The New York Times published an article this past weekend titled, “Health Official Takes Parting Shot at Waste.”  Written by Robert Pear, the article focuses on commentary from Dr. Donald M. Berwick, the newly departed former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Of particular interest is Dr. Berwick’s opinion that, “Twenty percent to thirty percent of health spending is “waste” that yields no benefit to patients, and that some …

In the continuing battle between “pharma-tobacco” companies, Star Scientific, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIGX) took a recent and severe public drubbing in a two-part article at SeekingAlpha.com. On the contrary, 22nd Century Group, Inc. (OTCBB: XXII) seems to be distinguishing itself as the new leader in the “modified risk” tobacco space. In brief, Star Scientific engages in the development and licensing of tobacco curing technology that prevents the formation of carcinogenic toxins present in tobacco …

Unilife Begins the Supplying of Product to Sanofi Unilife Corp. (NASDAQ: UNIS; Stock Twits: $UNIS) issued a significant piece of news today with the announcement that it has commenced the initial supply of validated product of the Unifill® syringe to Sanofi, as per the terms of the industrialization agreement between both parties. Unilife is now in a position to also commence initial sales of the Unifill syringe to other pharmaceutical companies. Upon the …

Common solutions for heart conditions are just that:  common.  This by no means devalues their importance, nor does it overvalue frequency of use.  In fact, regarding the value proposition, the devices certainly are not inexpensive to implement as a remedy and really should only be used when truly warranted.  Cardiology researcher Dr. Wojcjech Zareba offered expert commentary today on the state of the cardiology today with a specific focus on implantable cardioverter defibrillator …

The granting of a Special Protocol Assessment (“SPA”) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is certainly not something to overlook.  According to Wikipedia, a SPA “is a declaration from the Food and Drug Administration that an uncompleted Phase III trial’s design, clinical endpoints, and statistical analyses are acceptable for FDA approval.”  The written agreement from the FDA also covers the scope and size of the patient population, the safety assessments and the …