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Is Medicare Protected As Overhaul Lingers? (Investor's Business Daily) Investor's Business Daily - If Congress passes ObamaCare, should retirees be on guard? Not necessarily, says Susan Berson, senior health care industry attorney at the Washington, D.C., law firm Mintz Levin and former general counsel for senior markets at insurer UnitedHealth Group .
Over-65 Set Getting Health Care Haircut (Investor's Business Daily) Investor's Business Daily - Whether or not the administration gets its health legislation passed, some changes are already under way. One is a developing trend among big employers to get more value for money as they limit the cost of providing health insurance for retirees.
FDA Finds Defects In Amylin's Ohio Plant (Investor's Business Daily) Investor's Business Daily - The Food and Drug Administration inspected an Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NMS:AMLN) plant in West Chester, Ohio, in December. The agency said, among other things, that "procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile are not established and followed."
Endo names ex-Nora Therapeutics CEO as COO (AP) AP - Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. said Friday it hired former Nora Therapeutics CEO Julie McHugh as its new chief operating officer.
Medco Health got compensation worth $13.3M in 2009 (AP) AP - Pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc. said even though its CEO took a 7 percent pay cut in 2009, he still received $13.3 million in total compensation, according to Associated Press calculation of figures filed with regulators.
Optimer Pharma reports narrower 4th-quarter loss (AP) AP - Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. narrowed its loss in the fourth quarter as expenses declined, the company said.
Ligand, Glaxo drug gets European approval (AP) AP - Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Friday that partner GlaxoSmithKline gained European regulatory approval to sell the blood disorder drug Revolade.
Aveo Pharmaceutical shares drop in trading debut (AP) AP - Shares of Aveo Pharmaceuticals are falling in their market debut, after its initial public offering raised $81 million.
Student loans to be in healthcare package: Pelosi (Reuters) Reuters - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday the final version of a broad healthcare overhaul would include a revamp of the student loan program but not a government-run health insurance option.
AVEO Pharmaceuticals IPO prices below expectations (AP) AP - AVEO Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s initial public offering priced below expectations, resulting in $81 million in proceeds, the biotechnology company said Friday.
Pfizer says Sutent fails in breast cancer studies (AP) AP - Pfizer Inc. said Thursday the cancer drug Sutent did not meet key goals in two late-stage studies focusing on advanced breast cancer.
Pfizer ends study on potential lung cancer drug (AP) AP - Pfizer Inc. said Thursday it discontinued a late-stage study of the drug candidate figitumumab in patients with late-stage lung cancer, citing a lack of effectiveness.
Watson says FDA approves 6-month dose Trelstar (AP) AP - Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. said the Food and Drug Administration approved a six-month dose of the prostate cancer drug Trelstar, which already was available in one- and three-month doses.
Caraco gets FDA approval for generic Eloxatin (AP) AP - Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. said Thursday it launched a generic version of Sanofi-Aventis' cancer treatment Eloxatin.
Astra boosts generic exposure with Torrent deal (AP) AP - AstraZeneca PLC announced a supply partnership with India's Torrent Pharmaceuticals on Thursday, its first such link with a generic drugmaker as it seeks to boost its presence in emerging markets and counter patent losses on blockbuster medicines.
Sebelius piles pressure on insurers (Reuters)
Reuters - Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ratcheted up the pressure on health insurance companies on Wednesday, urging them to forgo short-term profits to make coverage more affordable and to stop fighting the Obama administration's reform effort.
Affymax receives $5M payment for drug development (AP) AP - Biotechnology company Affymax Inc. has received a $5 million milestone payment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. for the development of a potential anemia treatment.
CVS Caremark declares quarterly dividend (AP) AP - Store and mail-order pharmacy operator CVS Caremark Corp. said Wednesday it would pay a quarterly dividend of 8.75 cents per share on May 4 to shareholders of record as of April 23.
Pharmaceutical group spent $6.3M lobbying in Q4 (AP) AP - The pharmaceutical industry's main trade group spent $6.3 million in the fourth quarter lobbying Congress, the White House and multiple government agencies on health care provisions and related issues, according to a quarterly disclosure report.
Senate passes jobless aid, business tax breaks (AP)
AP - The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year's economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for health care for the poor.
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