Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy: Revitalizing the drug pipeline: AntibioticDB, an open access database to aid antibacterial research and development. “The current state of antibiotic discovery, research and development is insufficient to respond to the need for new treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections. The process has changed over the last decade, with most new agents that are in Phases 1–3, or recently approved, having been discovered in small- and medium-sized enterprises or academia. These agents have then been licensed or sold to large companies for further development with the goal of taking them to market. However, early drug discovery and development, including the possibility of developing previously discontinued agents, would benefit from a database of antibacterial compounds for scrutiny by the developers. This article describes the first free, open-access searchable database of antibacterial compounds, including discontinued agents, drugs under pre-clinical development and those in clinical trials: AntibioticDB.” The article is free.
health care
TechCrunch: UK report warns DeepMind Health could gain ‘excessive monopoly power’
TechCrunch: UK report warns DeepMind Health could gain ‘excessive monopoly power’ . “The DeepMind Health Independent Reviewers’ 2018 report flags a series of risks and concerns, as they see it, including the potential for DeepMind Health to be able to ‘exert excessive monopoly power’ as a result of the data access and streaming infrastructure that’s bundled with provision of the Streams app — and which, contractually, positions DeepMind as the access-controlling intermediary between the structured health data and any other third parties that might, in the future, want to offer their own digital assistance solutions to the Trust.”
Indiana University: Medical student founds national organization connecting LGBTQ community with health care
Indiana University: Medical student founds national organization connecting LGBTQ community with health care. “[Dustin] Nowaskie graduated in May, but before that, in the middle of his psychiatry studies, he founded OutCare, a database for LGBTQ health care. The website includes the OutList, a compilation of doctors and nurses confirmed to be culturally competent on LGBTQ health issues, as well as a database of other community and educational resources for patients and health care providers alike.”
LocalSYR: NY Health Dept. launches interactive tool to find health info, costs
LocalSYR: NY Health Dept. launches interactive tool to find health info, costs. “The New York Department of Health announced a new tool that allows consumers and researchers to find various health information. The tool, called the NYS Health Connector, provides information such as the cost of medical procedures and the frequency of those procedures that are performed at hospitals.”
State of Reform: New Texas Department of Insurance website compares medical costs across the state
State of Reform: New Texas Department of Insurance website compares medical costs across the state . “The Texas Department of Insurance has launched a new website that provides cost information for 200 common medical procedures in Texas. The website… allows consumers to evaluate the costs for various inpatient/outpatient procedures, imaging services, lab tests, and office visits, and compare them by zip code throughout the state. The website also compares in-network and out-of-network claims data.”
Ubergizmo: Alphabet’s Verily Working On Noninvasive Methods Of Blood Collection
Ubergizmo: Alphabet’s Verily Working On Noninvasive Methods Of Blood Collection. “Given that our blood is inside of our bodies, the only way to extract it would be to draw it out, such as with a needle. Not surprisingly there are many who aren’t particularly comfortable having their blood drawn, but some need to do that on a daily basis for health check, such as for diabetes. This is why it is not surprising that companies such as Apple have been working on noninvasive methods of blood collection. As it turns out Apple is not alone because according to a report from CNBC (via 9to5Google), Alphabet’s Verily is also said to be working on similar technology which could be implemented into future wearables, such as smartwatches.”
WVAH: Explore hospitals and services in West Virginia with new website
WVAH: Explore hospitals and services in West Virginia with new website. ” The West Virginia Hospital Association unveiled a new tool that is designed to make it easier for you to find out about hospital care and services…. This gives you the opportunity to explore hospitals in your area, compare their quality scores and find ones offering specific services related to diabetes, hip replacement, cancer and many others.”
