The Yale led reanalysis of the BMP-2 InFuse trials

June 20, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Medtronic granted rare access to a team led my Yale’s Harlan Krumholz and turned over the complete Continue reading

Posted in Orthopedic surgery, Yale | Leave a comment

Exclusive: CEO of Komen for the Cure never stepped down as announced in 2012

June 6, 2013- By Steven E. Greer, MD

The breast cancer research foundation Komen for the Cure, founded by Nancy Brinker, got into hot water in 2012 Continue reading

Posted in - Policy, Oncology | Leave a comment

FDA reviews the safety of Januvia, Byetta, and other GLP-1 diabetes drugs

Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD Continue reading

Posted in - Pharma, FDA | Leave a comment

What happens next with the ACA law?

May 20, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD Continue reading

Posted in CMS, Congress | Leave a comment

Reasons for permanent slowdowns in healthcare spending growth

May 17, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Since 2010, Continue reading

Posted in CMS, Harvard | Leave a comment

Bioabsorbable stents

May 14, 2013- William O’Neill, MD of Henry Ford discusses bioabsorbable coronary stents, and the U.S. Abbott trials. Continue reading

Posted in Cardiac surgery, Cardiology, Henry Ford | Leave a comment

Renal denervation devices to treat hypertension

William O’Neill, MD of Henry Ford Hospital discusses renal denervation devices used to treat refractory hypertension. He is involved with the Medtronic device trials.

Posted in - Medical Devices, Cardiology, FDA, Henry Ford | Leave a comment

The Massachusetts General trauma response to the Boston bombings

May 3, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Paul Biddinger, MD, Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness, Massachusetts General Continue reading

Posted in - NEJM, - Policy, Trauma Surgery | Leave a comment

How Boston medical centers prepare for unconventional weapon attacks

May 3, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Paul Biddinger, MD, Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness, Massachusetts General Continue reading

Posted in - Policy, Boston University, CDC, Congress, Emergency medicine, Harvard, Trauma Surgery | Leave a comment

How Boston medical centers prepare for unconventional weapon attacks

May 3, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD Continue reading

Posted in - Policy, Boston University, Emergency medicine, Harvard, Trauma Surgery | Leave a comment

The other casualty from Boston: Old-school TV news

April 27, 2013 By Steven E. Greer, MD

On April 15, 2013, at 2:49 PM, two terrorist bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Continue reading

Posted in - Opinion | Leave a comment

Is cath lab fluoroscopy radiation exposure dangerous?

April 25, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

With former President George W. Bush receiving a coronary stent and cardiac chest CT-scan, Continue reading

Posted in Cardiology | Leave a comment

FDA official, William Maisel, pleads guilty to crime, keeps job

April 24, 2013 By Steven E. Greer, MD

In July of 2012, the New York Times reported on an FDA scandal of the agency spying on internal Continue reading

Posted in - Medical Devices, FDA | Leave a comment

Questionable comments by Atul Gawande after the Boston Marathon bombings

April 20, 2013 By Steven E. Greer, MD

Only two days after the April 15th Boston Marathon terrorist bombings, Harvard surgeon Atul Continue reading

Posted in Harvard, Trauma Surgery | Leave a comment

TAVR Finances: William O’Neill, MD

Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

The clinical adoption of  Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) has been slower than Continue reading

Posted in Cardiac surgery, Cardiology, Henry Ford | Leave a comment

TAVR collaboration

April 12, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

William O’Neill, MD, Director of the Structural Heart Disease Center at Henry Ford Hospital, Continue reading

Posted in - Medical Devices, Henry Ford | Leave a comment

Smartphone apps to be regulated and taxed as medical devices

March 26, 2013

Which smartphone apps will the FDA label as a medical device making them taxable tax under Continue reading

Posted in - Medical Devices, Congress, FDA | Leave a comment

anti-PD1 and anti-PD-L1 drugs treating NSCLC

March 26, 2013 Interviewed By Steven E. Greer, MD Continue reading

Posted in - Biotech, - Pharma, Oncology, UCLA | Leave a comment

Watchman shot dead

March 10, 2013 By Steven E. Greer, MD  The Healthcare ChannelF1.medium

PREVAIL, the much anticipated second major trial of the Boston Scientific device called Watchman was a bust. The trial endpoints were changed in midstream of the trial, but it still did not help. The efficacy endpoint was not met this time, contradicting the first major trial, PROTECT, where a small efficacy was found. (Even if the statistical endpoints were met, the primary endpoint was a clinically meaningless composite of stroke, systemic embolization, and cardiovascular caused death.)

The safety of the device has always been the show stopper. Continue reading

Posted in - Medical Devices, Cardiac surgery, Cardiology | Leave a comment

Second-gen Sapien TAVI valve does not reduce stroke problem

March 10, 2013 By Steven E. Greer, MD  The Healthcare Channel1-s2.0-S1875213612000459-gr7

The main reason that Medicare has limited coverage for the Edwards Lifesciences (EW) Sapien percutaneous aortic valve is the high perioperative complication rate of ischemic strokes, in excess of 9%, as well as femoral artery complications. The newer second generation Sapien XT, with a smaller diameter “French” profile, was hoped to reduce the complications and make the TAVR procedure safer. The newest data on the second-gen Sapien do not seem to support the claims from Marty Leon, financial backer of the valve, that the new valve is safer.

LeonThe PARTNER II study was presented at the ACC meeting in San Francisco. Continue reading

Posted in - Medical Devices, Cardiac surgery, Cardiology, Neurology | Leave a comment