Doctors need a new skill set for this opioid abuse treatment | National Public Radio
Although addiction specialists welcome Probuphine, which delivers a constant dose of the drug buprenorphine over six months, at this early stage it's complicated for physicians to add it to their repertoire. Physicians who treat addiction don't necessarily have experience with surgery or access to sterile spaces, and they must learn how to implant match-sized rods into patients.
Boston Scientific raises full-year sales estimates again | Boston Business Journal
Marlborough, Mass.-based medical-device maker Boston Scientific announced this morning that it expects to see full-year revenue growth of as much as 12% over 2015 based on better-then-expected second-quarter results.
Critics of weight-loss device want FDA to reverse approval | Reuters
They say the AspireAssist implanted tube, which allows users to turn a valve to drain the contents of their stomach, mimics and promotes severe eating disorders such as bulimia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the device in June.
Wellness platform Sharecare to buy health business from Healthways | Reuters
Sharecare, the Atlanta-based healthcare website cofounded by Dr. Mehmet Oz, will acquire the name, brand and healthy living business of Nashville-based rival Healthways. The move will allow Healthways to concentrate on targeted health programs and Sharecare to increase revenues and its growing client base.
New Zika cases suggest Florida may be seeing viral outbreak | Stat
Mosquitoes in the continental United States may now be spreading the Zika virus. Health officials in Florida said Wednesday they were investigating two Zika cases that could have been spread by local mosquitoes, in addition to the two similar cases they announced last week. None of the infected individuals has been confirmed to have acquired the virus from mosquitoes, but it seems increasingly likely that a local outbreak is occurring.
Alere faces criminal probe over Medicare, Medicaid billing | Wall Street Journal
Federal investigators are seeking information about government-billing practices at Alere, adding to a litany of woes at the diagnostic-testing company as it seeks to complete a deal to sell itself.
New antibiotic for deadly MRSA infections found right under our noses | PBS Newshour
Scientists in Germany have discovered a new drug to combat one of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and it's buried inside human noses. The prospective drug comes from a close relative of MRSA that lives in nasal passages and produces a chemical weapon against its kin.
