ANNOUNCEMENT

MedCity CONVERGE July 9-10 in Philly gathers payers, providers, medtech, pharma, digital health, policymakers & more.

Mary Vanac

Mary Vanac

Mary Vanac is a co-founder of MedCity News.

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Big insurers gulp health info firms. Who’s left? (Morning Read)

Big insurers gulp health info firms. Who’s left? (Morning Read)

December 9, 2010 9:41 am by | 0 Comments

With Aetna picking up health information exchange vendor Medicity for $500 million earlier this week, and Unitedhealth Group's Ingenix buying Medicity's top competitor, Axolotl, earlier this year, the HIE market ... Read more
Blame Medicare, not insurers, for rising costs (Morning Read)

Blame Medicare, not insurers, for rising costs (Morning Read)

December 8, 2010 9:38 am by | 0 Comments

Health spending continues to be a concern in America, with projections as high as $4.5 trillion by 2019. But a new study in the journal Health Affairs suggests that we ... Read more
Sagent plans $100M IPO for generic injectables (Morning Read)

Sagent plans $100M IPO for generic injectables (Morning Read)

December 7, 2010 8:44 am by | 0 Comments

Sagent Holding Co., the Schaumburg, Illinois, company that is developing generic injectable pharmaceuticals, has filed for a $100 million initial public offering just as a host of drug companies tap ... Read more
Stryker selling controversial bone growth line for $60M

Stryker selling controversial bone growth line for $60M

December 6, 2010 8:03 pm by | 0 Comments

Orthopedics company Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) has agreed to sell a product line including the bone growth putty that has caused the company so much legal grief to Olympus Corp. for ... Read more
Kindler out, biopharma head Read in, at Pfizer (Morning Read)

Kindler out, biopharma head Read in, at Pfizer (Morning Read)

December 6, 2010 8:47 am by | 0 Comments

Jeff Kindler, a lawyer tapped as a fresh face to lead drugmaker Pfizer out of its dodrums, is out, after just a little over four years as chairman and chief ... Read more
Medtronic, BostonSci win early bets on startups (Weekend Rounds)

Medtronic, BostonSci win early bets on startups (Weekend Rounds)

December 4, 2010 9:04 am by | 0 Comments

As competition for medical device acquisitions heats up, Medtronic Inc. and Boston Scientific Corp. are redeeming early bets on promising startups, and Ireland's technology economy falls on hard times. ... Read more
Post-health reform reality: living with less? (Morning Read)

Post-health reform reality: living with less? (Morning Read)

December 3, 2010 8:48 am by | 0 Comments

While questioning each other's money-making techniques, the chiefs of Massachusetts' most prominent hospital network and private health insurer agreed that controlling soaring healthcare costs begins with a shift in thinking: ... Read more
St. Jude Medical reintroduces neurostim device for back pain

St. Jude Medical reintroduces neurostim device for back pain

December 2, 2010 2:54 pm by | 0 Comments

St. Jude Medical Inc. (NYSE:STJ) reintroduced physicians at the North American Neuromodulation Society meeting in Las Vegas today to its Penta surgical lead for neurostimulation therapy. Since last year's society ... Read more
Medtronic gets FDA nod for screws to treat adolescent scoliosis

Medtronic gets FDA nod for screws to treat adolescent scoliosis

December 2, 2010 12:43 pm by | 0 Comments

Spinal device leader Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) has received Food and Drug Administration approval to use its CD Horizon vertebral bone screw system to treat scoliosis that develops during adolescence. ... Read more
‘No’ vote on broader labels for prostate drugs (Morning Read)

‘No’ vote on broader labels for prostate drugs (Morning Read)

December 2, 2010 8:46 am by | 0 Comments

Would the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommend that the labels of two drugs -- dutasteride, made by GlaxoSmithKline and sold as Avodart; and finasteride, a generic made by ... Read more
Reform demands sacrifices from health industry (Morning Read)

Reform demands sacrifices from health industry (Morning Read)

December 1, 2010 7:42 am by | 0 Comments

Efforts to rein in rapidly rising healthcare costs will require new team-based payment and delivery approaches, which would demand sacrifices from hospitals, doctors and insurers, according to the Boston Globe. ... Read more
Inspire Medical gets regulator OKs for sleep apnea therapy

Inspire Medical gets regulator OKs for sleep apnea therapy

November 30, 2010 6:36 pm by | 0 Comments

Medtronic Inc. spinout Inspire Medical Systems Inc. has received the go-ahead from regulators to sell its obstructive sleep apnea device in Europe and test it for the U.S. market. ... Read more
Who’s afraid of ObamaCare? (Morning Read)

Who’s afraid of ObamaCare? (Morning Read)

November 30, 2010 8:42 am by | 1 Comments

President Barack Obama, in a wide-ranging, reflective interview with Barbara Walters, staunchly defended his controversial policies -- including sweeping healthcare reforms -- as bold but necessary steps to help transform ... Read more
Republican version of health insurance reform? (Morning Read)

Republican version of health insurance reform? (Morning Read)

November 29, 2010 8:45 am by | 0 Comments

What if a Republican governor and a Republican legislature implemented their version of health insurance reform for which the federal government would pay? It's a great idea. And I'm thrilled ... Read more
Galleon Pharma raises $10M for COPD, apnea (Weekend Rounds)

Galleon Pharma raises $10M for COPD, apnea (Weekend Rounds)

November 27, 2010 11:26 am by | 0 Comments

In Weekend Rounds: Galleon Pharmaceuticals in suburban Philadelphia raises $10 million for medicines to treat breathing control conditions like sleep apnea and COPD, and Medtronic is a company in transition. ... Read more