Fairfield County Business Journal 081715

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY

BUSINESS JOURNAL August 17, 2015 | VOL. 51, No. 33

20 | GOOD THINGS HAPPENING

9 | FOR SALE westfaironline.com

YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

The third degree for nursing

BACHELOR’S DEGREES MUSCLE OUT FORMER PATHWAYS TO PROFESSION BY BILL FALLON bfallon@westfairinc.com

S

ue Brown, senior vice president for patient care services at Greenwich Hospital, said recently of the 700 nurses she oversees, “They are the backbone of patient care.” Brown’s counterpart at Bridgeport Hospital, MaryEllen Kosturko, oversees 850 nurses. “We have 650 frontline-bedside of a total 850 nurses,” she said. “Those not involved bedside are in leadership positions, care management, education and they are still providing care away from the bedside. They make an incredible team.”

Sue Brown outside Greenwich Hospital. Photo by Bill Fallon

In past generations, the ranks of nurses have often been filled with graduates of diploma and associate-degree programs. The Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing has run such a diploma program for 131 years and it now has 120 students enrolled. But it, and other programs like it, are fading, both administrators said. Kosturko said the Bridgeport program is now transitioning to the University of Bridgeport School of Nursing and a shift to the bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, with the restructuring to be completed by 2017. “We still have some nurses with associate degrees, but because the science is what it is, » NURSES, page 13

A breath of lifesaving air DANBURY COMPANY DELIVERS INHALABLE INSULIN BY DANIELLE BRODY dbrody@westfairinc.com HAKAN EDSTROM, MANNKIND CORP.’S CEO, IS A PATIENT MAN. His biopharmaceutical company has the technology to turn it into a $2 billion business. However, acceptance of its patented product to deliver drugs in inhalable form has been slow. The company’s flagship product is Afrezza, a rapid-acting insulin inhalant. “When you start something, which is a new concept it takes some time before it kind of gets traction,” Edstrom, also the presi-

dent and director, said in an interview in the company’s Danbury office. “It is a significant change in how to provide the therapy.” Ma n n K i nd i nvented Technosphere, a patented technology that delivers airborne drugs. The company’s headquarters is currently in Valencia, Calif., but Edstrom said all operations will move to Danbury within the year, where MannKind occupies two buildings, totaling 360,000 square feet. The company employs about 280 people, including manufacturers, biochemists and microbiologists. Because of the millions of

diabetes patients and the crucial need for insulin, there was hype leading up to Afrezza’s commercial release in February, Edstrom said. He said investors expected it to be an automatic success. Afrezza has a competitive advantage, reaching peak concentration in the blood at least 30 minutes faster than injected insulin, Edstrom said. The small whistle-like structure allows patients to inhale insulin right before a meal, whereas with traditional therapies, patients have to time injections to a meal, leaving more potential for error. Still, there is a learning curve

for doctors and diabetes patients, Edstrom said. Edstrom admits the slow commercial success of the drug and volatile stock frustrate shareholders. “The stock has a long way to go,” Edstrom said. He said MannKind has a $2 billion market capitalization, a large amount for a company that’s just starting out. MannKind shares numbered 412.3 million as of June 30. Edstrom said he does not read stock market message boards, where investors speculate the price is low and talk can turn to stock manipulation. Edstrom » INSULIN, page 16


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