Heart Stents Raise Cost of Care, Fail to Prolong Life in Study - Bloomberg.com: News

Heart Stents Raise Cost of Care, Fail to Prolong Life in Study - Bloomberg.com: News: "Stents used to prop open clogged arteries raised costs for treating chronic chest pain by $10,000 a person and didn't help patients live longer, a [cost-effectiveness] study found. "

Boston Scientific Sells Unit for $750M: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Boston Scientific Sells Unit for $750M: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "Boston Scientific Corp. said Monday it will sell its cardiac and vascular surgery businesses to Sweden-based Gettinge Group for $750 million. Boston Scientific acquired the cardiac surgery unit in April 2006 through its $27 billion acquisition of Guidant Corp., a deal that boosted Boston Scientific's debt amid downturns in two of its heart device markets. Boston Scientific's 450-employee cardiac surgery unit, with headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and a manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico, makes technologies to aid in heart surgery. The unit generated $189 million in revenue last year."

Edwards Buying Ethicon Products

Edwards Buying Ethicon Products: "Heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp. said Monday it will buy heart valve surgery systems from Ethicon Inc.'s CardioVations division for about $27 million. The products will include EndoCPB and EndoDirect systems. Edwards said the products are expected to generate sales of $20 million in 2008. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year and to add to earnings after 2008."

Republican Nomination Most Open in Decades - washingtonpost.com

Republican Nomination Most Open in Decades - washingtonpost.com: "For the first time in nearly 30 years, there is no breakaway front-runner for the Republican nomination as the first votes of Campaign 2008 loom, and a new Washington Post-ABC News poll underscores how open the GOP race remains."

Open Access to Research Funded by U.S. Is at Issue - washingtonpost.com

Open Access to Research Funded by U.S. Is at Issue - washingtonpost.com: "A long-simmering debate over whether the results of government-funded research should be made freely available to the public could take a big step toward resolution as members of a House and Senate conference committee meet today to finalize the 2008 Department of Health and Human Services appropriations bill. "

Is there truthiness to his '08 bid? - Los Angeles Times

Is there truthiness to his '08 bid? - Los Angeles Times: "The more late-night television satirist Stephen Colbert jokes and romps his way through the early campaign season with his almost-real candidacy for president of the United States, the more some folks are intent on taking him seriously."

Governor's health care plan receives a checkup - sacbee.com

Governor's health care plan receives a checkup - sacbee.com: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's universal health care plan finally received a hearing in the Legislature on Wednesday – 10 months after he unveiled it amid much pomp – and was greeted with bipartisan skepticism. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, hailed the hearing before the Assembly Health Committee "as an historic opportunity" to "engage Californians in a more positive attitude about the work that we do." But the six-hour hearing, which included a two-hour presentation by Kim Belshé, Schwarzenegger's secretary for health and human services, reaffirmed that both Democrats and Republicans remain opposed to major provisions of the plan. "