July 23, 2020 - Olympus (Center Valley, PA) announced the commercial availability of its 510(k) cleared EZ Clip endotherapy device, a reloadable and rotatable hemostasis clip designed for bleed control and defect closure during GI endoscopy procedures in which more than one clip is needed. According to the company, the EZ Clip Applicator handle can be reloaded as needed to … [Read more...]
Southern Hemisphere reporting significant decrease in flu cases
July 23, 2020 - Countries in the Southern Hemisphere are reporting low numbers of flu and other seasonal viruses, which could offer a sliver of hope for U.S. hospitals this fall, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Southern Hemisphere's flu season typically runs from April to September and is used by health experts as a predictor for the Northern Hemisphere's … [Read more...]
Pfizer, BioNTech announce agreement with U.S. government for up to 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidate
July 22, 2020 – Pfizer Inc. (New York, NY) and BioNTech SE announced the execution of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to meet the U.S. government’s “Operation Warp Speed” program goal to begin delivering 300 million doses of a vaccine for COVID-19 in 2021. Under the agreement, the U.S. government … [Read more...]
Northwell Health treated seriously ill COVID-19 patients at home; Florida takes cues
July 21, 2020 – Northwell Health (Manhattan, NY), which has cared for thousands of COVID-19 patients in its network of New York State facilities, sent nurses to care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients at home to ease the stress on its health system capacities. Northwell created wraparound home care services on the fly to deal with the surge of coronavirus cases in New York … [Read more...]
Henry Ford hospitals accelerated innovation, change during peak of pandemic
July 21, 2020 – ICUs filled up during the peak of the pandemic in Michigan this March. Out of necessity, the virus may have driven change within the healthcare system, including Henry Ford Health System (Detroit, MI) hospitals, faster than ever seen before. Other states sent spare ventilators to Michigan as thousands of patients with the new coronavirus arrived in emergency … [Read more...]
$10B from CARES Act to be distributed to hospitals this week
July 21, 2020 – Funds of $10 billion from the federal CARES Act will be distributed to hospitals with high numbers of COVID-19 patients this week. It is the second round of high-impact relief funds for hospitals. HHS says it based the distribution from hospitals that reported more than 161 COVID-19 admissions between January 1, 2020, and June 10, 2020. Hospitals will be … [Read more...]
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s response to COVID-19 continues to expand to support development, production of therapeutics, vaccines
July 20, 2020 – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, MA) continues to expand global capacity and capabilities across its pharma services network to support customers in government, industry and academia as they accelerate development and production of COVID-19 vaccines, therapies and other treatments. The company is now supporting more than 200 of these projects … [Read more...]
Quidel’s Sofia SARS Antigen FIA updates EUA performance data to 96.7% PPA vs PCR
July 20, 2020 – Quidel Corporation (San Diego, CA) announced it has updated the performance data for its Sofia SARS Antigen FIA test on its package insert to 96.7% using direct nasal swab specimens versus PCR as a result of further studies included in its amended Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) that were submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration … [Read more...]
Pennsylvania hospital alliances launch campaign aimed at getting patients to see their physicians
July 20, 2020 – Allegheny Health Network (Pittsburgh, PA) reported patient volume decreases ranging between 30% and 50% during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in Western Pennsylvania. Other health systems reported similar declines. An alliance of 10 healthcare organizations, including health insurer Humana, launched “Stop Medical Distancing,” a national public … [Read more...]
Abbott reports Q2 2020 results, exceeds analysts’ expectations
July 17, 2020 – Abbott (Abbott Park, IL) announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. The company reported worldwide sales of $7.3 billion in the second quarter, including $615 million of COVID-19 diagnostic testing-related sales. Abbott also reported that growth rates in business areas initially most impacted by COVID-19 improved significantly over … [Read more...]