TOP STORIES
In the first earnings report since it went public Fitbit sales surged to $400 million in the second quarter compared with $113 million for the same period last year. It also recorded profits of $17.7 million. It also sold 4.5 million of its wearables in the second quarter. — The Wall Street Journal
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and potentially have a shorter lifespan? According to new research, eating spicy food could allow us to live longer, thanks to the effects from capsaicin, the bioactive ingredient in chili peppers.
“There is accumulating evidence from mostly experimental research to show the benefit of spices or their active components on human health,” said Lu Qi, an associate professor at Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the study which was published this week in the BMJ. — CNN
LIFE SCIENCES
Mevion Medical Systems recently set aside plans for a $69 million initial public offering. This week, the company that created the S250 proton therapy system, said it raised $200 million from a syndicate of Chinese and U.S. investors and launched a joint venture in the People’s Republic.
“Those [new] investors, just like our other investors, at some point will want a liquidity event,” President & CEO Joe Jachinowski explained. “It’s definite that we will be looking at an IPO in the future. This just gives us an opportunity to grow the company a bit more privately and hopefully be ready for even a bigger IPO down the road. — MassDevice
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Lpath, Inc. has announced the FDA approval of Lpathomab, an antibody targeting lysophosphatidic acid, or LPA, a bioactive lipid that has been characterized as playing a key role in nerve injury and neuropathic pain. — Drugs.com
Cloud Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a therapeutics company focused on cloud-based drug design and development, has entered a partnership agreement with Genomeon, a startup genomic diagnostic and drug target discovery company.
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
The American Heart Association and Aramark, the largest U.S.-based food service provider, have embarked on a new initiative to empower Americans to make better food choices. The changes will impact more than 2 billion meals that Aramark serves annually at thousands of schools and universities, businesses, hospitals, sports and entertainment venues, parks and other destinations
Healthy for Life® 20 by 20, a five year initiative, introduces industry leading menu commitments by reducing calories, saturated fat and sodium levels 20 percent, and increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains 20 percent. — PR Newswire
TECH
A mobile health medication inquiry system (MIS) can not only reduce errors but also bolster adherence.
Researchers see MIS as an ideal means of reducing medication errors and boosting patient engagement through home health monitoring. Indeed, the so-called “patient-centered medication safeguard” could be a valuable tool for providers who deal with the millions of patients who take multiple medications each day to manage conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, COPD, heart disease and diabetes. — Healthcare IT News
POLITICS
In response to mass gun shootings in each senator’s state that were carried out by people with mental health issues, Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) have introduced a bipartisan mental health reform bill. — The Hill
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
National Geographic, makers of Atlas of the World maps, has decided to change its depictions to reflect the current effects of climate change.
Together with cartographer Rosemary Wardley, Juan José Valdés, Director of Editorial and Cartographic Research at National Geographic, created a new, altered map of the Arctic using NASA’s 30-year-long study of the Arctic ice and recorded information from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. — IFL Science
Photo: Flickr user lets.book
