Private equity interest in the health care sector is at an all-time high, spurred by the digital health revolution, value-based care, and an increased demand for a range of consumer-driven health services. Troutman Pepper’s health care private equity team expects private equity investors to continue pursuing deals at a record pace this year, following a busier-than-usual 2021.
Author: Praveen Suthrum
Kallyope, Inc., a leading biotechnology company focused on identifying and developing therapeutics involving the gut-brain axis, today announced the closing of a $236 million Series D financing co-led by Mubadala Investment Company and The Column Group, along with participation from other new and existing investors. The funds will be used to advance the company’s pioneering drug discovery platform, clinical trials, and pipeline of multiple programs across a broad range of therapeutic areas.
Vivek Kaul, MD, a gastroenterologist at University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center and Strong Memorial Hospital, joined Becker’s ASC Review to discuss the forces deciding the future of healthcare and how ASCs can thrive in a competitive market. Editor’s note: This interview was edited lightly for clarity and brevity. Question: What major forces are deciding the future of healthcare? Dr. Vivek Kaul: Several factors will impact the future direction of healthcare, many related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Workforce attrition and physician shortages will continue to negatively impact patient access and care across subspecialties. Apps will likely assume greater responsibilities in the…
Both tofacitinib (Xeljanz) and vedolizumab (Entyvio) are effective options for people with ulcerative colitis who fail at least one anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy, a real-world study in France revealed. However, response was superior with tofacitinib among people after primary failure to biologics and multiple therapeutic failure, the researchers report, including endoscopic improvement and mucosal healing.
The Senate recently passed a bill to address the stigma that health care professionals often face when seeking mental health services. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act is named after an ED physician who took her own life in April 2020 after treating patients with COVID-19. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature.
Walgreens is ramping up its investment in primary care, with plans to open 200 primary care clinics in its stores in 2022. The clinics will be a co-branded effort between Walgreens and VillageMD. Walgreens partnered with VillageMD three years ago with a pilot project of five practices in the Houston area, and following that, announced a nationwide rollout in 2020. This strategy is similar to what CVS and Walmart are doing as the major chains maneuver to try to capture more health care dollars by transforming into health care destinations.
World Bank and WHO have agreed that half the world still lacks access to essential health services, while 100 million people are being pushed into extreme poverty because of health expenses. A study has found that “although the quantity rather than the quality of health services has been the focus historically in developing countries, ample evidence suggests that quality of care (or the lack of it) must be at the center of every discussion about better health”.
The FDA granted orphan drug designation to CYNK-101, an investigational natural killer cell-based therapy for treatment of advanced HER2/neu-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. CYNK-101 (Celularity) is a gene-edited, allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapy composed of human placental hematopoietic stem cells engineered to express a high-affinity and cleavage-resistant CD16 (FCGRIIIA) variant.
Dr. Abreu is in line to be president-elect in 2023, then president of the 16,000-member AGA in ’24. “I have grown up in the AGA and participated in almost every aspect of the organization,” said Dr. Abreu, professor of medicine and professor of microbiology and immunology, and director of the University of Miami Health System Crohn’s & Colitis Center.
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based North Valley Surgery Center is kicking off a colon cancer screening program for women, the ASC’s joint venture partner Sovereign Healthcare said Feb. 11.