Summit-based biotech firm Celgene Corp. announced today it will buy privately held biotechnology company Avila Therapeutics Inc., of Bedford, Mass., for $350 million in cash, plus up to $575 million more in milestone payments. Avila’s research and development platforms will complement Celgene’s work in hematology and immune inflammatory diseases, which is a growing area at ...

Parsippany-based Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Tuesday became a major player in the southeast Asian and Australian generic drug markets with an acquisition valued at more than $393 million. Watson said Tuesday it has acquired Ascent Pharmahealth Ltd., the generic arm of Strides Arcolab Ltd. The deal instantly makes Watson the fifth-largest generic drugmaker in Australia ...

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital said Tuesday it will convert its outpatient department into a physician joint venture, in partnership with Regent Surgical Health. The new model allows local surgeons to become partners in the hospital’s ambulatory surgical pavilion, which opened in 2010. In a statement announcing the move, Paul Storiale, the hospital’s senior vice president ...

Atlantic Health System today announced it has submitted an application to create a regional accountable-care organization, in hopes of participating in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ shared savings program. Called ACOs, accountable-care organizations represent a new approach to health care delivery that seeks to coordinate medical care, engage patients in their own wellness, ...

As the population ages and more intense home-health care needs are required, two New Jersey firms announced Thursday they are making changes to prepare for the upcoming influx of patients. Moorestown-based Bayada Home Health Care, formerly called Bayada Nurses, updated its name to reflect the varied home-health care professionals it employs, including occupational therapists, social ...

A $100 million class-action lawsuit was announced today against Quest Diagnostics Inc. and its Ameripath Inc. subsidiary, alleging Quest systematically discriminated against female employees. The suit alleges that high-ranking Quest officials foster an environment hostile to the success and advancement of female employees and promoting an “old boys’ club” attitude, giving junior male employees disproportionate ...

Faced with an increasing number of patients struggling with unhealthy weight, medical practitioners met Wednesday in Newark at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to discuss ways to address the obesity issue from both a care and a business standpoint. “You have a condition that many insurances don’t recognize,” said Dr. Jeff ...

As New Jersey businesses begin wrangling with decisions over health care coverage for their employees by 2014, the profile of human resources departments is likely to change. One expert said some of the HR functions at small and midsize companies will increasingly be outsourced, especially benefits management. Don Mallo, general counsel and former vice president ...

One of the biggest inducements to keeping and attracting the brightest, best and most talented employees is by offering generous health care coverage, experts said. That could shape how employers attract and recruit when the landscape shifts in 2014. “It’s a major factor for the retention and recruiting of top talent,” said Don Mallo, general ...