To improve drug development, it’s time to rethink clinical trial site engagement
Patient centricity starts and ends with the investigative site, but better site engagement is needed as the clinical research landscape continues to grow in complexity.
Sanofi-Aventis seeks suitor for U.S. business (Morning Read)
Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about the healthcare industry. Sanofi-Aventis seeks suitor: France’s biggest drug manufacturer is reportedly on the hunt for a buyer for its U.S. dermatology business. This news comes a week after the company completed the acquisition of Genzyme Corp., whose products treat rare genetic disorders, […]
Dealmaking machine Sanofi to buy Avila for $800M (Morning Read)
The dealmaking machine that is Sanofi-Aventis is at it again, signing an oncology drug pact with Avila Therapeutics in Waltham, Massachusetts, worth $40 million up front and up to $154 million in milestone payments per program. Overall, the deal is valued at $800 million, according to FierceBiotech.
In-vitro fertilization pioneer wins Nobel Prize (Morning Read)
Robert Edwards of Britain, an 85-year-old professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge who started working on in-vitro fertilization as early as the 1950s, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for developing the breakthrough that has helped millions of infertile couples worldwide have children, according to the Associated Press in the Washington Post.
What’s the most stressful job in healthcare? (Morning Read)
That'd be medical resident, according to the Christian Science Monitor, which includes the job at No. 5 on its list of the most stressful.
Do any doctors want to practice in rural America? (Morning Read)
A $1 billion effort by the Obama administration to relieve the physician shortage in rural America by subsidizing med school debt for young physicians is running up against a problem--not in attracting docs in the first place, but keeping them there once their initial three-to-five-year commitment is up.
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.
Trius Therapeutics: Another lackluster biotech IPO (Morning Read)
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare: Another lackluster biotech IPO: Although shares of Trius Therapeutics closed flat on the anti-infective drug developer’s first day of trading, no matter what happened the company’s public debut has to be considered a disappointment. After hoping for a price of $12 to $14 […]
RIM’s BlackPad: The next iPad rival (Morning Read)
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare: Introducing the BlackPad: Research In Motion, makers of the Blackberry, are expected in November to unveil a tablet computer called the BlackPad that could battle the iPad for supremacy in the very young healthcare tablet space. The tablet will be closely integrated with […]
Most seniors don’t understand health reform (Morning Read)
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare: Most seniors don’t understand health reform: A survey by the National Council on Aging showed that only 17 percent of seniors could correctly answer even half of 12 questions about key provisions of the health reform law. Worse, only 14 percent knew that […]
Is Genzyme on the block? (Morning Read)
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare: Is Genzyme on the block? A report that GlaxoSmithKline “casually requested” that Genzyme let it know if the latter ever puts itself up for sale has created a bit of a buzz, even if it’s unlikely GSK would be interested in pulling the […]
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Morning Read: What do May venture dollar flurries bring?
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare: May ends with flurry of new venture dollars: Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) made the biggest investment during the month, putting $70 million in Israeli medical device company BioControl Medical. Also receiving fresh cash: Boston-based Tesaro secured $60 million in start-up funding; NOXXON Pharma of […]
Morning Read: Some good pharma news (finally)
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare: Finally! Some good pharma news: Amid what seems like an endless cascade of merger-inspired Big Pharma layoffs, one bright spot has emerged. Generic drugmaker Watson Pharmaceutics plans to double to 500 its employees in New Jersey over the next few years. It may […]
Sanolfi-Aventis’ tempting $3,000 offer
It’s very generous of Sanolfi-Aventis’s marketing department to make this offer (pdf) for me to serve as an “advisor” for dronedarone today, but seriously, I was a bit skeptical that they wanted my “feedback on the reasons for and against utlilization of Multaq® in the appropriate patient as well as to understand communication and educational […]
Morning Read: It’s not just the health insurers
Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of health care: It’s not just the health insurers: Health insurance companies do a lot of things that justifiably raise the anger of the American public: rescissions, denials of claims for pre-existing conditions and life-time spending caps, to name just a few. All of these […]
Predicting the next biotech IPO: MedCity Morning Read, Nov. 25, 2009
After Boston's Ironwood Pharmaceuticals filed Tuesday for an initial public offering, some industry observers take a stab at predicting the the five most-likely candidates to file for IPOs next. Sadly for Midwesterners, all five are from the coasts.