New gene test could help direct breast cancer treatment (Morning Read)

Current medical news from today, including a new gene test shows promise in early-stage breast cancer patients, evidence against a nursing shortage, and dozens of stem cell trials move along.

Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about healthcare.

Breast cancer test could save money on therapy. A new gene test for women with breast cancer could help predict which breast tumors are aggressive and which are slow-growing, allowing doctors to make more educated breast cancer treatment plans. Made by Genomic Health, the test could be used in the more than 45,000 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosed each year and is expected to be available by the end of the year.

What nursing shortage? Despite earlier studies that predicted a severe shortage in nurses, researchers are now saying that the number of young adults entering the field of nursing is on track to become higher than ever before. The number of young adults age 23 to 26 entering nursing increased 62 percent from 2002 to 2009.

Stem cell trials moving along. A new Reuters article highlights some of the dozens of adult stem cell treatments that are showing early success in clinical trials, many of them focusing on heart disease and inflammatory conditions. Some leaders in the field see hope that treatments will reach the market within the next five years.

Takeda takes on vaccines. Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the largest pharmaceuticals company in Japan and Asia and one of the top 15 in the U.S., will create a vaccine development division in 2012. It will be led by Rajeev Venkayya, the director of vaccine delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and will include vaccines the company is already testing in Japan for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), polio, HPV and influenza.

Senators says firms have fears over merger. The head of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel, Sen. Herb Kohl, is saying the big firms who are opposed to the proposed $26 billion Medco Health-Express Scripts Inc. merger have declined to say so publicly over fear of retaliation. The proposed merger would give the prescription drug benefit managers 60 percent of the U.S. mail order prescription drug business and half of the specialty drug market, he said.

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