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The Daily News Archive lists articles that have been posted within the past seven calendar days. You can filter the articles by category by using the navigation at the left.
Aug 26, 2010 - Sep 2, 2010
Hagan Steps Down as Cigna CFO; Acting CFO Named
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 6:34 pm ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
Managed care company Cigna Corp. said Wednesday that Chief Financial Officer Annmarie Hagan has resigned, effective immediately.
VEBA, Sharp HealthCare, United Collaboration to Save CA Schools $12 Million
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 10:00 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
The California Schools Voluntary Employee Benefits Association (the VEBA), in partnership with Sharp HealthCare and UnitedHealthcare, expects to save its 30 participating school districts, representing almost 80,000 members, $12 million in overall benefit renewal costs for 2011.
Sunnyvale Hospital Joins Blue Cross
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 8:53 am CT; Source: dallasnews.com
Texas Regional Medical Center at Sunnyvale and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas signed a managed care contract that will allow Blue Cross members to access the hospital's facilities and programs.
CIGNA Offers Free Nine-Month Autism Education Series Starting in September
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 10:00 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
Starting in September, CIGNA will offer a series of free monthly telephone seminars to help people better understand the physical, mental, and emotional challenges in children who may display the symptoms of developmental disorders like autism and Asperger syndrome.
SXC Health Solutions Announces Two-For-One Stock Split
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 6:00 am ET; Source: PR Newswire via Yahoo!
SXC Health Solutions Corp., a leading provider of pharmacy benefits management services and Health Care Information Technology solutions to the healthcare benefits management industry, announced today that its board of directors has declared a nominal dividend on the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company to effect a two-for-one stock split.
Botox Maker to Pay $600M to Resolve Investigation
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 1:47 am ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.
AstraZeneca's Seroquel XR Gets EU Add-on Approval
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 2:31 am ET; Source: Market Watch
AstraZeneca said Thursday that the European Commission has issued a positive decision for the approval of its Seroquel XR extended release tablets as an add-on treatment of major depressive episodes for patients who have sub-optimal response to antidepressant monotherapy.
Merck & Co Postpones Dutch Closures, Options Open
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 7:28 am ET; Source: Reuters
U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co has postponed the closure of some of its Dutch operations while it negotiates with executives and workers on potential alternatives, including a sale of the R&D site.
US FDA Staff Forest Antibiotic Seems Effective
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 10:10 am ET; Source: Reuters
A Forest Laboratories Inc antibiotic appeared effective in clinical trials for treating skin infections and pneumonia, U.S. drug reviewers said on Thursday in an analysis released ahead of a key panel review.
Orexigen Fattens Its Coffers With Takeda Cash
Thursday, September 02, 2010, 10:50 am ET; Source: Minyanville.com
Orexigen Therapeutics finally becomes a major competitor in the race to get an obesity drug on the market.
Pharmacy Measure in ND Supreme Court's Hands
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 8:43 am ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
Supporters of a voter initiative that could help bring cheaper prescription drugs to North Dakota are hoping a legal technicality won't keep them from getting the issue placed on the ballot.
Rite Aid Reports 1Percent Same Store Sales Decrease for August
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 8:30 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
Rite Aid Corporation today announced sales results for August.
Kim A. Keck to Lead Aetna's Middle Markets Business
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 10:04 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
Aetna today announced that it has appointed Kim A. Keck, 46, to head Aetna’s Middle Markets business organization. Keck, who now leads Investor Relations and Treasurer’s, will remain in her current position until a replacement is named.
Molina Healthcare Closes Acquisition of Abri Health Plan in Wisconsin
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 8:30 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
Molina Healthcare, Inc. today announced that, effective September 1, 2010, it has closed on its acquisition of Abri Health Plan, a Medicaid managed care organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MetCare Launches Health Program with SeniorBridge
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 9:51 am ET; Source: South Florida Business Journal
Metropolitan Health Networks has launched a pilot program with SeniorBridge to help Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions.
Genzyme CEO Open to Sale, Not at $69 a Share
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 5:22 am ET; Source: Reuters
Genzyme Corp Chief Executive Henri Termeer said he is willing to sell the company he built up over 25 years, but not for $69 a share.
The Fight for Market Share in Blood Thinners Is On
Wednesday, September 01, 2010; Source: Seeking Alpha
The latest sets of data from the new oral blood thinners, Xarelto and apixaban, presented at the European Society of Cardiology this weekend made pretty good reading for their developers. Efficacy looked solid and safety manageable, if not better than current therapies; exactly what was needed.
Omnicare Announces Acquisition of Continuing Care Rx
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 8:15 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
Omnicare, Inc., a leading provider of pharmaceutical care for the elderly, today announced it has acquired Continuing Care Rx, a privately owned institutional pharmacy provider based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Pfizer to Acquire FoldRx Pharmaceuticals
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 8:30 am ET; Source: PR Newswire via Yahoo!
Pfizer Inc. and FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and clinical development company, today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Pfizer will acquire FoldRx.
LifePoint Hospitals Completes Acquisition of Sumner Regional Health Systems
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 8:30 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Sumner Regional Health Systems for a purchase price of $145 million plus working capital.
AMN Healthcare Completes the Acquisition of Medfinders
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 9:13 am ET; Source: PR Newswire via Yahoo!
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., the nation's largest healthcare staffing and workforce solutions company, announced the completion of the acquisition of the parent company of Arlington, Texas-based Nursefinders, Inc., one of the nation's leading providers of clinical workforce managed services programs.
Gilead has Repurchased $2.2 billion in Stock
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 9:42 am ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
Gilead Sciences Inc. said Wednesday it has repurchased $2.2 billion worth of its stock through Aug. 31 under its $5 billion buyback program.
CIGNA Acquires Vanbreda International
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 7:00 am ET; Source: Business Wire via Yahoo!
Global health service company CIGNA has acquired Vanbreda International, based in Antwerp, Belgium, giving CIGNA unmatched global reach in expatriate benefits and further accelerating CIGNA's global growth strategy.
Centene Statement on Puerto Rico Decision
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 9:41 am ET; Source: PR Newswire via Yahoo!
Centene Corporation and American Health, Inc., were notified by Puerto Rico's Administracion de Seguros de Salud that the AHI proposal, submitted in alliance with Centene, was not selected to render health services under the Commonwealth's Mi Salud program, after the parties were unable to reach mutually acceptable economic terms.
Continucare Expands Sleep Center Operations with Acquisition of Sleep Diagnostic Operator
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 7:03 am ET; Source: Business Wire
Continucare Corporation announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Seredor Corporation has expanded its sleep center operations through the acquisition of a South Florida-based operator of sleep diagnostic centers. The acquired business currently operates two independent diagnostic testing facilities.
Sanofi Still Bidding for Genzyme - And at the Same Price
Tuesday, August 31, 2010; Source: Seeking Alpha
Well, so much for my fantasy of Sanofi-Aventis walking away from their attempt to buy Genzyme. They went public Sunday with a $69/share offer - even lower than most people were thinking - and just a little while ago, Genzyme publicly turned them down.
Novartis to Push Ahead with Disputed Alcon Buyout
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 5:36 am ET; Source: Reuters
Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG is pushing ahead with its contentious buyout of Alcon minority shareholders after completing its acquisition of stock from Nestle to get control of the U.S. eyecare group.
Bristol Drug Cuts Stroke Risk by Half vs Aspirin-study
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 2:00 am ET; Source: Reuters
An experimental drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer reduces the risk of stroke by more than half compared with aspirin, with no significant rise in major bleeding, researchers said on Tuesday.
Bayer Drug's Safety Comparable to Standard Care-study
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 2:00 am ET; Source: Reuters
Bayer's anticoagulant Xarelto showed a similar safety profile compared with standard therapy in clinical trial results released on Tuesday, keeping it in the multibillion-dollar race to replace the old and troublesome drug warfarin.
Halozyme Completes Hylenex Manufacturing Probe
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 10:05 am ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
Halozyme Therapeutics Inc. said Tuesday it completed an investigation into manufacturing problems behind its Hylenex product and has drawn up a corrective action plan and market relaunch strategy.
21 Drugs Facing FDA Approval Decisions
Tuesday, August 31, 2010m 8:21 am ET; Source: The Street
For this latest update to my regulatory calendar, I count 21 drugs with approval applications to be decided before year's end by the regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Smaller Rate Hike This Year for Some BCBS-NC Customers, But No Relief in Sight
Monday, August 30, 2010; Source: Citizen-times.com
A rate hike by North Carolina's largest health insurance company won't likely be met with cheers, but some in the industry said it could have been a lot worse.
UnitedHealthcare Adds Halifax Health to Medicare Network in Volusia, Orange Counties, FL
Monday, August 30, 2010, 9:30 am ET; Source: Business wire via Yahoo!
UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, announced it has expanded its network relationship with Halifax Health, giving UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan participants in-network access to the more than 200 Halifax Health physicians.
WellPoint Releases 2010 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report
Monday, August 30, 2010, 10:35 am ET; Source: PR Newswire via Yahoo!
WellPoint, Inc. recently released its 2010 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report in an online version for expanded accessibility.
Sanofi Makes $18.5 bln Genzyme Offer Public
Monday, August 30, 2010, 4:00 am ET; Source: Reuters
France's Sanofi-Aventis on Sunday publicly disclosed its $18.5 billion, $69-per-share cash offer for Genzyme Corp in a bid to rouse shareholders after failing to engage the U.S. biotechnology company in merger talks.
Genzyme Rejects $18.5 Billion Offer by Sanofi
Monday, August 30, 2010, 10:15 am ET; Source: New York Times
The biotechnology company Genzyme on Monday rejected a buyout offer of $18.5 billion, or $69 a share, from the French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis, saying the bid undervalued the company.
Eisai Heart Drug Looks Safe in Mid-stage Trials
Monday, August 30, 2010, 5:25 am ET; Source: Reuters
Japanese drugmaker Eisai's experimental blood clot preventer E5555 may have the potential to reduce heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths without increased serious bleeding risks, Japanese researchers said.
AstraZeneca Says Blood Thinner Met Key Study Goals
Monday, August 30, 2010, 7:25 am ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
AstraZeneca PLC's potential blood thinner drug met key goals in a genetic substudy of heart condition patients.
King Pharmaceuticals Appoints Jeffrey Bailey Chief Commercial Officer
Monday, August 30, 2010, 8:00 am ET; Source: Market wire via Yahoo!
King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the appointment of Jeffrey A. Bailey to the position of Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Bailey will be responsible for the Company's commercial activities in the branded pharmaceutical business and will lead all Sales, Marketing, Managed Care, Sales Operations and Business Analytics.
Richter Says Cariprazine Effective in High Doses
Monday, August 30, 2010, 2:45am ET; Source: Reuters
Hungarian group Richter Gedeon GDRB.BU said tests of cariprazine, a new agent for the treatment of bipolar depression, showed it was effective in a high dose version.
Novartis, Portola Heart Drug Moves to Final Tests
Monday, August 30, 2010, 4:42am ET; Source: Reuters
Elinogrel, an experimental blood thinner being developed by Novartis and Portola Pharmaceuticals, is to move into final-stage clinical testing following promising Phase II results.
Teriflunomide Reduces Annualized Relapse Rate in MS Patients
Monday, August 30, 2010, 12:59 am ET; Source: PR Newswire via Yahoo!
Sanofi-aventis announced today that the investigational once-daily oral drug teriflunomide significantly reduced annualized relapse rate at 2 years versus placebo in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, thus achieving the primary endpoint in the TEMSO phase III trial.
Skilled Healthcare Appeals Humboldt County's Injunction on Staffing
Monday, August 30, 2010, 8:49 am ET; Source: Bloomberg
Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. said it will appeal a court order requiring it to comply with California’s minimum staffing requirements at its nursing homes after failing to persuade a judge to declare a mistrial.
HealthSpring to Buy Private Medicare Operator for $545 Million
Friday, August 27, 2010, 8:19 am ET; Source: Reuters
Managed care company HealthSpring Inc. said it agreed to acquire privately held Bravo Health Inc, an operator of Medicare plans, for $545 million to expand into the Philadelphia market.
Aetna Files Lawsuit Against LabCorp
Thursday, August 26, 2010, 5:32 pm ET; Source: Reuters
Health insurer Aetna Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Laboratory Corp of America, alleging unfair competition, breach of contract and other violations of law, the lab-testing company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.
Kaiser Permanente Expands Health Plan Availability Through Healthcompare.com
Friday, August 27, 2010, 5:07 am ET; Source: The Medical News
HealthCompare Insurance Services, Inc., a one-stop online guide to help individuals and families easily research, compare, buy and enroll in the right health insurance plan at the right price, announced today that Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's largest nonprofit health plans serving more than 8.6 million members, is now available to Californians through www.healthcompare.com.
Diabetes Drugs From Takeda, GSK Found to Pose Similar Risks
Friday, August 27, 2010; Source: Seeking Alpha
People taking Takeda's Actos or Glaxo's Avandia for diabetes face equal heart risks, according to a new study that contradicts earlier reports that suggested Actos was safer.
Europe Probes Swine Flu Shot, Narcolepsy link
Friday, August 27, 2010, 9:28 am ET; Source: AP via Yahoo!
The European Medicines Agency is investigating whether there is a link between narcolepsy and a swine flu vaccine.
FDA Puts Brakes on Roche Cancer Drug Approval
Friday, August 27, 2010, 9:43 am ET; Source: Reuters
Roche's pipeline of cancer drugs faced another setback on Friday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected the Swiss drugmaker's request to fast-track a licence application for a new treatment.
Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme: Walking Away?
Friday, August 27, 2010; Source: Seeking Alpha
Here's a roundup of the latest reports on the potential Genzyme takeover. For one thing, it looks as if people on the inside are talking again, after a good period of silence.
Lilly Wins Longer Halt of Generic Strattera Sales
Friday, August 27, 2010, 10:28 am ET; Source: Reuters
A federal appeals court has extended a temporary order blocking 10 companies from selling generic versions of Eli Lilly and Co's Strattera attention deficit disorder drug.
European Approval for Shire Drug
Friday, August 27, 2010, 10:12 am ET; Source: Zacks.com
Recently, Shire Plc. received a boost when the European Commission approved its Gaucher disease product Vpriv (velaglucerase alfa) for marketing in 30 European countries.
Johnson & Johnson Recalls Hip Implants
Friday, August 27, 2010; Source: New York Times
More than two years after the Food and Drug Administration began receiving complaints about the failure of a hip replacement implant made by the DePuy Orthopaedics unit of Johnson & Johnson, the company said Thursday that it was recalling two kinds of hip implants.
Sutter Health's Market Power Is Questioned
Thursday, August 26, 2010, 5:00 pm ET; Source: Bloomberg Business Week
After Dr. Mark Logsdon tore a ligament in his knee skiing at Lake Tahoe in March, he returned home to Sacramento and had an MRI scan at Sutter Davis Hospital. Sutter's price for the knee scan was $1,271, payable by Logsdon and his insurer.
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