Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about healthcare.
Genentech leader now sits atop Apple board. Apple’s new chairman is a familiar face in biotech — it’s former Genentech CEO Art Levinson, who also remains chairman of the company he led for 14 years as it saw the approval of blockbuster drugs Herceptin and Avastin. Former Apple Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs appointed Levinson to Apple’s board of directors in 2000.
J&J’s toxic chemicals. Johnson & Johnson is finally answering calls to remove traces of potentially cancer-causing chemicals from its baby shampoo. The company said Wednesday it will remove quarternium-15 from all of its baby products within two years, and sooner for baby shampoo.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
Panel backs Prevnar. An advisory panel says Pfizer’s vaccine for bacterial infection that causes pneumonia is OK for use in patients over 50, a population that could boost the drug’s sales by $2 million in 2015. The FDA is expected to make the final decision on Prevnar at the beginning of next year.
More healthcare collaboration in 2012. In 2012, more healthcare institutions will pursue collaborative business arrangements due to uncertainty surrounding healthcare reform and the economy, says PwC Health Research Institute, and more providers and insurers will come together to form integrated healthcare models.
Diabetes monitoring goes mobile. A new device that transmits glucose readings to AT&T cellphones in the U.S. and Canada recently won FDA approval. PositiveID’s iGlucose also allows those readings to be shared with family members or healthcare providers. A similar 3G-enabled glucose device from Telecare won approval earlier this year.
