Health

HEALTH • Summer 2016 5 WPI faculty receive skin cell patent WORCESTER — Two Worcester Polytechnic Institute faculty mem- bers were granted a patent for a tech- nology they developed that converts human skin cells into generators of wound healing and tissue regenera- tion. Faculty members Raymond Page and Tanja Dominko were awarded a patent in March for a tech- nology that allows skin cells or cells from other tissues to be cultured and then replicated for long periods of time, causing the cells to express genes and proteins usually associated with stem cells. The technology works without inserting viruses or foreign genes into the cells, which were previ- ously thought to have a short life span once they exited the body. Doctor fined in connection with medical marijuana practice WORCESTER — Massachusetts regulators have reprimanded and fined a doctor at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester in connection with his medical marijuana prescrib- ing practices in Maine. According to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, Dr. William Ortiz agreed in a consent order that he had been disciplined in September 2014 by licensing officials in Maine "for having engaged in unprofessional conduct" stemming from his issuance of medical marijuana certificates to 59 patients over two days in Maine and for keeping incomplete records on those patients. He was fined $2,500. Worcester ZBA approves dialysis clinic WORCESTER — The Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals unani- mously approved a request for a spe- cial permit for the operation of a dialysis clinic. Genesis KC Development LLC, which does busi- ness as DaVita HealthCare Partners, received a permit to operate a clinic at 267 Shrewsbury St., a 12,000-square- foot building that has long been vacant. The new clinic will provide jobs for approximately 15 full-time staff members, said Stephen Rolle, director of planning and regulatory services for the city. DaVita also oper- ates a clinic at 19 Glennie St. A special permit was necessary because the building was zoned as a manufactur- ing space. Boston Scientific opioid alternative gets FDA OK MARLBOROUGH — A system from Boston Scientific that can be used in the place of opioids to combat chronic pain has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company announced. The company announced the launch of the Precision Montage MRI Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) system that uses the company's MultiWave Technology to relieve chronic pain. According to Boston Scientific, SCS sends electrical signals to the nerve fibers in the spinal cord during an MRI, preventing pain sig- nals from reaching the brain and helping to provide long-lasting pain relief. The technology is designed to allow for flexible pain treatment of chronic pain that can last for weeks, months and even years. AbbVie arthritis patent challenged WORCESTER — AbbVie, the North Chicago, Ill.-based biopharma with a research center in Worcester, has received a challenge to one of its patents for Humira, a flagship drug for the company. The U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board announced it would go through with a petition for review of AbbVie's patent, directed to a dosing regimen in which 40 mg of Humira is administered under the skin every 13 to 15 days as a rheuma- toid arthritis treatment. The petition came from Redwood City, Calif.- based Coherus BioSciences Inc., which has been developing and com- mercializing a treatment similar to Humira. Bloomberg reported that although AbbVie's market share is much greater than that of Coherus, the decision is a blow to AbbVie because it suggests the company's pat- { Health Care Briefs } ent strength might not be as secure as it hoped. Worcester autism services provider hires 26 WORCESTER — Behavioral Concepts Inc., an autism assistance provider with a center in Worcester, has made several recent long-term workforce investments in an effort to keep up with increasing demand for its services. In the first two months of 2016, the company hired 26 applied behavior analysis therapists, who work individually with children on the autism spectrum. Demand for services is increasing because the number of children on the autism spectrum has gone up, said Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, the company's founder and director. The new hires come at a time when the company has made significant long-term investments in workforce development. Sunovion drug reduces hospitalization for lung disease MARLBOROUGH — A post-hoc analysis of a long-term safety study of the effectiveness of Marlborough- based Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Brovana found the drug to be effective in reducing hospitalization in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study, carried out on patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstruc- tive pulmonary disease, took place over the course of a year and evalu- ated patients on Brovana versus a placebo. Brovana is a nebulized, long- acting beta2 agonist administered twice daily that treats bronchocon- striction in people with COPD, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Post hoc analyses found patients who received Brovana exhib- ited lower hospitalization rates relat- ed to COPD exacerbation than patients who took the placebo. Latuda holds prom- ise in schizophrenia treatment M A R L B O R O U G H — Marlborough-based Sunovion Pharmaceuticals announced a drug used to treat schizophrenia and bipo- lar depression was well-tolerated in patients and was associated with a sustained improvement in depressive symptoms in a secondary analysis. The drug Latuda, when taken once daily for six months following a six- week placebo controlled treatment period, was well tolerated with small changes in weight and metabolic parameters, Sunovion's study found. A secondary analysis found the drug to be associated with improvement in depressive symptoms, based on observed case data over time and assessed using a depression rating scale. Deep base of biopharma jobs detailed in report Massachusetts is one of the top states in the nation when it comes to biopharmaceutical jobs, with more than 55,000 people directly employed in the sector, according to a report by an industry group. The report, pre- pared for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America by TEConomy partners, tal- lied 55,184 biopharmaceutical jobs in Massachusetts in 2014, with another 209,477 jobs at the industry's ven- dors, suppliers and businesses serving biopharmaceutical workers. Along with California, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Massachusetts is one of six states where the biopharmaceutical sector supports more than 250,000 jobs. Fallon Health reports $5.6M first-quarter loss WORCESTER — Worcester non- profit insurer Fallon Health reported a $5.6-million first-quarter net loss and a 14,000 member year-over-year decline. The $5.6-million net loss was posted on revenue of $298 million for the first quarter. The first-quarter loss represented a year-over-year decline from a first-quarter 2015 loss of $4.2 million on revenue of $317 million. The losses come as the company reported a net loss of $6.8 million for the entire fiscal 2015. Biostage makes $5M stock offering HOLLISTON — The bioengi- Continued on Page 6

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