OncoMed Pharmaceuticals announced that it has been awarded $1.2 million to support five distinct therapeutic programs under the U.S. Government’s Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (“QTDP”) program.

All of the grant applications submitted by the company received an award.  The funds will be used to continue development of each of five promising therapeutic programs.

“The QTDP program provides our industry with needed capital to maintain the U.S.’s lead in biomedical innovation, support the development of breakthrough medical discoveries, sustain industry growth, and improve the time and speed of the FDA and CMS in getting life-saving medicines to people.

This will in turn enhance the willingness of private and public investors to fund these projects and companies, thus creating jobs and better quality healthcare for all Americans,” said Paul Hastings, President and Chief Executive Officer of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals.  ”We are pleased to see OncoMed recognized by the award of these QTDP Program grants, which value the scope of our research and emerging pipeline of anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics programs.  We look forward to applying these funds to development candidates arising from our insights into multiple cancer stem cell pathways and cancer biology.”

The Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program was created by Congress as a temporary tool to support innovation and job creation by biotech companies.  Under the QTDP program, a total of $1 billion in grants or tax credits was made available to companies with 250 employees or fewer.

Grants may cover up to 50 percent of the costs of qualifying biomedical research and only one credit may be awarded per therapeutic product.

To be eligible for the program, projects must show reasonable potential to do the following: result in new therapies to treat areas of unmet medical need; prevent, detect, or treat chronic or acute disease and conditions; reduce long-term health care costs; or significantly advance the goal of curing cancer within a 30-year period.  Projects were selected jointly by the Treasury Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.


It can be hard for senior citizens to receive routine medical care in a timely fashion when many doctors’ offices and emergency rooms are crowded and area hospitals have been closed.

But now New York’s senior citizens have a great new choice for receiving routine medical care, as the federal government has certified the New York Walk In Medical Group, PC, to receive payments for services under the Medicare program.

The medical practice group runs the “DR Doctor On-Premises Walk-in Medical Care” facilities springing up in Duane Reade stores across Manhattan.  The facilities are staffed by licensed, board-certified physicians who can take care of most common ailments, minor injuries, routine screenings, vaccinations, and referrals to specialists.

After patients are treated, the doctors can refer them back to their local primary or specialty care physicians, maintaining continuity of care.  The medical practice is affiliated with Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, giving patients access to several of New York’s top health care facilities.  People with most forms of insurance are accepted, as are non-insured patients, and now Medicare subscribers.

For busy New Yorkers, the chief advantages are convenience, affordability, and quality of care.  If a person’s primary physician is not available, it is far less hassle to visit a nearby drugstore than to schedule an office appointment or visit an emergency room for non-life-threatening problems. Read the rest of this entry »


Seven Ways to Avoid Medicare Traps and Costly Blunders

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Nov 1,2010

Consumer Reports Health and NCQA Publish Free Rankings of 183 Medicare Advantage HMOs, Plus Free Rankings of 104 Medicaid Plans

If you’re about to turn 65, you’ll be part of the first wave of baby boomers signing up for Medicare.  Consumer Reports Health recommends signing up as early as three months ahead of your birthday.  Failing to do so could potentially cost you thousands of dollars down the road.  That’s one of seven tips for navigating the Medicare maze available in the December issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.

“If you don’t stay on top of the process when you first sign up, you can blunder into decisions that could lock you out of certain types of coverage, costing you thousands in extra premiums and out-of-pocket costs,” said Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor, Consumer Reports Health.  ”Medicare is filled with traps so it’s well worth your time to dig into the details of the program and make sure you choose wisely based on your individual needs.”

In addition to the do’s and don’ts spelled out in the report, free rankings of 183 Medicare Advantage HMOs are available online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.  The Rankings are produced by the non-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the main U.S. group that sets measurement standards for health insurance, accredits plans, measures the quality of care they achieve, and publicly reports the findings.  Subscribers can access more detailed information such as how well plans perform based on consumer satisfaction, providing preventive services, and treating common conditions.  Rankings and more detailed information on 104 Medicaid plans will be made available for free. Read the rest of this entry »


November is Lung and Pancreatic Cancer Month

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Oct 30,2010

Blood Donors, Blood Drives Aid Cancer Patients

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and New York Blood Center (NYBC) serving more than 20 million people in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, calls upon our communities to please join the fight against cancer by donating blood. Healthy people of all blood types and ethnicities are encouraged to donate and help save lives.  Blood donations are particularly needed from O-negative, B-negative and A-negative types.

About one in seven people entering a hospital needs blood.

Hospital use of blood products has increased due to surgeries, injuries and care of cancer patients.  Cancer patients may require frequent blood transfusions because treatment often destroys healthy blood cells along with the cancer cells.  Thus, in cancer patients, red blood cell transfusions to fight anemia and platelet transfusions to control bleeding are often needed.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, and by far the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.  It is estimated that 116,750 men and 105,770 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.  Because it is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, the survival rate is poor compared with that of other types of cancer.  It is estimated that 21,370 men and 21,770 women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year. Read the rest of this entry »


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