Having an MRI scan can be an unpleasant experience. The procedure often involves a patient lying down inside a large tube for at least 30 minutes and being instructed to remain motionless as magnetic and radio waves create detailed pictures of their organs. Many find the machine’s loud, clanging noises unnerving and are left feeling panicky and claustrophobic.
Image: Johns Hopkins doctoral student Puyang Wang – https://hub.jhu.edu
Merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity within the healthcare industry heightened last year, according to recent research data and this could feed into gains for M&A and healthcare-focused ETFs for traders sensing an opportunity.
“The U.S. healthcare market saw a 14.4 percent increase in mergers and acquisitions from 2017-2018, fueled by soaring domestic venture capital investment – an all-time high of $130.9 billion invested in U.S.-based startups in 2018 alone,” a press release by Sage Growth Partners said. “Compounding the pace and complexity of deal flow are sweeping industry trends ranging from managing and measuring health outcomes to reducing the overall cost of care.”
A key part of president Donald Trump’s strategy to cut drug prices was to attack global “freeloading” for pharmaceuticals, targeting countries pushing back against pharma companies trying to charge higher US-level prices for their products.
But in trade negotiations with Canada and Mexico, it looks like that the Trump administration has not followed through on the strong rhetoric set out in his drug pricing strategy published last year.
According to press reports Trump’s negotiating team have agreed to scrap provisions on exclusivity of biologics, allowing each country to decide when the patent protection period expires on biologics.
Nearly 400 biotech leaders from across the Biohealth Capital Region (BHCR) gathered recently in Bethesda, Maryland at the Bio Innovation Conference, hosted by Maryland Life Sciences (MDLS), a division of the Maryland Tech Council. The event focused on advancements and opportunities for Maryland cell and gene therapy companies and why Maryland is becoming the number one location of choice for growing biotech companies. However, it was the afternoon keynote featuring JLABS @Washintgon, DC’s Michelle McMurry-Heath, MD, PhD, that caused a buzz in the crowd.
Image: https://biobuzz-io.cdn.ampproject.org
Trump‘s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration has ties to both Wall Street and drug makers
A conservative doctor-turned-pundit with deep ties to Wall Street and the pharmaceutical industry is President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr Scott Gottlieb, 44, would be tasked with Trump‘s goal of cutting red tape at the FDA, which regulates everything from pharmaceuticals to seafood to electronic cigarettes.
Rockville, MD: December 10, 2019. Robovet Corporation, a Rockville, Maryland startup focused on building novel veterinary diagnostic imaging systems, today announced it has begun raising funds through an equity crowdfunding campaign on the Wefunder platform (www.Wefunder.com/robovet). Robovet’s novel MRI systems for veterinary diagnostic imaging, robotic surgery and image guided therapy are expected to dramatically reduce the costs of advanced diagnostic imaging and veterinary cancer treatment. The company, headed by veterinary radiologist MC Seward DVM, MS, MBA, utilizes novel magnetic systems initially developed within the Weinberg Medical Physics incubator. According to Dr. Seward, “When I learned about Robovet’s MRI and image-guided treatment technology, it was easy to see the potential applications to the broader veterinary market in advanced diagnostic imaging and innovative therapies for equine and small animal veterinary patients”. “Dr. Seward’s academic work in MRI-guided therapy and his entrepreneurial experience make him the ideal CEO for the company,“ stated Irving Weinberg, MD PhD, co-founder. About Robovet Corporation
Chuck Morton, Partner, Venable, LLP, joins BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss the local entrepreneurial and business ecosystem, regionalism, and the BioHealth Capital Region
Chuck Morton is co-chair of Venable’s Corporate Group. Chuck is recognized for his abilities in guiding financing, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and other transactions involving middle-market companies. Chuck assists lenders, investors, and entrepreneurs as they create, build, and buy or sell businesses, primarily in the healthcare, technology, and consumer products industries. He regularly acts on behalf of private equity groups and banks. Chuck currently serves as the Secretary on the BioHealth Innovation Board of Directors.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/2QwoEIl, Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/33sWjJc, and TuneIn http://bit.ly/2M60Wmx
The Germantown company said its new app can sense a person’s glucose levels.
ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cerecor Inc. (NASDAQ: CERC), a biopharmaceutical company focused on becoming a leader in development and commercialization of treatments for orphan and rare diseases, as well as neurology announced today it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Aevi Genomic Medicine (NASDAQ: GNMX) in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $16.1 million at closing, plus contingent value rights, or CVRs, for up to an additional $6.5 million in subsequent milestone payments on clinical or regulatory successes, or both. Additionally, the Company is exploring strategic alternatives for its neurological assets as well as its one commercialized product Millipred®.
Xconomy Boston — After joining AstraZeneca’s Boston Bio Hub incubator last year, Gatehouse Bio is now teaming up with the pharma company to identify potential drug targets in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Under the collaboration, expected to last multiple years, Gatehouse will use its sRNAlytics platform to identify small RNA (sRNA) signatures, which the company says help in diagnosing and subtyping diseases from human samples. Financial terms were not disclosed.
