August 01, 2018 In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the researchers said they implanted thin electrical wires into the frontal lobes of patients with Alzheimer’s disease to see if using a brain pacemaker could improve cognitive, behavioral and functional abilities in patients with this form of dementia. They found that using DBS … Read more
July 28, 2018 Apparently not. In January 2018, at the swearing-in ceremony for new HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Trump said Azar would bring drug prices “way down.” However, this time, despite the familiar words, the President’s comments did not touch off nearly the same reaction on Wall Street, signaling that industry and investors may be … Read more
July 24, 2018 Health systems like Boston Children’s Hospital and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have been exploring ways to integrate Amazon’s Alexa into the clinical environment, according to CNBC, in some cases using it to improve compliance with surgical safety checklists. Silicon Valley venture capitalists are also keen on health apps that could … Read more
July 19, 2018 The technology giant is partnering with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Berkshire Hathaway to launch an independent healthcare company “that is free from profit-making incentives and constraints,” according to a January 2018 announcement. While the specifics of the new company are still in the planning stages, the initial focus will be on … Read more
July 17, 2018 Talking at a precision medicine panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January, details of which were first reported by Regulatory Focus, Gottlieb sketched out how he wants to change the regulation of diagnostics during his tenure as head of the FDA. “I think it’s incumbent upon us to … Read more
July 13, 2018 A Kaiser Health News (KHN) analysis shows that hundreds of people have glided through the “revolving door” that connects the drug industry to Capitol Hill and to the Department of Health and Human Services. Azar was confirmed in January as HHS Secretary, joining other former drug industry alumni in top positions. Nearly … Read more
July 10, 2018 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in January posted joint Warning Letters to the marketers and distributors of 12 opioid cessation products, for illegally marketing unapproved products with claims about their ability to help in the treatment of opioid addiction and withdrawal. “The FDA is … Read more
July 06, 2018 Republicans’ failure to overturn Obamacare or include measures to repeal the 2.3% medical device levy in broader tax legislation meant the previously delayed charge came into force at the start of the year, despite intense industry lobbying and opposition to the tariff among both political parties. Now, with the day on which … Read more
July 03, 2018 John Maraganore, CEO of Alnylam, who has a biotech CV as long as your arm, had this to say about reports that Trump asked at a White House meeting why he should accept immigrants from “shithole countries” rather than from places like Norway: “My Mom and Dad came to this country from … Read more
June 28, 2018 People inside and outside the FDA have long discussed the publication of the CRLs the Agency sends to companies to notify them it is rejecting their applications for approval. Such transparency would enable everyone to know why the FDA rejected an application. Today, researchers, investors and other interested parties rely on the … Read more