"Lympro has something that most diagnostics don't, the Affordable Care Act, it is cost-feasible and this is what links them to opportunity against the medical device tax that others will be experiencing as it sinks into diagnostics. We're all very worried about that. Medtronics and Stryker are extremely viable candidates to take this to the market

The Myth of the Medical-Device Tax


By TOPHER SPIRO
Published: October 16, 2013

WASHINGTON — IN the last few days of negotiations in Congress, repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s tax on medical devices emerged as a key Republican demand. The medical-device industry waged an intense lobbying campaign — even garnering the support of many Democrats who favored the law — arguing that the tax would stifle innovation and increase health care costs.

For Op-Ed, follow @nytopinion and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow @andyrNYT.

This argument is doubly disingenuous. Not only can the medical-device industry easily afford the tax without compromising innovation, but the industry’s enormous profits are a result of anticompetitive practices that themselves drive up medical-device costs unnecessarily. The tax is a distraction from reforms to the industry that are urgently needed to lower health care costs.

The medical-device industry faces virtually no price competition. Because of confidentiality agreements that manufacturers require hospitals to sign, the prices of the devices are cloaked in secrecy. This lack of transparency impedes hospitals from sharing price information and thus knowing whether they are getting a good deal.

Even worse, manufacturers often maintain personal relationships (sometimes involving financial payments like consulting fees) with physicians who choose the medical devices that their hospitals purchase, creating a conflict of interest. Physicians often don’t even know the costs of the devices, and individual physicians often choose devices on their own, which weakens a hospital’s ability to bargain for volume discounts.

Such anticompetitive practices help generate a wide variation in the prices of medical devices — and contribute to higher prices in general. For example, the Government Accountability Office found that prices for cardiac implantable medical devices in the United States vary by several thousand dollars. And even the lowest-priced devices in the United States are expensive compared with those in other developed countries.

According to the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the United States spends about 50 percent more than expected on the top five medical devices, compared with Europe and Japan. McKinsey calculates that this amounts to $26 billion in excessive spending each year. Medicare, private health insurers and patients end up paying these inflated prices.

Excessive prices fuel enormous profits — profits that dwarf both the medical-device tax and the industry’s investments in research and development. Consider the device division of Johnson & Johnson, which in 2012 had an operating profit of $7.2 billion.

By the company’s own estimate, the device tax would amount to at most $300 million, and its investment in research and development amounts to only $1.7 billion.

There are several ways policy makers could lower device costs. The first step would be to end the anticompetitive practices that prevent hospitals from getting the best deals. Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, has sponsored legislation that would foster transparency by posting online price information for implantable medical devices.

In addition, instead of simply paying hospitals based in part on what they have spent on devices, Medicare should force manufacturers to compete for business based on a product’s price and quality.

Medicare should also pay hospitals a single lump sum for all of the associated costs of a given procedure (like a hip replacement). This approach, known as “bundling” the costs, would create incentives for hospitals to lower device costs. Savings should be shared with the physicians, so that their incentives are aligned with the hospital’s.

Bundling has been used successfully in pilot programs. Under Medicare’s Acute Care Episode Program — which bundled payments for cardiac and orthopedic procedures — physicians worked together to choose high-quality, cost-effective devices. Baptist Health System in Texas, which participated in the program, used clinical evidence to choose devices and negotiated lower prices for both Medicare and non-Medicare patients.

States could adopt similar payment reforms for private insurance and their Medicaid programs. In Arkansas, the Medicaid program and private payers — including Walmart — have collaborated to adopt bundled payments for several procedures, including hip and knee replacements.

To complement these efforts, the new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a nongovernmental body created by the Affordable Care Act, should pay for research that compares the effectiveness of devices so physicians can make informed choices. (Three years into its existence, the institute has initiated few, if any, studies of medical devices.) Medicare or the Food and Drug Administration should also require the use of registries that track when devices fail.

Currently, medical-device manufacturers allocate only a sliver of profits to research and development and often focus on “tweaks” to existing devices, without providing any evidence that they are of better quality. Competitive pressures from public and private payers would provide incentives for the industry to become more innovative, producing technologies that actually lowered costs and offered truly advanced breakthroughs.

Instead of using its clout to lobby against the device tax — which helped foment opposition to the Affordable Care Act — the medical-device industry needs to share the responsibility of lowering costs for patients, businesses and taxpayers.

Topher Spiro is the vice president for health policy at the Center for American Progress.

Gerald is a spokesperson / figurehead / stakeholder etc. - while extremely bright - its these guys who actually run the business:

Or selling the Diagnostics part of the company for more than the company is presently worth......... pretty sure that would move the pps up.

where is your medical PhD. and former US NIH Directorship credentials

never mind, rhetorical question - you don't have any of these

Here's the problem, if Gerald is selling, he needs to do it fast. He knows this, any inherent risk or liability to market related to the ACA (Obamacare risk) increases the chances of devaluing the product.

Markets cheer Yellen's stimulus stance; stocks eye new highs

AMBS is neither a scam nor a guaranteed lotto ticket... it is a speculative investment in its pre-revenue phase with considerable promise... given that its financials are ok... just ok...

On October 1, 2013 the Company closed on an additional $1.6 million in gross proceeds from its previous private placement of convertible debentures and warrants, bringing total gross proceeds from the private placement to $3.0 million.

Cash and cash equivalents as of November 14, 2013, which are not reflected in the third quarter results, currently total approximately $1.7 million, which the Company intends to use as follows:

Complete the first LymPro clinical performance study;
Complete the reprioritization of MANF and complete additional IND-enabling work;

Allow the Company to operate through the first half of 2014;
Complete the in-licensure of certain intellectual property.

The Company also has the potential to raise up to an additional $5 million through the exercise of the warrants from the transaction, of which there can be no assurance, which would allow the Company to commercialize LymPro, file an IND for MANF in an orphan indication and initiate first-in-man studies, while operating into 2015.

Gerald E. Commissiong, President & CEO of Amarantus stated, “2013 has proven to be a very important year for Amarantus so far. With cash on hand from our recent funding we are now able to further the scientific development of our programs through key milestones that will allow the Company to unlock the underlying value inherent in our development programs.

I am happy to report that we are moving ahead with clinical studies for LymPro to support its subsequent commercial launch, and we are very pleased with the reception we have received to date from key opinion leaders in the field who recognize its potential.

The orphan indication data for MANF is providing an opportunity for a potentially reduced time to commercialization and we are thrilled to add Dr. David Lowe and his team to assist us with the reprioritization and execution phases of that endeavor.

We are uniquely positioned in the field of MANF product development, given extensive patent portfolio, and we continue to be extremely pleased with the interest MANF is garnering in the scientific community.

As we move forward, Amarantus is focused on developing strong relationships with key medical centers and research organizations throughout the world as we continue to advance MANF and LymPro further down their development paths.”

Quarterly and Recent Highlights:

Amarantus and Brewer Sports Announce 2nd #C4CT Concussion Awareness Summit Surrounding Super Bowl XLVIII
David A. Lowe, PhD Appointed to Board of Directors
Amarantus Relocates Headquarters to Janssen Labs @QB3 Incubator in San Francisco
Positive Analytical Performance Data for LymPro Test(R) for Alzheimer's Disease
Amarantus Enters Into Letter of Intent With Renishaw for Convection-Enhanced Delivery of MANF in Parkinson's Disease
F. Randall Grimes, MBA Appointed as Director of Sponsored Research
Closing of Private Placement Raising a Total of Approximately $3 Million
Dr. Colin Bier Appointed to Advisory Board for LymPro Commercialization
Positive Orphan Data for MANF in Retinitis Pigmentosa

Can't say I'm looking forward to this....maybe Gerald has learned.. I hope it is not a lot to do about nothing! Gerald we need substance!!

if nothing happens in November this one is as good as dead,...

Spoke with a Pathologist and gave him Lympro white paper to read. He pretty much said he doesn't think it will work in humans and will fail in trials. And if it does work, what is the benefit of testing for something that has no means to really treat? And with medical data becoming everyone's business, if it comes out that you are prone for Alzheimers, why would I want to hire you? And many may not want to know and refuse the test. You might scoff at such a thing but there is NO SUCH THING AS PRIVACY ANYMORE thanks to OBAMA, the con man from Chicago.

I assume you mean Mr. Suresh Gupta.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1773372-amarantus-lympro-may-be-more-crucial-for-alzheimers-treatment-than-we-think

Appearance at the UN It clearly states that. Or once again do you not read what you quote?

Having taken your time to do the above leads me to believe you have your own realistic forecast for AMBS

I would like to take this opportunity to solicit that from you.

Do you feel AMBS is a great investment opportunity and if so then why?

We are proud to be the first group to unite the different stakeholders in the concussion debate and believe the United Nations will set the stage for this truly global discussion."

No one is disputing the prestigious nature or the global symbolism of the venue.

The point REMAINS that the United Nations is neither sponsoring nor endorsing the conference content/purpose anymore than the nearest Marriott would be if the conference were being HOSTED there.

I'm confident that Mr. Brewer, Gerald and Russell Miller woud agree.

http://ir.stockpr.com/amarantus/company-news/detail/974

A global health issue... there are not many venues better than this to hold this event.

nice connections used by Jack Brewer

Agreed, nice networking if that is what helped secure the UN venue.

Still not being held under any official UN auspices or with any connection to Mr. Brewer's very worthwhile, non-concussion related UN activities:

good luck with that Gents....

The Press Release makes it sound like they're renting a room at the United Nations building rather than at the Marriot. Am I missing something?

Amarantus to Appear at the Untied Nations

Amarantus and Brewer Sports Announce 2nd #C4CT Concussion Awareness Summit Surrounding Super Bowl XLVIII

What stock promotions did AMBS invest in recently?

Please post a link validating your statement.

How much did the company pay for these promotions?

I assume you believe the members of AMBS's board of directors and the company's scientific advisory board are all aware that AMBS is a "pump and dump".

Is Jason Napadano in on it also?

Only positive speculation and dot connecting allowed here. Direction of pps means nothing.

If you look at the life chart of ambs you could argue there has never been a uptrend.

got link ???

AMBS promotion beginning today

O/S: 460,973,956 (a/o August 12, 2013)
A/S: 1,000,000,000 (a/o November 14, 2012)

If he would shut up for while OR , as he promised, releasing really material news he claims to have in his hands already since months then the stock would move up! Instead he is doing big financing with insiders involved! Dont you think its unfair to do a financing where insiders have all these information in hand and leave the fellow sharholders outside who were paying him his salary ?

What is the next PR/Event/Catalyst? Anyone? No guessing!

Heading into the Super Bowl in New York in early 2014

As we build out LymPro in AD, we are also aware that it may have applications for the identification of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who may progress to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) based on the same aberrant CCR hypothesis.

With the recent settlement between the NFL and a number of players surrounding concussions and related symptoms, the focus is now shifting from legal matters to more important ones involving treatments, diagnostics and improving patient outcomes.

We believe that Amarantus could play an essential role in both molding the tone of the debate and coming up with solutions, such as LymPro, MANF and others we have identified and are helping to move along, that could play a major role in making contact sports safer for athletes both in the short and long term. We will be making additional announcements in this direction shortly, but are now more excited than ever with our partnership with Brewer Sports around the Coalition for Concussion Treatment (#C4CT).

Heading into the Super Bowl in New York in early 2014, we expect an increased focus in this direction and Amarantus will be there front and center with our partners to identify the best opportunities for meaningful advancement.

As we build out our diagnostic franchise, we are keen to keep an eye towards building shareholder value and improving patient outcomes. We believe these two things go hand and hand, and we certainly believe AD is an indication where there is massive potential for both. After exhaustive diligence of the competitive landscape, we see no reason why LymPro could not be first and best in the marketplace, so the focus is turning squarely on execution and continuing to deliver on the milestones we have set out.

crafting PR as to content and timing. That I think would be very helpful.

Amgen never did a R/S?

5. What is the history of Amgen's stock splits?

August 10, 1990 - 2 for 1 - From $88 to $44 per share
September 10, 1991 - 3 for 1 - From $160.375 to $53.458 per share
August 15, 1995 - 2 for 1 - From $94.125 to $47.063 per share
February 26, 1999 - 2 for 1 - From $128.5 to $64.25 per share
November 19, 1999 - 2 for 1 - From $94.688 to $47.344 per share

There are quotations marks in my post, the reason
for quotation marks is that they were copied from the requisites of Jansen Labs.

Facial solvency, means that the company has the required monetary means to continue
functioning without constantly seeking funds in order to continue research.

Selection Process

Janssen Labs is looking for high-potential companies from diverse healthcare sectors including biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, instrumentation and diagnostics to be a part of Janssen Labs. Companies are selected based on the following criteria:

•Compelling and credible science and/or technology
•Area of significant medical or market need
•Demonstrate financial solvency

(Sometimes described as 'fiscal solvency'.)

For more information or if you are interested in becoming an occupant of Janssen Labs, please contact janssenlabs@its.jnj.com.

This is one time when you are wrong.

In order to be selected the company must meet
the following criteria: " Compelling and credible science and/or technology, Area of significant medical or market need, demonstrate facial solvency".

By March of 2014, I see this company trading for over a dollar, and then the sky is the limit.

These guys have the ability right now within their immediate discretion to bundle AMBS Diagnostics - which includes Lynpro, Nuropro and BC Serapro - and spin it off for what I believe tobe a min. of $150-Mil. All the while, collecting royalties on all future sales.

Therefore, the entire Amarantus Diagnostic division is worth an estimated $50 million today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
he said today.. not after BD results

LymPro Looks Like The Real Deal - Amarantus Now A Buy
Oct 15 2013, 08:54

BD Establishes Analytical Performance For LymPro

This morning, Amarantus BioSciences Holdings (OTC:AMBS), Inc. announced positive analytical performance data for the LymPro Test,
...

For Amarantus' financials, I refer you to Napodano's piece linked above.

thats his opinion which he clearly stated and you quoted... or what you don't read what you quote?

A diagnostics asset which clearly has validated potential by BD and on its way to Phase 2 clinical's plus Analyst's are on record saying that Per Year Sales potential is upwards of $500 million .. it is not far fetched for him to state his opinion..

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1745642-lympro-looks-like-the-real-deal-amarantus-now-a-buy?source=email_rt_article_readmore

As such, given that 20% to 50% of patients with dementia may have another disease separate from Alzheimer's, and thus warrant a different course of treatment, a rapid and accurate diagnostic that confirms Alzheimer's represents a significant market opportunity we believe in the area of $500 million.

Our initial article on LymPro back in April 2013 outlined our belief that the diagnostic division at Amarantus, which includes earlier-stage product, NuroPro for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, is worth $50 million in value. We think MANF is worth $40 million in value, as outlined in our initiation report from May 2013. Thus, we think Amarantus is worth $90 million today, and that represents over 200% upside from today - or a target price of $0.20 per share.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1347691-amarantus-lympro-could-be-a-game-changer-for-alzheimers-diagnosis

I believe that LymPro is worth roughly $40 million in value. I peg the market opportunity for NuroPro at roughly one-fourth the size of LymPro given the size of the Parkinson's disease market is about one-fifth that of the Alzheimer's disease market, but with less competition. Therefore, the entire Amarantus Diagnostic division is worth an estimated $50 million today.

not accurate, AMBS did change corporate structure and created Amarantus DX for possible spin off of their diagnostic assets and decided not to do it at the moment, but they still can.. and Gerald is on record talking about how valuations of their Diagnostic assets can made based off of multiples of sales. which keeping to plan (which they have) should commence in the 2nd half of 2014

These guys have the ability right now within their immediate discretion to bundle AMBS Diagnostics - which includes Lynpro, Nuropro and BC Serapro - and spin it off for what I believe tobe a min. of $150-Mil. All the while, collecting royalties on all future sales.

These guys have the ability right now within their immediate discretion to bundle AMBS Diagnostics - which includes Lynpro, Nuropro and BC Serapro - and spin it off for what I believe tobe a min. of $150-Mil. All the while, collecting royalties on all future sales.

What does the Market not get?

Gerald answered my email 1 week ago confirming that there is a confidentially agreement on the second orpan drug indication at the moment....and he said that he stated that publicly, too!

I asked him on the UMASS diabetes program with Ono and he said he cannot comment....BH will now say that this is not a proof but i can assure everbody that these emails are REAL!