Covidien brain device elicits FDA warning (Weekend Rounds)

A review of life science current events reported by MedCity News this week:

FDA issues warning about Covidien brain device that has killed 9. Covidien spokesman David Young said that the company is cooperating with the FDA to correct the problem of labeling immediately. However, he declined to say how many patients have undergone the procedure, which was approved in 2005.

GSK to pay $3B in historic fraud settlement over Paxil, Wellbutrin & Avandia. The pharmaceuticals manufacturer has not only agreed to fork over the record sum, but will also plead guilty “to resolve its criminal and civil liability arising from the company’s unlawful promotion of certain prescription drugs, its failure to report certain safety data, and its civil liability for alleged false price reporting practices,” the Justice Department announced Monday.

These 5 states will have the most healthcare jobs between 2010 and 2020. A new detailed study on the healthcare industry in all 50 states conducted by the Center on Education and the Workforce by Georgetown University shows that between 2010 and 2020, the states that will have the largest number of healthcare job openings are California, Texas, New York, Florida and Ohio.

Report forecasts 5 years of growth for cloud computing in healthcare. The need to reduce costs, store data and share information has pushed hospitals and physician practices to adopt the use of the cloud in certain applications like radiology, electronic medical records and clinical workflow. Some within the industry have suggested that advances in genome sequencing will give way greater use of the cloud in areas of research, development and clinical trial management, making it an increasingly important element of R&D.

Pharma reviving Boehringer’s female sexual dysfunction drug gets $17.6M. Using a compound that Boehringer Ingelheim abandoned two years ago, Sprout Pharmaceuticals is taking a $20 million step toward developing a drug therapy specifically for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women.

[Photo from koratmember]

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