Pharma Business Week articles from August 2008

Pharma Business Week archives from August 2008

New findings reported from McGill University describe advances in acid reflux disease.
August 4, 2008... According to recent research published in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, "The Stretta procedure is an endoscopic therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Stretta procedure and that of...

Data on actinic keratosis described by researchers at University of Regensburg.
August 4, 2008... According to a study from Regensburg, Germany, " Resiquimod, a toll-like receptor 7 and 8 agonist, may be effective as a topical treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). To evaluate the effect of resiquimod gel concentration on lesion clearance."...

New findings from L.M. Lieving and co-researchers in the area of aggression described.(Clinical report)
August 4, 2008... "Experimental and clinical studies have supported a relationship between gamma-aminobutyric acid ( GABA) and aggressive behavior in non-humans and humans. Tiagabine is a GABA uptake inhibitor that has been shown to produce acute behavioral...

New Study Demonstrates High Level of Safe Surgeries Performed in Accredited Facilities.
August 4, 2008... The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) has developed a new study which analyzes data submitted by accredited ambulatory surgery facilities from January 2001 through June 2006. The article derived...

Reports outline anesthesia study findings from Washington University, Medical Department.(Report)
August 4, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "The aim of this study was to compare a standard insulin protocol with a computer-guided glucose management system to determine which method achieves tighter glucose control. A prospective,...

Midwest Health Care Startups Raise $443 Million Through First Half of 2008.(Report)
August 4, 2008... Midwest health care startups reported $443 million in total investments across 65 companies through the first half of 2008, according to the BioEnterprise Midwest Health Care Venture Investment Report. While the numbers are lower than the 2007...

Covidien Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend.(Company overview)
August 4, 2008... Covidien Ltd. (NYSE: COV; BSX: COV) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per common share. The dividend is payable on August 11, 2008, to shareholders of record on July 28, 2008 (see also...

Herbalife to Present at Canaccord Adams' Global Growth Conference.(Conference news)
August 4, 2008... Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) Chief Financial Officer Richard Goudis will present at Canaccord Adams' 28th Annual Global Growth Conference on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The event will be held at the InterContinental Boston (see also...

McKesson Acquisition of EN-Chart Enhances Emergency Care Solutions.
August 4, 2008... McKesson announced it has acquired EN-Chart Scanning Program, LLC, a market-leading provider of computer-assisted facility coding and compliance solutions for emergency department (ED) visits. Based in Dandridge, Tenn., EN-Chart provides...

McKesson Customers Report Significant Gains in Improving Patient Safety and Operational Efficiencies.
August 4, 2008... To recognize excellence in the use of healthcare information technology, McKesson announced the winners of its eighth annual VIP Award competition. The 2008 VIP Award program honors six healthcare organizations for their vision, innovation and...

Neptune Technologies Declares Dividend Distribution.
August 4, 2008... The Board of Directors of Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. (NASDAQ:NEPT)(TSX VENTURE:NTB) has declared a dividend distribution to its shareholders (see also Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.). Neptune's Board of Directors...

Examine International Drug Control into the 21st Century as Explained by Field Experts.
August 4, 2008... Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fa29ad/international_drug) has announced the addition of the "International Drug Control into the 21st Century" report to their offering (see also Research and Markets Ltd.). ...

New study spotlights National Institutes of Health grant outcomes for clinical research.
August 11, 2008... Although the need to translate basic science discoveries into the clinical arena is widely acknowledged, a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified reasons...

Alcohol is associated with risk of perennial allergic rhinitis.
August 11, 2008... There is a link between alcohol consumption and increased risk of perennial allergic rhinitis, according to a recent Danish study of 5,870 young adult women. The study, published in the July issue of Clinical and Experimental Allergy, found...

Studies in the area of acute appendicitis reported from A. Harlak and co-researchers.
August 11, 2008... " The purpose of the study was to assess the role of atopy on the development of appendicitis. Acute appendicitis is the most common indication for emergent laparotomy especially in the late teens and early 20s," scientists in Ankara, Turkey...

Research from J. Karlawish and colleagues provide new insights into Alzheimer disease.
August 11, 2008... "Among Alzheimer disease ( AD) patients enrolled in a clinical trial, the authors assessed the ability of a standardized capacity assessment procedure to identify persons who are capable of giving their own informed consent. Cross-sectional...

New amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research from National Institutes of Health outlined.
August 11, 2008... "Reasons for the variability in survival among ALS cases are unknown but may include exposure to environmental neurotoxicants. We aimed to determine whether lead exposure, assessed by measuring blood and bone lead levels, is associated with...

Biomax Informatics Collaborates with the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory MDI To Integrate MDI's Curated Comparative Toxicogenomics Database with the BioXM Knowledge Management Environment.
August 11, 2008... Biomax Informatics and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDI) announced that Biomax will integrate MDI's Comparative Toxicogenomics Database(TM) (CTD(TM)) into the BioXM(TM) Knowledge Management Environment. CTD is a valuable,...

Dispensing Solutions Acquires Redi Rx from Diversified Healthcare Services, Inc.
August 11, 2008... Dispensing Solutions, Inc. (DSI), announced that it has acquired the Redi Rx point of care dispensing business unit of Diversified Healthcare Services, Inc. Operations will be consolidated into DSI's Santa Ana, California headquarters. The Redi...

BioPharm America Unveils Conference Program.(Conference news)
August 11, 2008... With only two months until the start of BioPharm America(TM) in Atlanta, September 9-10, 2008, EBD Group announced the conference's program highlights covering a wide selection of important industry topics (see also EBD Group). The eagerly...

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Announces 2008 Second Quarter Results.(Financial report)
August 11, 2008... Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings (LabCorp(R)) (NYSE: LH) announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 (see also Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings LabCorp). Second Quarter Results Net earnings were $104.2...

PharMerica Corporation Announces Results of 2008 Annual Meeting.(Financial report)
August 11, 2008... PharMerica Corporation (NYSE:PMC) announced the results of today's 2008 annual meeting of stockholders (see also PharMerica Corporation). At the annual meeting of stockholders, W. Robert Dahl, Jr. was elected to the Board of Directors. Mr....

Hospitals and Healthcare Providers to Save with Premier Chart Paper, Related Products Agreements.
August 11, 2008... Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, announced new agreements for chart paper and related products have been awarded to Covidien of Mansfield, Mass., and Print Media Inc. of Miami (see also Premier Inc.). The 36-month agreements, effective...

Center for Health Value Innovation Considers Emerging Trends.
August 11, 2008... During a recent gathering of the board of directors of The Center for Health Value Innovation (www.vbhealth.org), the nation's premier organization dedicated to establishing value and producing evidence for sustainable health and financial...

United Health Programs of America Signs Exclusive Agreement To Distribute CallMD.
August 11, 2008... United Health Programs of America (UHP), the nation's leading discount medical provider organization and provider of cost containment programs for the healthcare marketplace, announced the company has executed an exclusive agreement with...

Vertical*i Achieves Record Growth in Sales Orders for the First Half of 2008.
August 11, 2008... Vertical*i, a leading provider of innovation management solutions reports strong growth for the 2nd quarter of 2008 (see also Vertical*i). Vertical*i is leading the field in enabling key business activities such as Open Innovation, Deal...

Human brains pay a price for being big.
August 18, 2008... Metabolic changes responsible for the evolution of our unique cognitive abilities indicate that the brain may have been pushed to the limit of its capabilities. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology adds...

Analysis of quickly stopped Rx orders provides new tool for reducing medical errors.
August 18, 2008... By studying medication orders that are withdrawn ("discontinued") by physicians within 45 minutes of their origination, researchers at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated a systematic and efficient method of...

Scientists a step closer to producing fuel from bacteria.
August 18, 2008... Scientists at the University of Sheffield have shown how bacteria could be used as a future fuel. The research, published in the journal Bioinformatics, could have significant implications for the environment and the way we produce sustainable...

Key site in iron metabolism aids in diagnosing anemia of chronic disease.
August 18, 2008... University of Utah School of Medicine researchers have developed a new tool that facilitates diagnosis of anemia related to chronic illness, as well as diseases of iron overload. The results of a study detailing the new tool are published in...

Research reveals why some smokers become addicted with their first cigarette.(Report)
August 18, 2008... New research from The University of Western Ontario reveals how the brain processes the 'rewarding' and addictive properties of nicotine, providing a better understanding of why some people seemingly become hooked with their first smoke. The...

American Medical Alert Corp. Issues Guidance for Fiscal 2008.
August 18, 2008... American Medical Alert Corp. (Nasdaq: AMAC) announced that based on the continued strong performance of its two business segments, the Company projects that gross revenues, consisting primarily of monthly recurring revenue (MRR), will increase...

Amerinet Member Conferences Attract Record Crowds in 2008.(Conference news)
August 18, 2008... With a continued emphasis on activities vital to healthcare providers and suppliers alike, Amerinet's recently completed 2008 Member Conferences drew a record number of Amerinet members and supplier professionals (see also Amerinet). The...

Amerinet Takes Leadership Role To Standardize Healthcare Supply Chain.
August 18, 2008... Amerinet today affirmed its commitment to proactively partner with its customers - both providers and suppliers - to adopt and continue to implement GS1 healthcare standards with a focus on driving costs out of the supply chain. GS1 is an...

Representative Eshoo Honored as BIO Legislator of the Year.
August 18, 2008... BayBio, which represents Northern California's life sciences industry, today congratulated Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) as BIO's Legislator of the Year for 2007-2008 (see also BayBio). "As she represents the most life sciences-intensive...

BioReliance Announces Record Adoption Level of iNet Electronic Sample Submission and Tracking System.
August 18, 2008... BioReliance announced that iNet(TM), the company's new electronic sample submission and study tracking system that allows clients to track their test article submissions and review project status, has recently achieved a 66% utilization rate...

HealthTronics Proposes Acquisition of Endocare for $2.28 Per Share in Cash.
August 18, 2008... HealthTronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTRN), announced that it has made a proposal to the Endocare, Inc. Board of Directors to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Endocare (NASDAQ: ENDO) for $2.28 for each outstanding common share of...

Herbalife Board of Directors Approves Quarterly Dividend.
August 18, 2008... Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) reported that its board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share to shareholders of record effective August 27, 2008, payable on September 10, 2008 (see also Herbalife Ltd.). The company...

Illumina Announces 3.5 Million Share Public Offering.
August 18, 2008... Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced that it has filed a preliminary prospectus supplement to a shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed public offering of 3,500,000 shares of its common...

Illumina to Present at the Leerink Swann Life Science Tools Roundtable Conference.(Conference news)
August 18, 2008... Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced that the Company will webcast its presentation at the Leerink Swann Life Science Tools Roundtable Conference on Thursday, August 7, 2008 in New York, NY. The live webcast is scheduled to begin at 10:40am...

Immunicon Corporation Completes Sale.
August 18, 2008... Immunicon Corporation (OTCBB:IMMC.OB) announced that Immunicon Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries completed their previously announced sale of substantially all of their assets to Veridex, LLC ("Veridex") in a sale conducted under...

Medical Action Industries Reports Record Revenues for the Fiscal 2009 First Quarter.
August 18, 2008... Medical Action Industries Inc. (NASDAQ/MDCI), a leading supplier of medical and surgical disposable products, reported record revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2008 (see also Medical Action Industries Inc.). Net sales for the...

RBC Life Sciences Reports Second Quarter Results.(Financial report)
August 18, 2008... RBC Life Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: RBCL) reported net sales of $6.89 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 compared to net sales of $7.15 million for the same period last year. The Company's net earnings in the second quarter of 2008 were...

Techalt, Inc. SRO's Appearance at the 2008 National Athletic Trainers Association Annual Meeting in St. Louis Deemed Huge Success.
August 18, 2008... Techalt, Inc. (Pink Sheets: TCLT) ("Techalt" or the "Company") announced that Stan's Rodeo Ointment's ("SRO") first standalone appearance at the National Athletic Trainers Association ("NATA") Convention June 17 -21, 2008, was well received by...

US Aircraft Carrier, the Ronald Reagan, Sets Sail for Gulf Deployment with Techalt's Stan's Rodeo Ointment.
August 18, 2008... Techalt, Inc. (Pink Sheets: TCLT) ("Techalt" or the "Company") announced that Navy personal aboard the USS Ronald Reagan are using its' product, Stan's Rodeo Ointment ("SRO"), as a healing ointment to repair abrasions incurred in connection...

Zynx Health Accelerates Standardization of Order Sets at Christiana Care Health System.
August 18, 2008... Christiana Care Health System, Delaware's largest not-for-profit healthcare provider, announced it has met an ambitious goal for building evidence-based order sets with help from Zynx Health, the leader in evidence-based healthcare (see also...

Sound adds speed to visual perception.
August 25, 2008... The traditional view of individual brain areas involved in perception of different sensory stimuliui.e., one brain region involved in hearing and another involved in seeinguhas been thrown into doubt in recent years. A new study published in...

Cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity linked to persistent addictive behaviors.
August 25, 2008... The persistent nature of addiction is its most devastating feature. Understanding the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is the key for designing efficient therapy. Two separate studies published by Cell Press is the August 14 issue of the...

Anything but modest: the mouse continues to contribute to humankind.
August 25, 2008... Cambridge, UK, 07 August 2008 - "Big things come in small packages," the saying goes, and it couldn't be more true when discussing the mouse. This little creature has become a crucial part of human history through its contributions in...

Cocaine addiction linked to voluntary drug use and cellular memory, UCSF study shows.
August 25, 2008... Rats that voluntarily use cocaine show a persistent cellular memory in the brain's reward center even after several months of abstinence from the drug, while their involuntary counterparts had no such memory, according to a new study by...

UCSF study shows sharp national rise in skin infections, MRSA suspected.
August 25, 2008... A national analysis of physician office and emergency department records shows that the types of skin infections caused by community-acquired MRSA doubled in the eight-year study period, with the highest rates seen among children and in urban...

Ferro Corporation Announces Revised Pricing and Extension of Expiration Date for Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation.
August 25, 2008... Ferro Corporation (NYSE: FOE) ("the Company"), announced the revised tender offer consideration and the revised total consideration to be paid in connection with the offer to purchase all of its outstanding 9 1/8% Senior Notes due in January...

Findings from Y. Zeldin et al in allergies reported.
August 25, 2008... "Patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and perennial allergen sensitization are at increased risk for asthma. To determine the allergic profile of patients with clinical AR in regions of the coastal Mediterranean compared with the inland...

Reports summarize allergies research from J.M. Maloney and co-authors.(Report)
August 25, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "The gold standard for diagnosing food allergy is the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge. Diagnostic food-specific IgE levels might assist in diagnosing food allergies and circumventing...

Researchers at University of Southampton have published new data on allergies.
August 25, 2008... According to recent research from Southampton, the United Kingdom, "With the increasing prevalence of allergies, accurate identification of allergens is a major priority for allergists, scientists, the food industry, and food regulators....

Scientists at University of Groningen publish research in allergies.
August 25, 2008... According to a study from Netherlands, "Food allergy can affect health-related quality of life (HRQL). Currently, no validated, self-administered, disease-specific HRQL questionnaire for adolescents with food allergy exists." "We sought to...

Study findings on allergies are outlined in reports from Korea University.
August 25, 2008... According to a study from Seoul, South Korea, "Although the complement anaphylatoxin peptides, complement anaphylatoxin 3a (C3a) and complement anaphylatoxin 5a (C5a), are implicated in the inflammatory process in allergic rhinitis, a direct...

Biltmore Who's Who Selects Charles Studebaker as an Honored Member of the Prestigious Executive and Professional Registry.
August 25, 2008... Charles Studebaker, President & CEO of Enhanced Life Styles Training Facility Inc., Columbus, Ohio, has been selected as an Honored Member of the Biltmore Who's Who Executive and Professional Registry. The selection recognizes Charles...

ETLT Announces Second Quarter Report.(Financial report)
August 25, 2008... Eternal Technologies Group, Inc. (OTCBB:ETLT) reported earnings for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2008 (see also Eternal Technologies Group, Inc.). For the three months ended June 30, 2008 the company reported revenues of...

"Business As Usual" Is Good Enough In 2008, According To Feed-back.com's Latest Research.
August 25, 2008... Economic factors and high gas prices may be slowing demand for aesthetic and cosmetic services, despite industry participants' robust January 2008 forecasts to the contrary. Preliminary findings from Feed-back.com's (www.Feed-back.com) national...

Ferro Corporation Announces $150 Million Convertible Debt Offering.
August 25, 2008... Ferro Corporation (NYSE: FOE) (the "Company") announced that it is commencing an underwritten public offering of $150 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2013 (the "Convertible Notes") under its shelf registration...

Five Star Sues Sunrise.
August 25, 2008... Five Star Quality Care, Inc. (AMEX: FVE) announced that it has commenced litigation against Sunrise Senior Living (NYSE: SRZ). The purpose of this litigation is to require Sunrise to account to Five Star for excess charges by Sunrise insurance...

Med Gen's FabULust To Air In EU & North Africa.
August 25, 2008... Med Gen Inc. (OTCBB:MDIN), manufacturers of nationally branded OTC healthier life products reports on a 30 Minute Infomercial featuring spokesperson Sunset Thomas pitching Med Gen's newest product, FabULust(R) to 110 million households via a...

PatientKeeper Closes $7.5 Million Round of Financing to Support Rapid Growth, R&D.
August 25, 2008... PatientKeeper(R), Inc., the leading developer of physician information systems, announced that it has closed a $7.5 million round of funding. The round was led by new investor Flybridge Capital Partners and included existing leading healthcare...

Wingspan's DocWay Suite Supports Documentum 6.5.
August 25, 2008... Wingspan Technology, Inc., the leading provider of Documentum to SharePoint integration tools, announced that its DocWay product line supports EMC's Documentum 6.5 (see also Wingspan Technology, Inc.). DocWay 6 for SharePoint DocWay...