Medical devices and equipment
Fitbit's move into medical gadgets risks attracting FDA scrutiny | BloombergFacing pressure from investors to become more than a consumer brand, Fitbit last year introduced a heart-monitoring bracelet. But, consumers in several states have filed a class-action lawsuit that alleges Fitbit's heart monitoring is inaccurate. The suit could attract the eye of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Behind Valeant's lender deal, another dose of accounting tactics | Bloomberg
A string of accounting maneuvers and acquisitions allowed Valeant Pharmaceuticals International to build up $32 billion in junk debt. Now, creditors have given the company leeway to adjust earnings, and the bookkeeping move could increase earnings by $665 million.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
'We have never been this close': The campaign to eradicate polio takes a giant step forward | StatFrom now until May 1, all countries that use the oral polio vaccine will be required to switch over to a new version. The goal of the new vaccine is to cure children of polio without causing paralysis. However, the switch to the new vaccine has risks, too.
Long-term survival rates double for melanoma patients getting immunotherapy | The Washington Post
Over a third of patients with advanced melanoma who were given a new immunotherapy drug in a trial were still alive five years after beginning treatment. According to a new study, that's double the typical survival rate of the disease.
Information technology
NIST to release new guidance for strengthening hospital cybersecurity | Healthcare IT NewsThe imminent set of best practices will help healthcare organizations become more penetration-resistant, more effective at limiting damage attackers can inflict and ultimately better able to withstand cyberattacks.
NIH launches research program to reduce health disparities in surgical outcomes | National Institutes of Health
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched an initiative to support research to better understand and address disparities in surgical care and outcomes for disadvantaged populations. The new surgical disparities research program will involve collaborations among several NIH institutes and centers, along with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Full funding levels will be determined by the number of meritorious grant applications received.
