| February 8, 2013 | News for the transfusion medicine and cellular therapy community |
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Digi-Trax® Corporation Helps Ensure your Facility's FDA Compliance
HemaTrax-UNITY™ is our newest blood bank software for printing ISBT 128 compliant labels. It works with your BBIS and can also be used as a standalone system - very useful for disaster recovery. Our single-source solution combines HemaTrax-UNITY™ software with printers, scanners, validation, labels and service. Learn more. |
| Science & Health |  |  |
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- Study suggests interferon not effective in hepatitis C relapse
Interferon monotherapy may not be the best retreatment for patients with hepatitis C and chronic liver disease who relapse after initial therapy or do not respond to it at all, according to a study from the University of California, Los Angeles. Researchers said study data showed higher risk of all-cause mortality among patients, and they also found evidence of more pain and adverse effects among the group treated with interferon. The researchers said their findings also raised questions about common biomarkers, including sustained viral response, because levels improved even when outcomes did not. Medscape (free registration)
(1/30), DailyRx.com
(2/5)     
| Emerging Trends | | |
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- Sequester could slow or stop FDA reviews, analyst warns
FDA operations will be limited by budget sequestration if lawmakers don't move to stop an 8.2% automatic cut before March 1, the consulting firm Avalere Health warned. "An underfunded FDA could lead to FDA review clocks being reset or delayed, which would affect a sponsor's ability to obtain product approval -- thus delaying patient access to cutting edge medical innovations," Avalere said in its report. The Hill/Healthwatch blog
(2/5)
| Industry News & Practice | | |
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| Government & Regulatory | | |
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- Legislators introduce bill aimed at repealing device tax
A bill that would repeal the 2.3% medical device tax has been introduced by Reps. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., and Ron Kind, D-Wis., along with more than 170 co-sponsors. The legislators said the tax could stymie economic growth and job creation in the medtech sector, which provides more than 400,000 jobs in the U.S. A companion bill is expected to follow in the Senate soon. AuntMinnie.com (free registration)
(2/6)
| Association News | | |
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AABB Live Learning Center offers CME/CE credits
Individuals are encouraged to visit AABB's Live Learning Center to earn CME/CE credits. The center offers easy access to essential Annual Meeting information, centralized audioconference registration and CME/CE tracking and attendance certification. Learn More.
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The anticoagulant rivaroxaban was effective at preventing venous thromboembolism in patients with acute illnesses, but it was associated with a significant increase in bleeding risk, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study compared rivaroxaban with enoxaparin. 
