In case you missed it: a day in the life of a pandemic; Boston Scientific settlement, MetroWest demand, start-up's first drug, health care costs
In the Sunday Globe:
Never before have public health agencies, scientists, and drug makers attempted to brew so much vaccine - 250 million doses nationally - and deliver it in so little time. In the race between swine flu virus and vaccine, the virus has the head start, fostering a demand for flu shots and spray with few parallels in medical history. For the first time since the frenzied hunt for swine flu inoculations began last month, the state Department of Public Health agreed to let a reporter observe the divvying up of vaccine to health providers. It is a task that is equal parts science and art, supply and demand.
In Saturday's Globe:
Boston Scientific Corp. yesterday said it has agreed to pay $296 million to settle a US Department of Justice investigation into charges that its Guidant heart-device subsidiary made faulty product reports to the Food and Drug Administration.
MetroWest Medical Center has told employees it may end its contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts unless the insurer narrows the gap in payments between the hospital and its competitors.
Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, a six-year-old Cambridge biotechnology start-up, has won approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market its first drug in the United States. The drug, called Istodax, treats a rare skin cancer known as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, or CTCL.
"Much of the health care debate is focused on whether the country can afford the $850 billion the Congressional Budget Office estimates it will cost," Linda Bilmes, a faculty member at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Rosemarie Day, deputy director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority of Massachusetts, write on the opinion page. "This debate misses the point. It assumes that doing nothing will cost nothing. It turns out that not expanding health insurance is a pretty costly option, because uninsured people impose big financial and economic costs that are not properly appreciated."
About white coat notes
|
White Coat Notes covers the latest from the health care industry, hospitals, doctors offices, labs, insurers, and the corridors of government. Chelsea Conaboy previously covered health care for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Write her at cconaboy@boston.com. Follow her on Twitter: @cconaboy. |
Long-term health consequences to being born prematurely? It's estimated that each year nearly 500,000 babies in the United States are born prematurely, or before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Submit question | More answers

Health&Wellness video

Health search

Browse this blog
Boston Medical Center
Boston University
Brigham Womens
Broad Institute
Cambridge Health
Steward
Childrens
DanaFarber
Harvard University
Joslin
Lahey
MIT
Mass General
Mass Health Law
McLean
Mental Health
New England Baptist
Public Health
Short White Coat
Tufts Medical Center
Tufts University
UMass
UMass Memorial
VA Medical Centers
- Diseases About.com disease information
- Symptom checker What your symptoms could mean
- Drugs A-Z Side effects, drug interactions, and more
- Lab Test Interpreter What your lab results mean
- Natural Medicine A-Z Safety of herbs, supplements
- Flu.gov Government flu information
- CDC.gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Be Well Boston on Twitter
Gideon Gil, Health and Science Editor
Elizabeth Comeau, Senior Health Producer
Liz Kowalczyk
Kay Lazar







