The first civilian physician assistants (PAs) trained in Canada have received their degrees from the University of Manitoba (U of M) and McMaster University. The U of M awarded master of physician assistant studies degrees to its first 10 graduates Oct. 20, 2010. McMaster followed suit Nov. 19 by awarding bachelor of health science (physician assistant) degrees to its first 21 PAs. The University of Toronto will produce its first PA graduates later this year. John Cannington, assistant dean of McMaster’s PA program, said that because of their commitment to collaborative care the new graduates “have positioned themselves as essential members of today’s interprofessional health care teams.” All PAs work under a physician’s supervision. More than 73,000 PAs currently practise in the US, where they have been part of the health care system since the 1960s.

Between now and 2030, the costs involved to manage heart disease will triple to more than $800 billion a year, a report commissioned by the American Heart Association predicted. Treating high blood pressure will be the most expensive part of the cost, rising to $389 billion by 2030, the report projects, with overall heart disease rising 10 percent by then. The Heart Association CEO Dr. Nancy Brown said “This country has a choice to make: We can wait until people get sick and figure out how to treat them or we can focus on prevention.” Dr. Paul Heidenreich of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California and colleagues looked at current costs of heart disease, the U.S. population and trends in behavior and illness for the first such projection of heart disease costs. “Between 2010 and 2030, real total direct medical costs of cardiovascular disease are projected to triple, from $272.5 billion to $818.1 billion,” reads the report, published in the journal Circulation.

Revenue for Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. (NASDAQ.NEPT – TSX.V.NTB) increased for the three-month and nine-month periods ended Nov. 30, 2010, according to consolidated financial results released by the company. Neptune’s nutraceutical revenue also increased during these periods. Consolidated revenue increased by 14% to $4,290,000 for the three-month period ended Nov. 30, 2010, up from $3,758,000 achieved during the corresponding period ended Nov. 30, 2009.

Bioenergy Inc. has received notification of a federal grant in the amount of $244,000 as part of the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project. The company said it will use the grant funds to investigate their patented D-Ribose’s role in protecting the heart and improving heart function. The Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Credit (QTDP) is provided under section 48D of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), as added to the IRC by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-148). The project issues one-time awards to biotech companies that show significant potential to produce new therapies; address unmet medical needs; prevent, detect, or treat chronic or acute diseases or conditions; reduce health care costs, or significantly advance the goal of curing cancer within the next 30 years. “This is exciting news for our company as we continue to work with D-Ribose and its application for cardiovascular health,” said Raj Khankari, CEO of Bioenergy, Inc. “We are very grateful the federal government has recognized the value of our company’s work and will be supporting us in our efforts as we continue to move forward.

From the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) media release: Mixing commonly used antibiotics with common blood pressure medications may cause hypotension and induce shock in older patients, requiring hospitalization, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). “Macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin) are among the most widely prescribed antibiotics, with millions of prescriptions dispensed in Canada each year” writes Dr. David Juurlink, Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences with coauthors. “The drugs are generally well-tolerated, but they can cause several important drug interactions.” This study was conducted among Ontarians 66 years and older who were treated with a calciumchannel blocker between 1994 and 2009. The researchers identified 7100 patients hospitalized for low blood pressure or shock while taking a calcium channel blocker. Treatment with erythromycin was found to increase the risk of low blood pressure almost 6-fold, while clarithromycin increased the risk almost 4-fold. In contrast, azithromycin did not increase the risk of hypotension.

Guidant LLC was formally convicted and ordered to pay more than $296 million in criminal fines and 3 years probation for withholding information about its heart defibrillators. The government said Guidant made decisions at various junctures to conceal information from the FDA and medical professionals regarding the device failures. In June 2005, the company finally “went public about the problem with information it had known for 10 months, and then only after three deaths had occurred,” according to a Justice Department statement. The Boston Scientific Corporation – which acquired Guidant LLC after the misconduct occurred – admitted to criminal violations relating to its interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last April. The U.S. Justice Department brought the charges against Guidant for its mishandling of short-circuiting failures of three models of its implantable cardioverter defibrillators: the Ventak Prizm 2 DR (Model 1861) and the Contak Renewal (Models H135 and H155).

There exists a growing number of medical practices that allow patients to schedule appointments online. About 16% of family doctors used online scheduling in 2009, up from 6% in 2005, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Several factors are driving the trend. On the doctors’ side, it’s mostly the need to add patients and reduce overhead costs. They’re also growing more comfortable with computers. About half of family doctors use electronic health records, and 44% prescribe electronically, according to the academy. CEO Cyrus Massoumi says he envisions ZocDoc doing for doctor and dentist appointments what opentable. com has done for restaurant reservations. About 40% of ZocDoc appointments take place within a day of booking. After an appointment is made online, the doctor’s office confirms it by e-mail, then ZocDoc sends electronic reminders. Nearly 85% of appointments made on ZocDoc are new patients. Patients pay nothing. Doctors pay about $250 a month to be listed.

Two Vancouver researchers are tackling the most commonly diagnosed male cancer in Canada, using a brand new field of genomics called computational chemogenomics. This new approach uses computer modeling in virtual 3D to predict how different chemicals or drugs will affect cancer tumours. The project, titled “Methods of Chemical Genomics” has received $324,000 in funding, with $161,500 from Genome BC and the rest from other partners including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Vancouver Prostate Centre. “This type of ‘virtual screening’ is expected to shave years off the typical discovery process for new drug candidates and will allow scientists to identify and test the most promising chemical compounds more rapidly,” says Dr. Rennie of the Vancouver Prostate Centre.

The new report, “Herbal Supplements and Remedies: A Global Strategic Business Report” by Global Industry Analysts, notes that recent negative publicity surrounding herbal ingredients such as ephedra has tarnished the image of herbal supplements. However, this is now turning around with widespread acceptance of functional foods, supplier innovations and the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) for dietary supplements by the FDA. The report notes a “major trend observed in the market” as the shift from single ingredient formulations to “multiple ingredient-based medications” that are condition specific. Multi-herbal formulations are the largest segment, and this is forecast to stay ahead of the pack, with a projected compounded growth rate of 9 percent. The first of the Baby Boomers are turning 65 this year, and the power of this group is reflected in the herbal supplements market, says the report. Herbal and botanical supplements are increasingly seen as natural alternatives for hormone replacement therapy, as well as offering natural ways of improving prostate health, brain health and cognitive function, and joint and connective tissue health.

Organique by Himalaya®, a line of personal care products made by Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, has been awarded Whole Foods Market Premium Body Care certification. Himalaya President & CEO Nabeel Manal announced that all 20 products in the Organique by Himalaya line have been awarded the certification. The seal is Whole Foods Market’s highest mark of quality and cleanliness in personal care products. Describing their certification process as a step in “raising the bar in the industry and the aisles,” Whole Foods Market follows strict criteria in four general areas to award their Premium Body Care certification: results, source, environment and safety. Before awarding their seal to a particular line or product, Whole Foods Market requires that manufacturers conform to a strict, specific list of acceptable and unacceptable ingredients. Organique by Himalaya products are manufactured using organically-grown herbs and organic essential oils. They are free from Parabens, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Phthalates, Petroleum and over 200 synthetic ingredients. Individual batch testing is performed for gluten-free labelling.