Highlights of the important and interesting in the world of healthcare:
ImClone II: bigger, broader, faster. Samuel D. Waksal, the former chief executive of biotechnology company ImClone Systems who spent five years in federal prison for insider trading is mounting an audacious effort at redemption, again in biotechnology, the New York Times reports.
CRNAs can work without docs. A California judge has ruled that certified registered nurse anesthetists can work without physician supervision, a move that could jeopardize patient safety, according to American Medical News.
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.
A looming catastophe? If Congress doesn’t block looming Medicare payment cuts to doctors, “this will be a catastrophe,” says Cecil B. Wilson, an internist from Winter Park, Florida, who is American Medical Association president in a Kaiser Health News report.
Cancer discovery may be retracted. A discovery by Dr. Anil Potti touted by Duke University as a major leap in using genetics to prolong the lives of cancer patients is likely to be retracted, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Americans using fewer medical services. Cigna’s third quarter earnings provide the latest evidence that Americans are cutting back in their use of medical services, which for Cigna and other health insurers, is a good thing, according to the Wall Street Journal Health blog.
Pacific Biosciences goes IPO. Pacific Biosciences in Menlo Park, California, has completed a $200 million IPO, raising money from skittish investors who see it as a technology play, as well as one for drug development, according to the Burrill Report.
