Medical communications consultancy Succinct Communications is joining the OPEN Health group.

The current medical communications business within OPEN Health, OPEN Minds, will rebrand as Succinct with no change to existing services or contracts.

Combining the two organisations will provide clients with access to a wide range of consultancy services: medical communications, advertising, PR, market research and brand development.

The new executive board of OPEN Health will include Succinct leaders Sean McGrath and Lisa Dodgshon.

Based in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Succinct has a team of 40 professionals covering such areas as specialist medicines, oncology and market access, with global clients including Sanofi, Roche, GE Healthcare, MSD, GSK and Amgen.

Based in Marlow in the same county, OPEN Health describes itself as “the first channel and discipline neutral agency in the health communications sector”.

David Rowley, CEO of OPEN Health, said: “The Succinct brand is synonymous with delivering exceptional med comms to the healthcare industry, and further strengthens our commitment to build a market-leading health communications company.”

According to Succinct CEO Sean McGrath, “The opportunity to join forces with OPEN Health comes at a perfect time for Succinct. A number of companies approached us, but we were impressed with the leadership team at OPEN Health, as well as sharing their views on how to meet changing client demands.”

A new fluorescent imaging agent to assist detection of papillary cancer of the bladder has been adopted by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in the USA.

Cysview (known in Europe as Hexvix) is licensed by GE Healthcare from Norwegian company Photocure ASA.

Used with patients who are known or suspected to have bladder cancer, it guides blue light fluorescence cytoscopy (pictured), which highlights cancerous lesions in the bladder.

The use of Cysview for cytoscopy has been shown to improve surgical outcomes relative to standard white light cytoscopy alone.

Bladder cancer, most commonly caused by smoking, is the fourth most common type of cancer in men and the eighth most common in women.

“Bladder cancer is difficult to detect,” said Dr Leonard Gomella, Associate Director for Clinical Affairs at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. “A missed diagnosis can result in delayed or incomplete treatment, which may lead to serious complications and a lower chance of survival.

“Cysview represents an important advance in diagnostic technology, enabling more accurate diagnosis of bladder tumours compared to the standard technique. By facilitating early diagnosis of bladder cancer, this innovative imaging agent can enable appropriate, timely treatment that may improve patients’ chances of survival.”

UK-based corporation GE Healthcare has committed $1 billion over the next five years to developing molecular technologies for cancer diagnosis and imaging.

The investment will affect all regions of GE Healthcare’s global business and reflects the growing importance of molecular diagnostics in supporting targeted and personalised cancer therapies.

In the last seven years, GE Healthcare has strengthened its presence in the oncology field through its acquisition of seven specialist companies, including Clarient in 2010.

John Dineen, GE Healthcare’s President and CEO, said: “As one of the most relevant global cancer diagnostic companies, we are devoting an even greater share of our R&D budget to continue developing new oncology solutions.

“With a disease as complex and multifaceted as cancer, solutions need to be equally multifaceted and even more integrated, combining imaging, molecular diagnostics and healthcare IT.”

“The only way we can help clinicians beat cancer is to give them the tools to find it earlier, stage it better, and quantitatively measure response to therapy,” added Mike Harsh, GE Healthcare’s Chief Technology Officer.

“The integration of GE Healthcare’s expertise in imaging, analytics, diagnostics, cellular analysis, and healthcare IT is helping create technologies and solutions that can be used in a rural developing country or in a modern urban hospital.”

The investment will focus on such new solutions as:

• A new biomarker for molecular diagnostic tests for breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer, developed by GE’s Clarient business and planned for market launch in 2013.
• A new ‘multiplexing’ technology that could allow pathologists to conduct more than 50 different stains on a single tissue section, enabling more effective personalised treatment recommendations.
• New agents for real-time metabolic imaging based on GE’s C13 technology for tracking tumour growth and response to treatment.
• A new system for connected oncology workflow, MD Connect, which enables access via any networked computer to the complete suite of oncology applications from any location or department. MD Connect integrates with the Eclipse treatment planning platform from Varian Medical Systems.

Based in Chalfont St. Giles, GE Healthcare is a global leader in the development of transformational medical technologies and services focused on reducing costs and increasing patient access.

An ‘open-sided’ MRI scanner installed by the Newcastle Clinic will enable NHS and private patients in the north of England and Scotland who suffer from anxiety or claustrophobia an easier scanning experience.

The Clinic’s new Signa Ovation scanner from GE Healthcare is also suitable for bariatric patients and for people who require a companion, such as very young or elderly patients.

The Signa Ovation performs a comprehensive range of scans including images of the central nervous system, whole body, joints, extremities and some cardiac and vascular structures.

A recorded 10% of referred patients are unable to receive a traditional ‘closed’ MRI scan because of claustrophobia or anxiety provoked by the enclosed tube and the associated loud noise.

The Newcastle Clinic, which paid nearly £700,000 for the scanner, is privately operated but takes 80% of its referrals from the NHS.

Shaun Fryer, Managing Director of the Newcastle Clinic, said: “This is a completely open scanner providing a much more comfortable and relaxing environment. It is particularly ideal for patients who are of large build, or who may be claustrophobic, frail or anxious.

“To help keep the patient calm and to promote a stress-free experience most patients are able to read, listen to music and have a companion sat with them whilst they are being scanned. This is not possible with a closed scanner.

“It is also very quiet in comparison with a conventional tunnel MRI scanner, so it’s much less intimidating for children, who can see their parents and be reassured throughout the scanning process.”

MRI scanning is used to detect serious conditions including cancer and to assess injuries, enabling more effective treatment.

 
       Signa Ovation

GE Healthcare has appointed two new members to its leadership team.

Tom Gentile, who is currently Vice President of GE Aviation’s Services division, has been named President and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Healthcare Systems division. He succeeds Omar Ishrak, who is leaving GE to lead Medtronic.

Gentile has worked for GE for 13 years, holding a series of leadership roles in GE Capital’s businesses in the US, France and Australia.

Mike Swinford, current Services leader for GE Healthcare’s North American division, has been appointed as President and CEO of Global Services, a new business that will be responsible for driving GE Healthcare’s service strategy globally.

Swinford has led GE Healthcare’s North American Services business since 2005. He has also held a series of services, quality and supply chain leadership roles in GE Healthcare, since joining the company in 1992.

John Dineen, President and CEO of GE Healthcare (pictured), said: “Tom is a global leader who can build markets around the world. He has the proven track record in developing technologies to help his customers solve some of their industry’s toughest problems. We are very pleased to have Tom join the GE Healthcare team.

“As we’ve expanded our commercial activities around the world we believe it makes good, profitable business sense to drive service growth across our global product lines, investing in world-class regional service delivery. Mike has the credentials and business acumen to lead this valuable business.”

An increasing number of pharma companies are turning to social networking media to enhance their disease awareness campaigns and improve public health.

AstraZeneca has launched a new campaign called ‘Take on Depression’ through a Take on Depression Facebook page and a @FaceDepression Twitter feed to support, educate, and inspire those affected by bipolar depression and major depressive disorder (MDD) in the US.

“AstraZeneca believes the best way to help those who are still struggling with bipolar depression and major depressive disorder is to provide them with resources and tools to help understand their illness and manage their symptoms,” said Sandy Sommer, Executive Director and Commercial Brand Leader at AstraZeneca.

“With the launch of these Facebook and Twitter pages, AstraZeneca hopes to amplify conversations about mental health and provide important health information in innovative ways.”

Studies have shown that 80% of consumers have searched for health information online and 60% of American adults who look online for information access social media related to health.

GE Healthcare is using social media to promote the importance of early detection to breast cancer survival, as well as to provide support to patients and survivors.

The company pioneered the world’s first digital mammography system in 1999, and launched a digital wall, Breast Cancer Emotion last year, which allows people around the globe to personally share their insights and experiences, as well as disease information and events.

On 15 October, Breast Cancer Awareness Day, GE took its Twitter followers on a tour of breast cancer stories, starting in Australia and following the sun to the USA’s West Coast, using the Twitter hashtag #GEJourney.