Remaining Competitive in the Medtech Industry
Within the healthcare industry there is an understanding among medical device companies that the drive for improvements in both manufacturing and packaging is a constant. In this time of increased flux, companies must strive to retain their competitive edge by establishing a foundation of trust and experience combined with a spirit of flexibility.
For contract manufacturers servicing customers ranging from Fortune 100 powerhouses to the newest startups, it’s paramount to have a sound leadership team focused on a few key operating principles. In this way, medical device contract manufacturing and packaging...
Source: MDDI - May 22, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Aaron Swanson Tags: Contract Manufacturing Source Type: news
Humpback Whales Have Made a Remarkable Recovery, Giving Us Hope for the Planet
In the depths of the ocean, and out of sight for most of us, there’s a quiet miracle happening. Many humpback whale populations, previously devastated by commercial whaling, are making a comeback. And no, before you ask, this has nothing to do with the coronavirus.
A recent study on humpbacks that breed off the coast of Brazil and call Antarctic waters home during the summer has shown that these whales can now be found in the sort of numbers seen before the days of whaling. Records suggest that in the 1830s there were around 27,000 whales but, after heavy hunting, by the mid-1950s only 450 remained.
It is reassuring...
Source: TIME: Science - May 16, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Dr. Kirsten Thompson Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
How Russia ’s Coronavirus Outbreak Became One of the World’s Worst
Russian President Vladimir Putin eased the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 30 to stem the spread of the coronavirus, even as Russia becomes Europe’s new hotspot for the infection. With more than 250,000 cases as of May 15, Russia now has the second-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world.
In a televised address to the nation on May 11, Putin said that some sectors would return to work from the following day, though restrictions on large public events across the country would stay in place. Everyone is required to wear face masks and gloves in shops and on public transport. Still closed in Moscow ...
Source: TIME: Health - May 15, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Madeline Roache Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Explainer feature Londontime Source Type: news
High Demand Caused by COVID-19 Helps Baxter Beat 1Q20 Expectations
Baxter International is experiencing significant revenue growth because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Because of the virus’s impact, the Deerfield, IL-based company beat Wall Street expectations for its 1Q20 earnings.
Baxter reported results of $2.8 billion, a 6% increase from the $2.6 billion reported in 1Q19. The results beat out consensus, which came in at about $2.7 billion.
Higher demand for Baxter’s continuous renal placement therapy line, generic injectables and parenteral nutrition therapies, and intravenous solutions contributed to sales growth. Executives estimated that ...
Source: MDDI - May 4, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Omar Ford Tags: COVID-19 Business Source Type: news
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Reinvention of the Spirit of Solidarity and Cooperation
Primary School in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Credit: Shafiqul Alam Kiron/IPS.By Manssour Bin MussallamGENEVA, Apr 30 2020 (IPS) An invisible adversary has thrown the world – Global South and Global North alike – into disarray. The psychosocial and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis will remain with us long after it has been overcome. There will be no anti-viral return to the pre-coronavirus status quo, nor can we afford to idly wait for a viral transformation of our world. The future is not inevitable, abstract promise – it will depend on our collective readiness to forge it, or to be forged by it.
Manssour Bin Mu...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - April 30, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Manssour Bin Mussallam Tags: Development & Aid Economy & Trade Education Global Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Labour TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news
Can Intuitive Surgical Continue to Rise Above COVID-19 Disruptions?
Intuitive Surgical beat analysts’ estimates and revenue rose about 13% for 1Q20, however, the company said the rest of 2020 is in question because of COVID-19.
The Sunnyvale, CA-based company said procedures with its da Vinci robot were trending at the higher end of expectations during the first two and half months of 1Q20. But the surgical robotics pioneer’s story changed sharply in the latter half of March.
The company said it experienced a decline in procedure volume as healthcare systems in the U.S. and Western Europe diverted resources to meet the increasing demands of managing COVI...
Source: MDDI - April 17, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Omar Ford Tags: Business COVID-19 Source Type: news
The Science Behind Your Weird Coronavirus Dreams (And Nightmares)
Earlier this month, my friend Claire Arkin, 30, a non-profit worker in Berkeley, Cali., told me she’d been having oddly vivid and specific dreams. In one, she was getting dressed to attend a fancy gala, but instead of donning an evening gown and diamonds, she wrapped herself in toilet paper, “like some kind of f–ked up status symbol,” she said. A few nights later, she dreamt about men she’d met on a fictional dating app making her anxious by not staying the social distance-required six feet away from her.
Many people have been paying attention to their dreams more during the global coronavirus...
Source: TIME: Science - April 16, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Sophie Weiner Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news
The Science Behind Your Weird Coronavirus Dreams (And Nightmares)
Earlier this month, my friend Claire Arkin, 30, a non-profit worker in Berkeley, Cali., told me she’d been having oddly vivid and specific dreams. In one, she was getting dressed to attend a fancy gala, but instead of donning an evening gown and diamonds, she wrapped herself in toilet paper, “like some kind of f–ked up status symbol,” she said. A few nights later, she dreamt about men she’d met on a fictional dating app making her anxious by not staying the social distance-required six feet away from her.
Many people have been paying attention to their dreams more during the global coronavirus...
Source: TIME: Health - April 16, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Sophie Weiner Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news
'Friendship' groups could help flamingos stay in the pink – study
UK survey of Gloucestershire flocks shows birds hang out in small social networksThe sight of tens of thousands of flamingos flocking together to create a huge pink cloud may be one of the wonders of the natural world but research suggests that within these vast congregations, individual birds form intimate, long-lasting friendship groups.A five-year study of captive flocks in Gloucestershire has found that flamingos spend large amounts of time with specific close “friends” in groups of up to four or five.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 14, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Steven Morris Tags: Animal behaviour UK news Animals University of Exeter Environment Biology Science Source Type: news
‘We Carry That Burden.’ Medical Workers Fighting COVID-19 Are Facing a Mental Health Crisis
As a critical care doctor in New York City, Monica is used to dealing with high-octane situations and treating severely ill patients. But she says the COVID-19 outbreak is unlike anything she’s seen before. Over the past few weeks, operating rooms have been transformed into ICUs, physicians of all backgrounds have been drafted into emergency room work, and two of her colleagues became ICU patients. While Monica is proud of her coworkers for rising to the challenge, she says it’s been hard for them to fight a prolonged battle against a deadly, highly contagious illness with no known cure.
To make matters worse,...
Source: TIME: Health - April 10, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tara Law Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 UnitedWeRise20Disaster Source Type: news
Asia-Pacific Response to COVID-19 and Climate Emergency Must Build a Resilient and Sustainable Future
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAPBy Armida Salsiah AlisjahbanaBANGKOK, Thailand, Apr 8 2020 (IPS) The unprecedented public health emergency triggered by the COVID -19 pandemic and its multi-faceted impact on people’s lives around the world is taking a heavy toll on Asia and the Pacific.
Countries in our region are striving to mitigate the massive socioeconomic impact of the pandemic, which is also expected to affect the region’s economic health. In its annual Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2020 launched today, the United Nations...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - April 8, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Tags: Asia-Pacific Climate Change Economy & Trade Environment Financial Crisis Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Poverty & SDGs Sustainability TerraViva United Nations Trade & Investment Source Type: news
Boston Scientific Cuts Pay and Withdraws Revenue Guidance
As expected, medical device companies are feeling the financial impact of the new coronavirus – and it's only going to get worse.
Boston Scientific was already expecting the virus to lower first-quarter revenue by $10 million to $40,000 as early as Feb. 5, when the company hosted it's last earnings call. Then, as COVID-19 reached a global pandemic level in March, procedure volumes took a nose dive. The Marlborough, MA-based company now expects first quarter 2020 revenue growth to be flat to "up slightly" compared to first quarter 2019 revenue, and an organic...
Source: MDDI - April 2, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Amanda Pedersen Tags: Business Source Type: news
Global Air Pollution Has Fallen Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak, but Experts Warn It Isn ’t a Silver Lining
Around the world an unexpected impact of the economic shuttering due to the coronavirus outbreak is striking blue skies and clear water in places, from Venice to Beijing, Los Angeles to Bangalore, where only weeks ago pollution dominated.
COVID-19 has driven the global economy to a near-halt as the pandemic sweeps the globe. With factories shuttered and cars parked in garages, air pollution has dissipated in cities. The Chinese capital Beijing, known for the lung-choking levels of toxic pollution that shroud the city, has had the unusual sight of clear skies as factories in the region have shut down production. Given China...
Source: TIME: Science - April 1, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Justin Worland Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 News Desk Source Type: news
When Will You Know You Are Ready for Treatment?
While some people who’ve become addicted to alcohol and drugs have to hit rock bottom before they’re ready to accept treatment, most realize or can be convinced of the need to get professional help long before such a calamitous event. As for the timing, knowing when you are ready for treatment, it’s different for everyone. It may help to know some of the common signs you’re ready to take the crucial next step.
You’ve Had Enough — And So Has Everyone Else
The list of addictive behaviors is long and varied, including problem drinking and alcohol abuse that descends into alcohol use disorder, substance use d...
Source: Psych Central - March 27, 2020 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Suzanne Kane Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Habits Substance Abuse Source Type: news
Health Workers Are the Frontline Soldiers Against Covid-19. Let ’s Protect Them
Health workers are at the frontlines in the fight against the new Corona Virus. Credit: John NjorogeBy Mutahi Kagwe and Siddharth ChatterjeeNAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 24 2020 (IPS) Many soldiers have seen first-hand the horrors of war and, terrifying though it often was, they knew who they were fighting, and could recognise their enemy.
The COVID 19 or the new Corona Virus is different. In this virus we have an enemy which is invisible and sometimes deadly, and the task is harder.
About a century ago the Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people, more than the combined total casualties of World Wars I and II. Ou...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - March 24, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Mutahi Kagwe and Siddharth Chatterjee Tags: Africa Featured Global Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Labour TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news
