Q85 Medical and Other Health Care Services

Sonic hit by Medicare co-payment concerns

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 18-Feb-15

Sonic Healthcare has posted a 2014-15 interim profit of $A174m, which is 1.9 per cent lower than previously. EBITDA of $A344m was in line with the previous corresponding period, but CEO Colin Goldschmidt anticipates full-year growth of 2-4 per cent. He notes that uncertainty about Medicare co-payments affected the group’s pathology business in the first half. Sonic shares closed 0.2 per cent lower at $A18.91 on 17 February 2015

CORPORATES
SONIC HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX SHL, INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER NETWORK LIMITED, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN ETHICAL INVESTMENT LIMITED – ASX AEF

Gloomy growth forecast bloodies bullish CSL investors

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 & 26 : 12-Feb-15

Australian-listed CSL has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $US692.2m, which is 7.2 per cent higher than previously. Revenue for the half-year was $A2.8bn, an increase of 5.6 per cent. CSL has advised that its full-year profit will be below previous guidance, although it is still on track to deliver a double-digit increase in earning. Shareholders will receive a half-year dividend of $US0.58 per share

CORPORATES
CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PHILO CAPITAL ADVISERS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Cochlear amplifies profit result

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 11-Feb-15

Australian-listed Cochlear has posted a 2014-15 interim underlying net profit of $A71.4m, which is 94 per cent higher than previously. The group’s statutory net profit was 240 per cent higher, while revenue was up 18 per cent at $A438.3m. Shareholders will receive a half-year dividend of $A0.90 per share. Cochlear shares fell by $A0.84 on 10 February 2015, closing at $A86.76

CORPORATES
COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN ETHICAL INVESTMENT LIMITED – ASX AEF, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Police seek new deal with NSW Health on responding to crises

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Original article by James Robertson
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 13 : 5-Feb-15

The number of people with a mental illness taken to hospital by police in New South Wales rose from 3,000 in 2000 to close to 50,000 in 2014. Police believe the rise has been caused by the increasing use of drugs. Professor Ian Hickie, from Sydney University’s Brain & Mind Institute, said it was the job of health professionals to transport people with health illness

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE FORCE, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY. BRAIN AND MIND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, NEW SOUTH WALES AMBULANCE TRANSPORT SERVICE BOARD

Breakthrough by Australian team sheds light on cancer genes

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Original article by Nicky Phillips
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 2 : 3-Feb-15

Scientists at Australia’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, led by Susan Clark, have achieved a first in the fight against cancer. The team have translated the breast cancer methylome, in what is seen as the next step after the decoding of the human genome. Methyl groups are attached to sections of DNA, and influence how genes are expressed in different cell types. Experts say the seminal work by Clark and her colleagues will bring major advances in cancer medicine

CORPORATES
THE GARVAN INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, ICON CANCER CARE, NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION

Bulk-billing link to short visit in doubt

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Original article by Kate Hagan
The Age – Page: 8 : 2-Feb-15

A new study on bulk billing under the Medicare system is being published in the "Medical Journal of Australia", by a team at the University of Technology, Sydney. The findings show that the use of bulk billing by general practitioners is not likely to trigger any increase in the number of very short consultations. The spectre of so-called six-minute medicine had been raised by the Federal Government in its push for a co-payment by patients or a rebate cut for visits that last no longer than 10 minutes

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

‘Medicinal cannabis use should be approved now’

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Original article by James Robertson
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 9 : 2-Feb-15

The 2014 "Victorian of the Year", Melbourne University emeritus professor David Penington, has argued in an article published in the "Medical Journal of Australia" that medicinal cannabis use should be made legal now. He points to the fact that other nations and 23 US states have already taken that step. Penington also criticises a planned clinical trial of the drug in New South Wales, as it will give a control group of patients with severe pain only a placebo

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, THE GREENS NSW INCORPORATED

Junk food ads saturate cricket broadcasts, uni study reveals

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Original article by Kate Hagan
The Age – Page: 2 : 28-Jan-15

Obesity Policy Coalition members such as the Cancer Council Victoria and the Victorian branch of Diabetes Australia are urging Cricket Australia to abandon corporate sponsorship deals with fast food brands. New research by Wollongong University shows that during three One Day International and two Twenty20 matches as well as the first three days of the Ashes test series in 2014, junk food branding was shown 3,000-plus times in the TV broadcasts. Almost all of this was linked to naming rights sponsor KFC

CORPORATES
KFC, YUM! RESTAURANTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, OBESITY POLICY COALITION, DIABETES AUSTRALIA – VICTORIA, THE CANCER COUNCIL VICTORIA

Parents urged to join fake church to bypass jab law

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Original article by Julia Medew
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 6 : 28-Jan-15

Legislation rolled out in New South Wales in 2013 and set to come into effect in Victoria in 2016 prevents enrolment in child care for those who lack crucial vaccinations. However, an exemption can be gained by conscientious objectors on religious grounds, and the Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network is now encouraging parents to join the so-called Church of Conscious Living in order to circumvent the ban. The organisation was only founded in 2006 and is neither registered as a church nor charity with the Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission

CORPORATES
CHURCH OF CONSCIOUS LIVING, CHURCH OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION SKEPTICS NETWORK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, STOP THE AVN

Trading frenzy over pot stock

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 23-Jan-15

Shares in PhytoTech Medical closed at $A0.42 on 22 January 2015, after being issued at $A0.20 apiece in a $A5.9m IPO. Some 13 million shares in the group changed hands. PhytoTech will specialise in growing marijuana for medical use and the supply of medical devices for administering legal cannabis. Adam Blumenthal notes that the global medical cannabis industry is worth $A100bn at present

CORPORATES
PHYTOTECH MEDICAL LIMITED – ASX PYL, BBY LIMITED, GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC, LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION