Bevacizumab offers no benefit for glioblastoma

Bevacizumab offers no benefit for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, MD Anderson-led study finds – Avastin – bevacizumab failed to increase overall survival (OS) or statistically significant progression-free survival (PFS) for glioblastoma patients in the frontline setting.

Option Inferior Vena Cava Filter gets FDA clearance in US

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals announces FDA 510(k) clearance of the Option(TM) Inferior Vena Cava Filter – Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANPI, TSX: ANP) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for the Option(TM) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter in the United States, for use in both permanent and retrievable indications.

Complications and Costs for Obesity Surgery Declining

Post-surgical and other complications in patients who have obesity surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, declined 21 percent. – A new study by the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that the average rate of post-surgical and other complications in patients who have obesity surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, declined 21 percent between 2002 and 2006.

Crestor reduced blood clots in the veins

CRESTOR — Rosuvastatin — reduced risk of blood clots in the veins. – A new analysis from the JUPITER study shows that CRESTOR (rosuvastatin calcium) 20mg significantly cut the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by 43% compared to placebo among men and women with low to normal cholesterol levels and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).

Medicare will not pay for extra care

Medicare policy to withhold payments to hospitals that harm patients goes into effect october 1. Non-payment rules seek to spur hospitals to improve patient safety. – New US federal regulations to restrict Medicare payments to hospitals for the extra care required to treat patients harmed by certain preventable infections and medical errors go into effect on Wednesday, October 1.

27% lower mortality in top hospitals, finds HealthGrades

Hospital quality gap persists, resulting in 171,424 preventable deaths, according to HealthGrades’ Sixth Annual Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study. – Patients treated at top-rated hospitals in US are nearly one-third less likely to die, on average, than those admitted to all other hospitals, according to a study released by HealthGrades (Nasdaq: HGRD), the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

Ortho Evra contraceptive transdermal birth control patch label update

Ortho Women?s Health & Urology, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has updated the prescribing information for ORTHO EVRA (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol transdermal system) to include further epidemiologic data. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved additional changes to the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal (Skin) Patch label to include the results of a new epidemiology study that found that users of the birth control patch were at higher risk of developing serious blood clots, also known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), than women using birth control pills. VTE can lead to pulmonary embolism.

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