Year: 2021

Remote glaucoma care Implandata voted among top 12 techpreneurs

Editor

GERMANY – Implandata Ophthalmic Products, a digital health eye care company, has been named a top 12 health techpreneur at the Medica Healthcare Innovation World Cup, the world’s largest medical trade fair. Implandata was named a leading breakthrough health care innovator among more than 300 competitors and has been invited to present its disruptive Eyemate solution at the Medica Connected Health Care Forum on November 15th, 2021. Earlier in 2021, the US FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation. The system allows patients to self-measure critical disease parameters and then automatically sends…

Read More

New targets for glaucoma treatment identified in mice models

Editor

USA – A Northwestern Medicine study’s findings could lead to an effective glaucoma treatment, which would be a significant step forward in the fight against the condition. The Northwestern University Fienberg School of Medicine researchers used mouse models to identify novel glaucoma treatment targets, such as preventing a severe pediatric form of the condition. The groundbreaking study also discovered a potential new class of glaucoma treatment for the most common form of the disease in adults. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications in a paper titled, “Cellular…

Read More

WHO releases recommendations for robust healthcare delivery post-covid

Editor

SWITZERLAND – The World Health Organization (WHO) in a novel paper has identified seven critical areas that must be strengthened in order to improve health services worldwide. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, health services were exhausted and stretched far beyond their capacity; now, the World Health Organization has released its seven recommendations for ensuring the future of health systems in the aftermath of the last two years of devastation. The WHO believes that this effort will help to accelerate the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005), advancing health systems toward…

Read More

Roche’s diagnostic sales high thanks to Delta variant

Editor

SWITZERLAND – The delta variant’s high demand for COVID-19 diagnostics has resulted in rocketing sales at Roche’s diagnostics division, allowing the company to raise its sales forecast for the year. Diagnostics sales increased 39% year on year to CHF 13.3 billion (US$14.4 billion), with the strong performance of the company’s COVID-19 test kits backed up by a recovery in other products as health services begin to recover from the impact of the pandemic last year. In the first half, the company predicted that diagnostic sales would begin to decline in…

Read More

UCB to license its AI technology for fracture identification to ImageBiopsy Lab

Editor

BELGIUM – UCB has announced a strategic out-licensing of its AI-based fracture identification technology, BoneBot, to ImageBiopsy Lab, for further development and bring it to clinical practice by 2023. The radiology AI solution will screen CT scans for “silent” or asymptomatic fractures in the spine, which would otherwise go unnoticed and unreported. The BoneBot digital health tool uses machine learning to detect silent or asymptomatic fractures in the spine’s vertebrae, a feature of the bone-wasting disease osteoporosis that can go undetected in more than two-thirds of cases. Catching these fractures…

Read More

FDA gives positive nod for Moderna, J&J COVID vaccine boosters

Editor

USA – A month after approving a third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccines, the FDA has approved booster shots for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines. It has also approved the use of different vaccines as boosters than those used for primary vaccination – the so-called ‘mix and match’ strategy – based on clinical evidence that this can increase antibody titer. The FDA specifically authorized a third Moderna shot six months after their previous shot for seniors and others at high risk of COVID-19 due to health issues, jobs, or…

Read More

Novartis signs pact with BIoNTech to expand Covid-19 vaccines manufacture

Editor

SWITZERLAND – Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant, has announced its new agreement to farm out some of its manufacturing facilities in Slovenia to help manufacture much-needed doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The sterile manufacturing site in Ljubljana, Slovenia, will be used to fill at least 24 million doses in 2022, and under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will take bulk mRNA active ingredient from BioNTech, fill it into vials, and ship it back to them for distribution. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is one of a handful that have been…

Read More

Hyloris announces approval of novel drug for post-operation pain management

Editor

BELGIUM – Hyloris Pharmaceuticals SA, a specialty biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing unmet medical needs by reinventing existing medications, has announced the expansion of the European footprint of Maxigesic IV to treat post-operative pain in the UK. Hyloris Pharmaceuticals has a diverse pipeline of 13 reformulated and repurposed value-added medicines that have the potential to outperform existing medications. In addition, the company is developing and registering three high barrier generic products. Two products are currently in the early stages of commercialization with partners: Sotalol IV for atrial fibrillation treatment and…

Read More

Morroco suspends flights to UK, Germany, Netherlands due to Covid-19 fears

Editor

MOROCCO – Morocco has announced it is suspending, until further notice, all flights to and from the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands amid rising coronavirus infections in those countries.  In a tweet, national carrier Royal Air Maroc said the move was due to the pandemic situation. It did not provide further detail. Morocco’s Health Ministry warned Monday of the threat of a new virus surge, stressing the need to avoid possible a relapse of serious and critical cases and COVID-19-related deaths. Recalling the continuous need for caution as the…

Read More

Global Heart Hub and Novartis partner to ease burden of silent killer disease – ASCVD

Editor

SWITZERLAND – The Global Heart Hub has announced the launch of Invisible Nation, a program designed to expose and respond to the realities of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). ASCVD, a silent, chronic disease that affects 300 million people worldwide. Invisible Nation, created in collaboration with Novartis and a global network of heart patient organizations and advocates, aims to engage all stakeholders in cardiovascular diseases. Invisible Nation will bring together a global network of patient organizations and other cardiovascular (CV) stakeholders committed to bringing about systemic change in the management of…

Read More