Mergers Show How Affordable Care Act Will Deliver Profits
Source: Don Miller, Money Morning  (7/19/12)
"The two largest managed care firms, UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint, are now big players in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, according to The Huffington Post. And with the impending influx from the Affordable Care Act, they plan to get even bigger." More >

Four Ways to Outrun Obsolescence in Biotech
Source: Zachary N. Russ, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (7/17/12)
"To stay ahead in the ever-quickening world of research, scientists must be fast and cunning." More >

Sugar-Fueled Brain Chips Are Major Medical Breakthrough
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (7/14/12)
"These or similar devices could play a vital role in the biotech revolution. They could help brain-damaged patients and stroke victims walk again or operate computers with their minds." More >

New User Fees Will Expedite Med Device Reviews
Source: MassDevice  (7/9/12)
"The deal boosted the user fees from $295 million over five years to $595 million in exchange for the FDA meeting performance goals." More >

The Race between Science and Politics
Source: Ray Blanco, The Daily Reckoning  (7/6/12)
"On the one hand, we have scientific advance, unraveling the mysteries of life and developing revolutionary new therapies. On the other, we have politicians trying to lock everything down into a stasis, whether they know it or not." More >

Biopharmaceutical Intellectual Property Is Safe Behind the BRIC Wall
Source: Michael Harris, BioWorld  (7/6/12)
"A significant amount of growth is expected from an influx of biopharma companies looking to establish a presence in BRIC countries, where they not only will be seeking to capitalize on the R&D and manufacturing infrastructures but also filing patent applications to sell drugs to local populations." More >

Follow Venture Capital to Big Gains in Biotech: Peter Johann
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (7/5/12)
Peter Johann is a managing general partner at NGN Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in private and public biotech and medical device companies. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Johann discusses pharmaceutical and medical device companies in his portfolio, pointing out opportunities for venture capitalists that are also potential boons for private investors. More >

Supreme Court Sets Stage for Changes to Drug Development and Investment Priorities
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (7/5/12)
"Innovative drugs that offer clear superiority over existing products are likely among the beneficiaries of the healthcare overhaul." More >

Healthcare Ruling: Key Takeaways for Investors and Taxpayers
Source: Diane Alter, Money Morning  (7/4/12)
"In the wake of the Obamacare ruling, select healthcare stocks are poised to benefit while the outlook for others is somewhat sickly." More >

Hidden Small-Cap Medical Device Companies with Big Growth Potential
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (7/2/12)
I've been involved in healthcare as a clinician, writer or analyst for four decades, and every now and then a public company will come to light that went previously unnoticed or unknown by me. That was the case when I interviewed analyst Caroline Corner for The Life Sciences Report. Corner provided some small-cap medtech names of great interest that could ultimately be uncovered by small cap mutual and hedge funds. When they buy, share prices are lifted up. More >

How to Profit from Hidden Medical Device Gems: Caroline Corner
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (6/28/12)
Innovation, efficacy and convenience are keys to success in medical devices and diagnostics. Put those elements together with underfollowed names and you have uncovered buried investment treasures. Medical technology research analyst Caroline Corner has assembled a short list of hidden jewels destined for incremental acceptance and then rapid uptake by physicians, clinics and hospitals. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Corner talks about her favorite small-cap companies, none of which are household names. More >

Supreme Court Upholds Healthcare Overhaul
Source: Russ Britt and Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch  (6/28/12)
"The ruling sent hospital stocks soaring by near-double-digit figures, with industry leader HCA Holdings Inc. jumping by 10%, along with Health Management Associates Inc. Medicaid insurers also jumped on the news, with WellCare Health Plans Inc. up more than 9%." More >

Device Industry Renews Efforts to Fight Tax
Source: Fierce Medical Devices, Mark Hollmer  (6/28/12)
"The 2.3% excise tax on medical devices would have essentially been negated if the Supreme Court had overturned the healthcare law, but the 5–4 decision leaves the revenue measure in place." More >

GAIN Act Should Benefit Antibiotic Makers
Source: Seeking Alpha, Jason Napodano  (6/27/12)
"The bill was designed to accelerate reviews of novel drugs for infectious diseases, to mandate electronic NDA submissions and to improve communications between manufacturers and the FDA to prevent drug shortages." More >

The Price of Togetherness
Source: BioSpace, Karl Thiel   (6/22/12)
"The growing demand for drugs in emerging markets means that some of these collaboratively developed drugs may eventually reach much broader audiences, meaning larger populations over which to recoup development costs, bigger opportunities for rare disease indications and acceptable profits even if prices are forced lower." More >

Special Report from the ADA: William Plovanic Identifies Companies with Promising Diabetes Solutions, Prospects
Source: The Life Sciences Report Editors  (6/21/12)
Every year, top researchers and physicians meet at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions. This year, Canaccord Genuity Analyst and Managing Director William Plovanic reported back on promising developments and what they could mean for the companies behind them. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, he explains why he is so positive on the space in general and about certain companies in particular. More >

Healthcare Sees Emerging Future in Frugal Innovation
Source: Reuters, Kate Kelland  (6/20/12)
"Big companies like General Electric and Siemens, which build some of the world's most complex and costly pieces of the healthcare kit, are working to develop cheaper medical devices that can secure sales in emerging markets and potentially win business at home." More >

Leveraging the Medical Device Tax
Source: MassDevice  (6/15/12)
"Stakeholders should leverage the tax in their projections and negotiations with the industry, especially during mergers and acquisitions, notwithstanding the ongoing push in Washington to repeal the levy." More >

Five Ways to Spot the Next Hot Biotech Stock
Source: Keith Fitz-Gerald, Money Morning  (6/13/12)
"For all their potential, biotech stocks remain among the most challenging for investors to identify, select and earn money on. However, with a little bit of guidance you can narrow your list to the stocks with the highest likely upside." More >

High Court to Hear Amgen's 'Fraud-on-the-Market' Case
Source: Mari Serebrov, BioWorld Today  (6/12/12)
"The biotech industry is hoping the Supreme Court will do what Congress hasn't been able to do—give companies a fighting chance against class-action shareholder lawsuits claiming 'fraud on the market.'" More >

House Votes to Repeal Medical Device Tax
Source: Washington Post, Ed O'Keefe  (6/7/12)
"The Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 2012 would repeal a 2.3% excise tax on gross sales receipts in excess of $5M for manufacturers and importers of certain medical devices, including defibrillators, pacemakers and prosthetic limbs. Congressional budget officials estimate that the tax would raise nearly $30B in revenue between 2013 and 2022." More >

New Technique Offers Better Understanding of Human Tissues
Source: ScienceDaily   (6/6/12)
"The study is one of the first to explore how this technology, called bimodal dual AC mode microscopy, can improve our understanding of human tissues and biomaterials." More >

New AMA Chief: No Chaos with Court's Health Ruling
Source: Associated Press, Lindsey Tanner  (6/6/12)
"The AMA has supported Obama's health overhaul, though a vocal contingent of doctor-members has urged the group to back off that stance." More >

House Votes to Approve FDA Funding Bill
Source: Reuters, Anna Yukhananov  (5/30/12)
"The House of Representatives approved a bill that helps fund the Food and Drug Administration and gives it new authority to prevent drug shortages and speed reviews of medical devices." More >

Make Friends with Companion Diagnostics to Bolster Your Biotech Portfolio: Stephen Brozak
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (5/24/12)
Hitting just the right target and engineering cells to perform certain tasks will unlock the deep secrets of biology and change the entire paradigm of medicine, says WBB Securities President and Managing Partner Stephen Brozak. He is not picking the ultimate winners just yet, but he is playing stem cell and personalized medicine developers as a diversified portfolio, knowing that successes will overpower the also-rans. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Brozak shares names from his list of finalists. More >