Month: July 2013
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NIH Funds Three New Neurologic Drug Discovery Projects
National Institutes of Health is funding three new neurological drug research initiatives to address Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction, and age-related macular degeneration. Awards for the three projects, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), total nearly $446,000. The three studies are funded under the Neurotherapeutics Network, part of the NIH Blueprint…
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FibroGen, AstraZeneca Partner on Kidney-Based Anemia Therapy
The global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is licensing a therapy for anemia caused by kidney disease made by FibroGen, a biotechnology company in San Francisco. The deal is valued initially at $815 million, and covers the U.S., China, and other markets not covered by an earlier FibroGen license to Astellas Pharma for commercialization in Europe, Japan,…
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Sugary Drink Taxes Can Cut Calories, Health Impact Limited
Economists and public health researchers at RTI International and Duke University in North Carolina, and U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast that taxes on sugary drinks can reduce the calorie intake of consumers, but the overall health impact is limited by consumers shifting to other less healthy, but untaxed, items. Chen Zhen and colleagues published their…
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Nanowire Coating Boosts Bone Bonding to Implant Material
Materials scientists and biomedical engineers at Ohio State University in Columbus designed a coating of nanowires that can help improve the bonding between human bone and implant materials. The team led by Ohio State materials scientist Sheikh Akbar published its results in this month’s issue of the journal Ceramics International (paid subscription required). The process…
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Engineers Double Efficiency of Solar Film Cells
Engineers and materials scientists at University of California in Los Angeles improved the design of solar cells built in a thin semi-transparent film that nearly doubles their ability to generate power. A team from the lab of engineering professor Yang Yang described its findings online in Friday’s issue of the journal Energy and Environmental Science…
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Health Portals Capture App Data to Drive Wellness Engagement
Health care providers and insurance companies want to get their customers healthier, and have customers record their wellness data to track their progress, with some health app developers eager to help out. Speakers on Friday, 26 July at the mHealth + Telehealth World Congress in Boston gave examples of recent health and wellness initiatives making…
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Telemedicine Facing Financial, Regulatory Headwinds
Health care organizations with telemedicine programs run into challenges implementing their services, particularly in getting acceptance from payers, and meeting legal or regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. These issues arose in two sessions today at the mHealth + TeleHealth World Congress in Boston. A key financial issue is reimbursement by insurance companies for telemedicine services.…
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Walgreens App Improving Customer Loyalty, Health Outcomes
Abhi Dhar, chief technology officer for electronic commerce at the Walgreens drug store chain, says the company’s mobile app helps build stronger connections with its customers, which is paying off in more customer loyalty and more medication adherence. Dhar described the Walgreens mobile app today at the mHealth + Telehealth World Congress meeting in Boston.…
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Kaiser-Permanente Putting Big Data Behind Personalized Care
Philip Fasano, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Kaiser-Permanente, the California health care network and insurance provider, says the organization is making big data part of its plan to provide more personalized care to its 9 million members. Fasano made his remarks today at the mHealth + Telehealth World Congress meeting in Boston.…
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Special Health Technology Event Coverage on Science Business
Beginning Wednesday, Science Business will begin reporting from the mHealth + Telehealth World 2013 conference in Boston. The event is actually two meetings: the fifth mHealth World Congress dealing with mobile solutions and the second Telehealth World Congress focusing in telemedicine. Our coverage of the event will run through Friday 26 July. We’ll be traveling…