OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. OMED, +6.44% a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, today announced that John Lewicki, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of OncoMed, will provide a corporate update at two upcoming investor conferences. 

• Wells Fargo Securities 2018 Healthcare Conference in Boston, MA on September 5, 2018 at 9:40 am Eastern Time
• 20 [th] Annual Rodman & Renshaw Global Investment Conference, sponsored by H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC in New York, NY on September 6, 2018 at 4:40 pm Eastern Time

​To access the live webcasts and subsequent archived recordings of these and other company presentations, please visit OncoMed's website at www.oncomed.com/invest/events.cfm. A replay of each presentation will be available for 30 days following the date of the event.

Read More: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/oncomed-to-present-at-two-upcoming-investor-conferences-in-september-2018-08-29

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Outset Medical, a commercial-stage company delivering first-of-its-kind technology into the growing global dialysis market, today announced that it raised $132 million in a Series D equity financing. The round was led by new investor Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s leading investment company, active in numerous sectors and more than 30 countries around the world. Existing investors Baxter Ventures, the venture capital arm of Baxter International, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Partner Fund Management LP, Perceptive Advisors, funds advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc., and Warburg Pincus also participated in the equity round.

The company will use the proceeds from the financing to increase production capabilities and accelerate commercial expansion of its Tablo®Hemodialysis System in acute and chronic care markets in the United States. Designed to reduce the cost and complexity of dialysis, Tablo expands how, when, and where dialysis can be provided.

Read More: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180828005589/en/Outset-Medical-Closes-132-Million-Financing-Accelerate

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Surgeons at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute are now offering a new minimally invasive treatment for patients with carotid artery disease.

The carotid arteries are the two large blood vessels in the neck that supply the brain and head with blood. Carotid artery disease occurs when the arteries become narrow or blocked as the result of a buildup of fatty plaque. This can cause small clots to form, and those clots can cause a stroke.

Currently, the most common treatments for severe carotid artery disease are carotid endarterectomy, an open surgical procedure, and transfemoral carotid angioplasty and stenting, a minimally invasive option for patients at high risk for stroke and other complications.

Surgeons at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute are now performing transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) using the ENROUTE® Transcarotid Neuroprotection System, which is designed to reduce the risk of stroke while inserting the ENROUTE® Transcarotid Stent. 

Read More: https://wvumedicine.org/news/article/wvu-heart-and-vascular-institute-offering-new-procedure-for-carotid-artery-disease/

Since its introduction in the 1950s, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been considered the gold standard treatment option for carotid revascularization. However, in patients with high-risk anatomic and/or physiologic characteristics, CEA is associated with higher rates of adverse outcomes.1 Transfemoral carotid angioplasty and stenting (TF-CAS) was introduced over 2 decades ago as a potential alternative. However, its effectiveness compared to CEA remains unclear, and full adoption of TF-CAS has been hindered by a higher rate of periprocedural stroke.2

Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) was first introduced in the United States in 2012. TCAR is a surgically inspired procedure based upon concepts developed by vascular surgeons Enrique Criado, MD, and David Chang, MD. The technique combines direct carotid artery access and robust reversal of flow during transcarotid stent placement to provide CEA-like neuroprotection in a less-invasive approach.3

Read More: https://evtoday.com/2018/08/supplement/tcar-transcarotid-artery-revascularization-the-next-step-in-the-evolution-of-carotid-revascularization/

Providing advanced medical care in a patient's home once required the help of trained professionals. No longer -- new sensor technology is enabling a massive migration from hospitals to home care environments. 

Medtech is on the move again. New technological advances are enabling systems that have, for years, been shackled to hospitals and clinics, to travel home with their users. 

For decades, hemodialysis systems have been limited to use within highly-controlled and monitored healthcare environments, but new developments are helping change that paradigm. What's at the heart of that change? Sensors. 

Improvements in sensor technology have been an "absolutely vital advance" for home hemodialysis platform developer Outset Medical, CEO Leslie Trigg told Medical Design & Outsourcing. Though the device features a streamlined touchscreen interface, a small size and other factors that may impress patients and doctors alike, the real core of its effectiveness lies in its sensors. 

Read More: ​https://issuu.com/wtwhmedia/docs/mdo_july_vs2_281c2ff30dcec9/50

A study presented Monday at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions found that one-third of those who initially screened positive for prediabetes or diabetes were able to bring their blood sugar down to normal levels after taking part in a workforce-based intervention.

The study by Quest Diagnostics, which involved a collaboration with the digital health provider Omada Health, shows promise for employer-based wellness programs that involve a 2-step process: screening for those at risk, and then offering an evidence-based program of lifestyle change and support for those whose health risks are revealed during screening.

Read More: ​https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/quest-omada-health-collaboration-shows-onethird-in-workforce-study-reduced-risk-for-diabetes

When not researching systems to prevent strokes, you might find Silk Road Medical CEO Erica Rogers on the dance floor or acting in a staging of “The Sound of Music.”

Rogers’ company develops and manufactures less invasive medical devices meant to improve the treatment of carotid artery disease through proprietary therapies.

Rogers estimates the markets for these products is $1 billion annually. The company sells them to hospitals primarily through direct sales in the U.S.

Silk Road Medical is working on other similar products, Rogers told FierceCEO. “We have pipeline products that are in and around what we do.”

Rogers has been CEO of Silk Road Medical since 2012 but doesn’t exactly stick to the CEO script.

Read More: ​​https://www.fierceceo.com/growth-innovation/silk-road-medical-ceo-erica-rogers-mixes-art-science-to-fight-strokes

Digital Therapeutics Pioneer Launches Comprehensive, Personalized Solution for Obesity-Related Chronic Disease

SAN FRANCISCO, June 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the company's pioneering approach to digital behavior change, Omada Health today announced the availability of new programs that will help individuals control type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Adding to Omada's industry-leading diabetes prevention program, the company will now offer integrated condition management programs for enterprise and health plan customers, significantly expanding the populations Omada serves. Leveraging seven years of data-driven insights; integration experience with hundreds of health plan and employer customers; and a proven approach to sustainable lifestyle change, Omada will now provide personalized interventions for those at-risk for, or with, certain obesity-related chronic conditions.

"Since the early days of the company, we've developed Omada to be an adaptable program that delivers meaningful health outcomes for participants, and return on investment for customers," said Omada Health CEO Sean Duffy. "Today's announcement is the next step in that journey. Clients, partners, and participants want a holistic digital healthcare provider built on clinical evidence, best-in-class user experience, and validated results. As we deliver new programs and features, Omada will continue to help our customers manage the health of their populations, as well as their healthcare spending."

Read More: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omada-health-adds-new-programs-for-type-2-diabetes-and-hypertension-self-management-300668419.html

Compared with carotid endarterectomy, transcarotid artery revascularization was associated with similar in-hospital outcomes in patients with carotid stenosis, according to data presented at the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Annual Meeting.

Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR), which involves direct access via the carotid artery and cerebral protection with a flow-reversal system (Enroute, Silk Road Medical), has emerged as an alternative to transfemoral-access carotid artery stenting due to reduced risk for short-term stroke, Marc L. Schermerhorn, MD, chief of the division of vascular and endovascular surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, said during a presentation.

Schermerhorn and colleagues analyzed 1,182 patients who underwent TCAR (median age, 74 years; 63% men) and 10,797 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (median age, 71 years; 60% men) between January 2016 and March 2018 and were included in the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative TCAR Surveillance Project or endarterectomy databases.

Read More: ​https://www.healio.com/cardiac-vascular-intervention/cerebrovascular/news/online/%7B7a178c8b-fc0c-447e-88c6-a45e133833b0%7D/transcarotid-artery-revascularization-offers-similar-in-hospital-outcomes-to-surgery

Digital chronic disease management company Omada Health announced today the launch of new programs designed to support individuals with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Accompanying these are a set of new features for the enterprise and health plan platform focused on medication adherence and remote monitoring, all of which comprise what a representative from the company described as “the largest product expansion in Omada’s history.”

The addition of the diabetes and hypertension programs come as a part of Omada’s aim to become a more holistic health management and coaching offering, CEO Sean Duffy told MobiHealthNews. He stressed that the Omada platform is designed to be an open-ended system that customizes itself based on the user’s specific health needs.

Read More: https://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/omada-health-expands-digital-platform-type-2-hypertension-programs-new-features