Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about the healthcare industry.
FDA limitin’ statin: The Food and Drug Administration is worried that Zocor (simvastain) may increase the risk of muscle damage when taken in the highest doses. The agency has called for a label warning and is recommending that patients taking the cholesterol-reducing drug for the very first time should not be prescribed the 80 milligrams-per-day dose. Only those who have been taking it for over a year without any muscle problems should be on the highest dose.
WellPoint acquires CareMore: Indianapolis Indiana-based health insurer WellPoint is acquiring California-based CareMore which provides managed care to about 54,000 elderly people. The price tag: $800 million, according to the New York Times.
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Judges question individual mandate in Obamacare: A federal appeals panel asked pointed questions about the healthcare law and a particular sticking point that requires that all Americans must carry health insurance. But the panel of judges also were receptive to the government’s position that healthcare market is complex and different from other industries needing regulation.
Arsenic and good old chicken: A drug farmers use in chicken feed is being taken off the market after FDA scientists found that livers of animals contained a potentially carcinogenic form of arsenic. Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer, is voluntarily suspending sales of the drug 3-Nitro.
Numerous small genetic factors contribute to autism: Not one or two major genetic variations but many hundreds is tied to autism, a new study has found.
Moximed raises a whopping $43.3 million: Moximed, a California company which has developed a minimally invasive knee implant to treat osteoarthritis, has raised $43.3 million. Investors of the company mentioned on its website are New Enterprise Associates and Morgenthaler Ventures.