ALSO NOTED: Boston Scientific posts loss;McLellan calls for 'digital Infosphere';and much more...

> Boston Scientific scored a legal victory in its fight with Johnson & Johnson over the drug eluting stent market when a Dutch court ruled in its favor. Article

> Bad numbers though, for Natick, MA-based Boston Scientific, which reported a loss of $269 million for the third quarter due to declining sales of its Taxus stent and a $598 million legal settlement. Article

> CMS administrator Mark McClellan thinks IT is the answer to the problem of monitoring drug safety. McClellan argues any good system has to go beyond rote reporting of adverse events, to what he calls "a unified digital Infosphere." Article

> Recent immigrants to the US from Mexico use emergency rooms about half as much as US born whites, a new UCLA study reports. Article

> Germany's Fresnius said it will pay $1.8 billion for Helios Kliniken, strengthening the healthcare group's hospital management division. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

> The Mayo Clinic will work with Roche Diagnostics to help develop a system that will help doctors prescribe more appropriate dosages of psychiatric drugs. Article

> The Massachusetts auditor general said the state may be "losing millions" to Medicaid fraud. Article

> A new study concludes that consumers who research health information online spend more on their prescriptions. Article

> A new report concludes pharmacies in urban areas with high minority populations stock fewer opioid painkillers, suggesting under-treatment of chronic pain in those areas. Article

> Safety equipment maker MicroTek Medical reported third-quarter revenue down to $33.5 million. Release

> Doctors who specialize in treating the homeless met for a symposium this week in Pittsburgh. Article

> Faced with possible lawsuits over vaccinations, pharma companies are lobbying for immunity from liability over their avian flu vaccines. Article

And Finally... The New England Journal of Medicine published a collection of essays online by doctors detailing their experiences during Hurricane Katrina. Article

Post a comment