TOP STORIES

DaVita HealthCare Partners has acquired dialysis operator Renal Venture for $415 million. DaVita runs 2,210 clinics in 46 states. In addition to 36 dialysis clinics in six states, the deal gives Da Vita Multispecialty Physician Partners and Physician Venture Partners, which run infusion and vascular centers in three states.  — DaVita

LIFE SCIENCE

The army is testing a drug aimed at preventing hearing loss as part of a Phase 3 trial. A search is on for a company to commercialize the drug. — The Wall Street Journal

AstraZeneca has added a Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Sean Bohen will be responsible for the progress of AstraZeneca’s portfolio of small molecules and biologics investigational medicines through late-stage development to regulatory approval, according to a company statement. He’ll also be in charge of patient safety across AstraZeneca’s and Medimmune’s portfolio. He previously worked for Genentech. — AstraZeneca

PAYERS-PROVIDERS

The pope’s widely anticipated visit to Philly is having a big impact on Philly hospitals. Elective and non emergency surgery has been rescheduled to contingency plans for pregnant women. —The Philadelphia Inquirer

Most home health workers will now get minimum wage and overtime pay after a federal appeals court restored the Labor Department regulation passed in January. — The Wall Street Journal

TECH

The Federation of State Medical Boards has unveiled a consumer-facing app to help people check whether a physician has been disciplined by a state medical board. The app also lets them check to see which states the physician is licensed. — Federation of State Medical Boards

SkinVision, which has an app it claims can detect early signs of skin cancer through signs of non-natural growth of skin lesions, has raised $3.4 million.

— TechCrunch

A Michigan school district became the latest to add telemedicine to its public schools following a vote by the Onsted Community Schools District Board of Education. — The Daily Telegram

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA

People aren’t the only creatures to self-medicate, but it may be surprising to learn that ants do as well. A study has found that ants consumed hydrogen peroxide to guard against a fungus that grows in the soil and acts as a deadly parasite on a number of insect species.  — New Scientist

Photo: Flickr user wistechcolleges

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Rockwell Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:RMTI) has lost 8.7% during the past week and dropped 23.86% in the last 4 weeks. The shares are however, negative as compared to the S&P 500 for the past week with a loss of 3.11%. Rockwell Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:RMTI) has underperformed the index by 19.66% in the last 4 weeks. Investors should watch out for further signals and trade with caution.

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(HealthDay News) -- Acetaminophen falsely increases continuous glucose monitor (CGM) glucose values, according to an observation letter published in Diabetes Care.

David M. Maahs, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues examined the magnitude of the effect of acetaminophen on CGM glucose, particularly in the outpatient setting with contemporary sensor technology. The authors examined the potential challenges to closed-loop systems by performing the acetaminophen challenge in 40 individuals with hemoglobin A1c 7.3 ± 0.8%. Participants ingested 1,000 mg acetaminophen and obtained blood glucose (BG) meter readings over 8 hours after ingestion.

The researchers found that for 8 hours after acetaminophen ingestion there were significant differences (P ? 0.01 for all), consistent with expected pharmacokinetics. The greatest mean difference was 61 mg/dL. There was considerable individual variation; over 8 hours, 50% of relative differences were within 20% and an additional 26% ere within 40%. Three subjects had a BG meter value of <70 mg/dL with higher CGM readings, while 10 had a CGM >180 mg/dL and a BG meter value that was lower by more than 100 mg/dL.

"These data have implications for use of CGM glucose as a replacement for meter glucose for diabetes decision making and for closed-loop systems using CGM glucose values for automated insulin delivery," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Source

1. Maahs, DM; DeSalvo, D; Pyle, L; et al. Diabetes Care published online August 12, 2015; doi: 10.2337/dc15-1096.

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• 8/20/2015 – Ardelyx was downgraded by analysts at Zacks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Ardelyx, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. It discovers, develops and commercializes small molecule therapeutics that work in the gastrointestinal tract to treat cardio-renal, GI and metabolic diseases. The Company’s lead product candidate is Tenapanor which is in three ongoing Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of patients with ESRD-HD and chronic kidney disease, as well as for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Ardelyx, Inc. is headquartered in Fremont, California. “
• 8/19/2015 – Ardelyx had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Wedbush.
• 8/18/2015 – Ardelyx had its price target raised by analysts at Wedbush from $19.00 to $24.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/4/2015 – Ardelyx was upgraded by analysts at Zacks from a “strong sell” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $22.00 price target on the stock. According to Zacks, “Ardelyx, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. It discovers, develops and commercializes small molecule therapeutics that work in the gastrointestinal tract to treat cardio-renal, GI and metabolic diseases. The Company’s lead product candidate is Tenapanor which is in three ongoing Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of patients with ESRD-HD and chronic kidney disease, as well as for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Ardelyx, Inc. is headquartered in Fremont, California. “

Ardelyx Inc (NASDAQ:ARDX) opened at 17.41 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $451.34 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 146.30. Ardelyx Inc has a 12 month low of $7.95 and a 12 month high of $35.48. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $18.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.92.

Ardelyx (NASDAQ:ARDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $17.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 million. Analysts anticipate that Ardelyx Inc will post ($1.11) earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, VP Elizabeth A. Grammer sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $45,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Elizabeth A. Grammer sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.12, for a total value of $171,200.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Ardelyx, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of minimally-systemic, small molecule therapeutics that work exclusively in the gastrointestinal (NASDAQ:ARDX) tract to treat cardio-renal, GI and metabolic diseases. The Company utilizing its platform, discovered and designed its lead product candidate, tenapanor, which in clinical studies has demonstrated the ability to improve the symptoms of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) and to reduce the absorption of both dietary sodium and phosphorus. The Company in collaboration with AstraZeneca, has completed a Phase IIb clinical trial evaluating tenapanor in patients with IBS-C. It also has other product candidates under development, such as RDX002 for the treatment of Hyperphosphatemia, RDX009 for the treatment of IBD, Short Bowel Syndrome and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and RDX013 for the treatment of hyperkalemia.

Receive News & Ratings for Ardelyx Inc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ardelyx Inc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

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Javier Rodriguez, CEO of DaVita Kidney Care said, "We are excited to work with Renal Ventures' patients, employees and physicians. Our commitment is, and will always be about enhancing the quality of life for our patients. We look forward to serving Renal Ventures' patients with industry-leading outcomes and comprehensive care."

Renal Ventures operates 36 dialysis clinics in six states. Multispecialty Physician Partners and Physician Venture Partners, divisions of Renal Ventures, operate infusion and vascular centers, respectively, in three states.

"Renal Ventures takes great pride in its culture of actively engaging our employees, patients and the communities we serve. The quality of care delivered by our caregivers, along with recognition as 'Best Place to Work,' are a source of pride," said Larry Chatfield, CEO of Renal Ventures. "In today's changing health care environment, combining with DaVita, a patient-centric organization, will benefit all of our stakeholders."

DaVita operates 2,210 clinics in 46 states and is the demonstrated clinical leader according to two recent government reports, the CMS Five-Star Rating System and the CMS Quality Incentive Program.

Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor to DaVita on this transaction. Morrison & Foerster LLP served as lead counsel, and Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., served as regulatory counsel to DaVita.

For Renal Ventures, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP served as lead counsel and Raymond James and Associates served as financial advisor.

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NxStage Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTM) has dropped 0.55% during the past week, however, the bigger picture is still very bullish; the shares have posted positive gains of 30.34% in the last 4 weeks. In the past week, the shares have outperformed the S&P 500 by 5.54% and the outperformance increases to 37.54% for the last 4 weeks.

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Are you at risk for kidney stones? Find out how to steer clear of this common ailment. DESIGN BY HIRA FAREED

Are you at risk for kidney stones? Find out how to steer clear of this common ailment.

Symptoms

Appearance of blood in urine

Pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. The pain is usually sudden, very severe and intermittent. The pain radiates from the back, down the flank, and into the groin.

Treatment

A majority of stones pass spontaneously from the body within 48 hours. Factors that influence this passage include:

Weight

Prior stone passage

Prostate enlargement

Pregnancy

The size of the stone

If a stone does not pass, a urology specialist may be needed. Routine treatment includes pain relief measures, hydration, and a course of antibiotics in case of an infection.

Eight to 10 glasses of water a day

“The correct way to see if you’re meeting your body’s fluid requirement is by the urine output. You may be drinking eight to 10 glasses of water, but you may be sweating most of it out,” explains Dr Sohail Tanvir, Senior Registrar at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Dr Tanvir explains that the ‘eight to 10 glasses’ rule applies to people who spend most of their day indoors. For people who work outside, even 15 to 18 glasses may not be enough during hot summer days.

Kidney stones are small, hard mineral deposits that form inside your kidneys.The age bracket in which kidney stones typically occur is 18 to 30 years but they may occur outside of this bracket depending on the patient’s lifestyle and family history. Factors that commonly cause kidney stones include reduction in fluid intake, increased exercise with dehydration, medications that cause high uric acid, and a history of gout.

Diet

Patients with a history of kidney stones are advised to pass at least 2.5 litres of urine in a day. A diet low in protein and rich in oxalates (spinach, beets, potato chips, French fries, nuts and nut butters) can lead to the recurring formation of kidney stones.

Kidney stones in infants

Kidney stones may occur in infants due to Renal Tribunal Acidosis. A deficiency of inhibitors magnesium and citrate causes the process of acid absorption from the blood stream to slow down, leading to the formation of stones. If this deficiency is left untreated, it could cause kidney failure.

Types of kidney stones

Two common types of kidney stones:

Calcium Oxalates

Calcium oxalates occur when there is a high level of oxalates, found in chocolate milk, hot cocoa, tea, nuts, sesame and so on, present in the diet. The most common preventive measure is to introduce citrate into the patient’s blood stream. Citrate is the strongest inhibitors of calcium, and its supplementation will help decrease the potential to form stones in the future.

Uric Acid Stones

Uric Acid stones most commonly occur in patients with a family history of kidney stones. These stones are made of uric acid, a waste product normally passed out in the urine. They are caused by low urine output, high protein diet (especially animal protein) and inflammatory bowel disease. Uric acid stones do not show up in an ultrasound, which makes them all the more dangerous. This is why doctors need to be thorough with their testing and run an abdominal CT scan and Intravenous Pyelogram if the patient persistently complains of pain in the abdominal region.

Patients are advised to increase fluid intake, decrease protein and increase the intake of citrates in the form of citrus-rich fruits. Treatments include stone diluting tablets and surgical removal of stones.

Hurmat Majid is a subeditor at The Express Tribune. She tweets @bhandprogramme 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, August 23^rd, 2015.

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