Jan. 4 at 2:35 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Pharmaceuticals
By Associated Press
The HB-Chip can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones . (AP Photo/PNAS Early Edition)
Includes updated information on the latest test format.
A blood test so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor’s office.
Boston scientists who invented the test and health care giant Johnson & Johnson will announce Monday that they are joining forces to bring it to market. Four big cancer centers also will start studies using the experimental test this year. Get the full story »
By Associated Press
Tobacco maker Star Scientific Inc. says it has developed a moist smokeless tobacco with lower levels of cancer-causing chemicals than any other tobacco product on the market.
The small Virginia company, which sells tobacco lozenges that dissolve in the mouth, said Tuesday that it plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration this quarter for approval to sell the new item as safer than any competing product. Get the full story »
Jan. 4 at 1:54 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Health care
By Dow Jones Newswires
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Invacare Corp. a warning letter for failure to fully address reports of fires and entrapment involving beds made by the company.
In a Dec. 15 warning letter, the FDA said Invacare, which makes a variety of medical equipment used in homes and long-term care facilities, didn’t properly handle or investigate reports of fire and patients becoming trapped in beds. The letter was posted to the agency’s Web site Tuesday. Get the full story »
Jan. 4 at 1:30 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care
By Associated Press
A new study finds that one in five heart defibrillators may be implanted for questionable reasons without solid evidence the devices will help.
The implants shock the heart back into a normal rhythm when it starts beating irregularly. They can prevent sudden death in people with advanced heart failure. But researchers haven’t found a benefit for other patients. Get the full story »
Dec. 29, 2010 at 3:14 p.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Health care
By Los Angeles Times
Coming soon to a grocery store near you: Those nutrition labels slapped on everything from cereal to soda pop will soon be required on packages of meat.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday morning that the new rule, slated to start Jan. 1 of 2012, requires that 40 of the most common cuts of poultry, pork, beef and lamb include labels that disclose to consumers the total number of calories, the number of calories from fat and the total grams of fat and saturated fat. Get the full story »
Dec. 29, 2010 at 8:47 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Alejandra Cancino
SXC Health Solutions Corp, a provider of pharmacy-benefits management services, has acquired a specialty pharmacy provider for $100 million. Get the full story »
Dec. 21, 2010 at 5:56 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Health care,
Updated
By Alejandra Cancino
Jimmy John’s has asked its franchises to pull alfalfa sprouts believed to be tied to outbreaks of salmonella in Illinois and Wisconsin.
The sandwich chain says it is pulling them as a “good faith and good will gesture.”
Illinois health officials have confirmed that 43 Illinois residents and one Wisconsin resident have salmonella. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 4:31 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Health care
By Bruce Japsen
In a move to increase access to preventive treatment among those for whom health care is a challenge, the Obama administration and Walgreens announced on Friday a partnership to provide vouchers for free influenza shots to uninsured Americans and others with inadequate benefits.
The Deerfield-based drugstore giant will provide more than $10 million worth of vouchers while the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will help distribute the shots to up to 350,000 people in 15 major U.S. markets including Chicago through its network of regional health administrators that work with public health agencies. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 2:49 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Health care,
Pharmaceuticals
By Reuters
The incoming chairman of the U.S. congressional committee investigating Johnson & Johnson’s recalls of consumer products Friday identified the previously unnamed third-party manufacturer behind last week’s Rolaids recall.
Rep. Darrell Issa of California, in a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, said investigations by his staff revealed North Carolina-based Best Sweet as the company contracted by J&J to produce widely used Rolaids antacid products. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 12:06 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
The parent companies of Delnor Hospital in Geneva and Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield said Friday that they have signed a definitive agreement to merge their operations into a powerhouse in the western suburbs with a combined $1 billion in annual revenue.
The deal comes as the health care overhaul law is being implemented over the next four years, triggering a wave of consolidation of hospitals and doctor practices across the country. Hospitals are looking to gain care economies of scale, pool resources to invest in information systems and clinical programs and gain negotiating leverage with insurance companies who pay them. Get the full story »
Dec. 16, 2010 at 8:02 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
Chicago-based private equity firm Water Street Healthcare Partners said it has acquired a company that works with insurers and employers to manage heart and cancer care benefits for an undisclosed amount. Get the full story »
Dec. 15, 2010 at 5:42 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Health care
By Reuters
Enough uncertainty surrounds silver-colored metal dental fillings with mercury that U.S. regulators should add more cautions for dentists and patients, a U.S. advisory panel said Wednesday.
While past data have backed the cavity treatment, the fillings should be accompanied by warnings about unknown risks for vulnerable people such as children and pregnant women, the Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside advisers said. Get the full story »
Dec. 15, 2010 at 4:40 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
Nashville-based hospital operator Vanguard Health Systems said it will purchase Holy Cross Hospital near Chicago’s Marquette Park for an undisclosed sum.
The 331-bed hospital is the latest acquisition by the for-profit hospital operator in the Chicago area, which has become one of its fastest-growing markets. Vanguard last year purchased Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park from Resurrection Health Care, a Catholic operator of hospitals in the Chicago area. Get the full story »
Dec. 14, 2010 at 2:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
The Pritzker Group said it has purchased a Utah medical device company for an undisclosd sum from another local private investment firm.
The investment firm, which represents investment interests of Chicago’s Pritzker family, bought Clinical Innovations, a Murray, Utah-based maker of devices used in the care of women and their infants such as specialized catheters. Get the full story »
Dec. 13, 2010 at 3:53 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Pharmaceuticals,
Stock activity
By Bruce Japsen
Baxter International Inc. said its directors have approved a share repurchase program of up to $2.5 billion of the company’s common stock. Get the full story »
