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Morning Read: FDA approves the first 3D printed drug, OraSure Ebola test gets FDA Emergency Use Authorization

The FDA has approved a 3D-printed drug designed to treat epileptics, OraSure Technologies' Ebola test gets emergency use authorization.

 

TOP STORIES

The FDA has approved the first 3D printed drug, this one for epilepsy.  Aprecia Pharmaceuticals’ individually dosed tablets were produced using a layering technique called ZipDose. It is a form of 3D printing a porous formulation of a drug that’s designed to dissolve on contact with liquid. The idea is to make it easier for epilepsy patients to swallow the drug. SPRITAM (levetiracetam) is used as a therapy for epileptics to help control partial onset seizures and myoclonic seizures. Medgadget, Cincinnati Business Courier

OraSure Technologies said it received Emergency Use Authorization from the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its OraQuick Ebola Rapid Antigen Test. The fingerstick test has not yet been cleared or approved by the FDA.

The emergency authorization is part of a declaration made by the Secretary for the
Department of Health and Human Services one year ago that circumstances exist to justify the emergency use of in vitro diagnostic tests for the detection of Ebola virus. The test can be used in laboratories and facilities equipped, trained, and capable of testing for Ebola infection, as well as treatment centers and public health clinics. — OraSure Technologies

LIFE SCIENCE

A new prescription treatment for the common skin condition rosacea, Bayer HealthCare’s Finacea Foam, was approved on by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The approval is based on the results of two 12-week clinical trials that included more than 1,300 people, aged 19 to 92. Finacea Foam will be available by prescription only beginning in September, according to Bayer. Drugs.com

Here’s a look at drug patent expiration dates set for August of this year.

Biotech Blog

PAYERS-PROVIDERS

Physicians in Europe have mixed feels about digital health according to a new report from Ipsos Healthcare. About 72 percent of doctors surveyed in the UK, Germany and France said they have used or recommended an app, online forum or wearable technology in the past year. Four of every five doctors see digital health tools as more than just a fad or trend. But more than one-fourth disagreed that mobile technology would replace routine checkups for patients with chronic conditions under control or that apps were key to improving adherence.

— mHealth News

A first-in-the-nation program aimed at controlling costs and improving healthcare for some of Massachusetts’ poorest and sickest residents, which involves three insurers, lost a combined $54 million in 18 months. It dealt a setback to the state’s efforts to control rising medical spending through more coordinated care.

“This is a very expensive experiment — at public expense,” said Al Norman, executive director of Mass Home Care, a network of nonprofit agencies monitoring the program. “I don’t think we can say a lot about health outcomes, but there’s a whole lot of spending going on here.”

Boston Globe

TECH

A new study shows how the use of the iPad in medical education has worked at UC Irvine. The results look good. iMedicalApps

WebMD CEO David Schlanger has stated that the site’s content will be moving to focus more on social media.

“In the digital ecosystem it’s become clear that people are using social platforms as means to do more than just connect with their friends and family, but really as destinations to find information and consume information,” he said. “So we want to make sure that WebMD content is discoverable and can be consumed on the social platforms. That’s an important strategy to make sure that we grow deeper engagement with our existing users and bring in more users to using WebMD and Medscape as content sources.”  Mobihealthnews

POLITICS

Planned Parenthood is now officially the focus of the showdown in the U.S. Senate as congressional Republicans are trying to cut off Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. Reuters

According to a new poll from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, only 30 percent of people with insurance through ObamaCare’s marketplaces are satisfied with their plans.

That compares with 42 percent satisfaction from people with employer-sponsored plans, 48 percent with Medicaid and 58 percent with Medicare.

Cost is the most common reason cited for the dissatisfaction with ObamaCare. Republicans have attacked the high deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses under the system. The Hill

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA

When do young kids learn how to distinguish what joking is?

New research, which appears in Cognitive Science, finds parents can offer explicit cues to help distinguish between joke and pretend intention contexts, and children, even as young as 16 months old, pick up on those cues. Futurity

Photo: Flickr user Richard Walker

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