December 17, 2007 - As Washington gridlocks on so many issues, promoting electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) in Medicare is emerging as one issue both Republicans and Democrats can agree on.

“The Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection (E-MEDS) Act of 2007,” which will require that Medicare physicians begin to prescribe electronically, will said to save lives and money and fits perfectly into any Medicare package being discussed on Capitol Hill, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said Dec. 13.

December 17, 2007 - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said Monday it has signed an agreement to sell its medical imaging unit to Avista Capital Partner for approximately $525 million.

The unit, Billerica, MA-based Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging, is a supplier of medical imaging products for nuclear and ultrasound cardiovascular diagnostic imaging procedures.

December 17, 2007 - According to Imaging3 Inc., its new Dominion Volumetric Imaging Scanner or DVIS, utilizes between 100 to 1,000 times less radiation than a standard CT scan.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2006 said about 62 million CT scans were administered in the U.S. compared to the 3 million scans in 1980. The study also said as many as 2 percent of all cancers in the U.S. may be due to radiation from CT scans.

December 14, 2007 – Hologic Inc. announced today the FDA Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Advisory Panel recommended that the pre-market application for Adiana Permanent Contraception for female sterilization is approvable, contingent upon several conditions, including long-term follow up of current pivotal trial patients, a new post approval study of new patients and physicians, and more specific labeling recommendations.

The FDA is not required to accept, but traditionally follows the recommendations of its advisory panels.