy of intravenous CXA-201 with an active comparator in patients with complicated intra-abdominal Infections (cIAI). This international study is expected to enroll 120 patients.

1 Jul 2010

Study: Medicare 'pay-for-performance' could increase care inequality

"The U.S. government's plan to base Medicare payments to hospitals on certain quality-of-care measures could end up transferring funds away from hospitals in the nation's poorest, underserved areas," according to a study published Tuesday in the journal PLoS Medicine.

1 Jul 2010

Ambitious high-risk health insurance pools supposed to launch this week

The Associated Press: "The Obama administration is launching a special coverage program for uninsured Americans with medical problems this week, the most ambitious early investment of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. But here's the catch: Premiums will be a stretch for many, even after government subsidies to bring rates close to what healthier groups of people are charged."

1 Jul 2010

Medical News

AAMC report urges U.S. teaching hospitals to deal with conflicts of interest in clinical care

Judge rules for Merck in state Vioxx lawsuit over Medicaid payments

GeoVax Labs postpones proposed public offering

XOMA reaches enrollment goal of 325 patients for Phase 2b clinical trial of XOMA 052

Research findings open new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases

Gen-Probe's APTIMA Trichomonas assay receives European CE mark

Wellpoint warns 470,000 insurance applicants about website security breach

Hospitals struggling to prove 'meaningful use' of electronic health records

Eisai reports preliminary results from Dacogen for Injection Phase III study in AML

Threshold Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of TH-302 in patients with first line pancreatic cancer

Sanofi-aventis signs agreement to acquire TargeGen

Roche, IBM announce agreement to develop nanopore-based sequencer for decoding human DNA

Tracking poll finds health reform law gaining in popularity

Kagan signals legal support for health law

ResponseDX: Lung genetic test panel launched to detect EML4-ALK gene variants in lung cancer patients

Rexahn closes sale of $10 million of securities in registered direct offering

pSivida's licensee submits NDA to FDA for Iluvien

Cubist commences enrollment in Phase 2 study of CXA-201 for complicated intra-abdominal infections

Study: Medicare 'pay-for-performance' could increase care inequality

Ambitious high-risk health insurance pools supposed to launch this week

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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