SD HEALTHCARE
Recent and archived news stories on: Biotechnology, Doctors, Drugs, Health Insurance, HMO's/PPO's, Hospitals, Medical Devices, Nursing...Apricus Names CEO
Apricus Biosciences Inc. announced recently that it has a new chief executive officer: Richard Pascoe.
Quidel Corp. Receives FDA Clearance for Virus Detection Test
San Diego-based diagnostic testing company Quidel Corp. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new respiratory virus detection test.
Acquisition Rumors Remain a Part of Life
BIOTECH: Carlsbad Firm’s Sequencing Work Stokes Suitors’ Interest
Media reports continue to circulate that Life Technologies Corp. is in play for possible acquisition. As the San Diego Business Journal reported in January, global investment firm KKR & Co. and Boston pharmaceutical company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. are still said to be among the top contenders for a takeover of the $10.7 billion life sciences company.
New Firm Founded to Pursue Biologics of Bone Treatments
BIOTECH: PUR Gets A Good Head Start With Histogen’s Technology
Before it became a leading hair-loss treatment, Rogaine was used to lower blood pressure. Scientists found, however, that in addition to controlling blood pressure, the drug made patients markedly hairier.
Companies Find Treatments, Profits in ‘Orphan’ Drug Research
MEDICINE: Local Firms Tackle Market Worth $50B in 2011
A seminal breakthrough in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, a rare and devastating disease, began with a crack team of scientists at San Diego’s Aurora Biosciences Corp. This is a critical example of how private companies have begun to successfully, and profitably, target rare diseases with what are called “orphan drugs.”
Hospice Field Presents Many Challenges to the Players
Healthcare Column
As evidenced by the recent closure of San Diego Hospice, coordinating end-of-life care can be a tricky business. All around the country, hospices are increasingly facing scrutiny from Medicare as federal regulators bore in to cut costs in an overtaxed health care system.
Alphatech Holdings Receives FDA Clearance for Spinal Device
Carlsbad-based Alphatec Holdings Inc. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market and sell its spinal disorder corrective device.
Lithera’s Fat-Reducing Drug Starts 500-Person Clinical Trial
San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company Lithera Inc. is rolling out a 500-patient clinical trial to test its drug that aims to reduce body fat without surgery.
SpineMark Opens First International Spine Center
San Diego-based spinal research organization SpineMark Corp. has opened its first international spine center in Torrevieja, Spain.
Fast-Track Status Given To MediciNova Drug
MEDICINE: Move Encourages Investors, Increases FDA Contact
A drug treating methamphetamine addiction from San Diego pharmaceutical company MediciNova Inc. has been fast tracked for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Japanese Company Buys Althea Technologies Inc.
MEDICINE: Ajinomoto to Expand Pharmaceutical Efforts
Japanese food additive maker Ajinomoto Co. has made its first major foray into the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry by purchasing San Diego’s Althea Technologies Inc. for about $175 million.
Sharp Pioneers Patient Eligibility Process
HEALTH: Study Found That 80 Percent Were Covered
In a fractured health care market, hospitals struggle to find ways to recoup the heavy costs of treating the uninsured. But San Diego’s Sharp HealthCare has pioneered a simple approach to increase its rate of insurance reimbursements, resulting in $5 million regained — through a 90-second quiz.
Qualcomm Life Partners With WebMD App
Qualcomm Life Inc. is collaborating with New York-based online health information resource WebMD LLC to allow consumers access and to learn about their own wireless health data from a wide array of fitness, wellness and medical devices.
Deal With Harvard Is Part of Firm’s Stem Cell Strategy
BIOTECH: Life Technologies Test Would Evaluate Cells Usefulness
It’s costly and time-consuming to gauge whether stem cells are actually able to perform in a lab setting, and transform into other kinds of cells — but Life Technologies Corp. is developing a series of tests to make it easier.
CareFusion Announces Private Offering of $300M in Senior Notes
CareFusion Corp. has announced a private offering of $300 million in senior notes, the net proceeds of which will be used for general corporate purposes.
