Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about healthcare.
Y chromosome tied to heart disease. We’re all encouraged to go red for women this month, but here’s a little heart news for the men. The Y chromosome, unique to men, may be a factor in heart disease, lending some explanation as to why more men develop the disease than women. In a British study, researchers found that men with a certain variant of a cluster of genes on their Y chromosome had a 50 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of factors like cholesterol, smoking and diabetes.
Most influential biopharma leaders. It’s hard work and a little risky to put together an industry list of “best of”s, or “top” people or products. (As our writers who put together the best Mayo Clinic and best Cleveland Clinic doctors stories would know). Fierce Biotech put together its bold, annual list of “most influential people in biopharma” list. Do you agree with their choices?
Making access to Plan B too easy? The morning-after pill is available without a prescription for anyone over 17, but has Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania taken it too far? The university sells emergency contraceptive for $25 from a vending machine in its student health center. And the controversy begins…
Panel turns down Xgeva for prostate cancer. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted against extending the approved use of Amgen’s Xgeva to prevent the spread of prostate cancer to surrounding bones on Wednesday, saying the benefits of the drug for this use didn’t outweigh the risks, which included bone disease in some of the patients.
Digital health makes Super Bowl cameos. You may not have noticed it, but new digital health devices were part of the Super Bowl this year. For example, a Patriots running back wore a chin strap that monitored the impact of hits during the game, and the Jawbone UP, a wristband and iPhone app system that tracks your daily activity , was spotted in this Best Buy commercial.
Canine cancer research. Dogs age quicker than humans but have lots of biological similarities to humans. Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs. So it turns out, we’re learning a lot about cancer in humans by studying how it works in dogs. A consortium of vets and, independently, cancer institutions like the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, are working with canines to develop better strategies for preventing and treating human cancer.
By Deanna Pogorelc MedCity News
Deanna Pogorelc is a Cleveland-based reporter who writes obsessively about life science startups across the country, looking to technology transfer offices, startup incubators and investment funds to see what’s next in healthcare. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ball State University and previously covered business and education for a northeast Indiana newspaper.More posts by Author
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