SD HEALTHCARE
Recent and archived news stories on: Biotechnology, Doctors, Drugs, Health Insurance, HMO's/PPO's, Hospitals, Medical Devices, Nursing...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.
Cylene Pharmaceuticals Enters Licensing Agreement with TetraGene
San Diego-based Cylene Pharmaceuticals Inc. has entered an exclusive option and licensing agreement with Tucson, Ariz.-based TetraGene LLC to advance Cylene’s anticancer gene technologies.
Life Technologies Eyes Europe With New Test
San Diego-based Life Technologies Corp. has developed a test to detect horse DNA in response to the recent and widespread reports of meat contamination in Europe.
Digirad Refocuses, Plans Move to Atlanta
Digirad Corp., which offers solid-state medical imaging products and services, announced recently that it plans to move its headquarters from Poway to Atlanta.
Monitoring Device Debuts at Palomar
HEALTH: Wireless System Is Tailored to Clinical Needs
Palomar Medical Center has recently deployed a new wrist-worn device developed by San Diego’s Sotera Wireless Inc. that allows clinicians to continuously and remotely monitor their patients’ well-being.
Biotech Launches Subsidiary to Produce Cloned Synthetic DNA
Biotechnology Column
Synthetic Genomics Inc. in La Jolla has launched a new, wholly owned subsidiary called SGI-DNA that will allow customers to request custom sequences of DNA, and the company will synthesize the molecules for them.
Executive Profile: Larry B. Anderson
Larry B. Anderson is the chief executive officer at Tri-City Medical Center, an acute-care hospital serving northern San Diego County. Since his arrival in 2009, Anderson has transformed the once financially ailing, 397-bed hospital into a profitable, innovative medical center that is a leader in robotic surgery and offers the only spine surgery program in San Diego County, according to the center.
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring App Delivers Needed News
Monitoring fetal heart rate while a woman is in labor is critical to ensure a safe delivery, but doctors can’t be in every room at once. San Diego-based electronic medical record maker CliniComp International Inc. has developed a mobile application that helps physicians keep tabs on patients and their babies — and a California health system has adopted the program systemwide.
