| | |
| Sony, Olympus delay medical venture as regulatory approval on hold Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 11:55 PM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp and Olympus Corp have again delayed the start of a joint venture to develop medical equipment because they have yet to gain approval from some regulators. "The examination by the relevant authority is taking longer than expected," the two companies said in a statement. They did not set a new date for operations to start. Plans by the Japanese companies to establish a joint venture to design and build medical devices have struggled to win approval in China, according to a source at one of the corporations familiar with the matter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pfizer fails to end lawsuit over Bextra, Celebrex safety Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 04:57 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc has failed to persuade a federal judge to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit accusing the company of fraudulently misrepresenting the safety of its Celebrex and Bextra pain-relieving drugs. While dismissing some of the claims, U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan said a reasonable jury could find that Pfizer and several top executives intended to mislead shareholders about the drugs' cardiovascular risks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Prescription drugs cost least at Costco and most at CVS: study Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 03:44 PM PDT  By Debra Sherman (Reuters) - Some of the most popular prescription drugs that recently became available in generic form are sold at the lowest prices at Costco and at the highest prices at CVS Caremark, according to an analysis by Consumer Reports. Failing to comparison shop for drugs - such as generic Lipitor to lower cholesterol or generic Plavix to thin the blood - could result in overpaying by $100 a month or even more, depending on the drug, the report said. The article will be available in the May issue of Consumer Reports. ... Full Story | Top |
| Animal rights groups sue FDA over egg labeling concerns Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 03:32 PM PDT (Reuters) - Animal rights advocates on Thursday sued U.S. regulators to correct what they say is misleading labeling on cartons of eggs that come from caged hens. The lawsuit comes more than seven years after animal rights groups started petitioning the federal government to take action, with no success. The suit, filed in U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obese airline passengers should pay extra, economist says Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 03:14 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Airlines should charge obese passengers more, a Norwegian economist has suggested, arguing that "pay as you weigh" pricing would bring health, financial and environmental dividends. Bharat Bhatta, an associate professor at Sogn og Fjordane University College, said that airlines should follow other transport sectors and charge by space and weight. "To the degree that passengers lose weight and therefore reduce fares, the savings that result are net benefits to the passengers," Bhatta wrote this week in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's Mandela "responding positively" to treatment Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 01:52 PM PDT  By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela is "responding positively" to treatment for a recurring lung infection after being admitted to hospital overnight, the government said on Thursday. "He remains under treatment and observation in hospital," it added in a statement, without giving further details about the health of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader. ... Full Story | Top |
| Elite women's college rejects transgender student, prompts outcry Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 01:51 PM PDT By Zach Howard NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) - A transgender high school student has had her application to a prestigious all-women's college denied because she is tagged as legally male on government documents, prompting a vocal online and social media campaign on her behalf. Calliope Wong, 17, a Connecticut senior who was born a male but has identified as female since adolescence, says Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, twice opted not to read her application and returned it in the mail. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cigarette labels may educate about bladder cancer Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 01:29 PM PDT  By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Graphic warning labels on packs of cigarettes may convince some people that smoking ups the risk of bladder cancer, says a new study from Canada. A survey of 291 people at doctors' offices in Toronto found less than half knew that smoking cigarettes is tied to an increased risk of bladder cancer, but three quarters said a graphic warning label would help raise awareness. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York City marks 10th anniversary of smoking ban Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 12:30 PM PDT  By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg marked the tenth anniversary on Wednesday of his ban on smoking in bars and restaurants with a report saying the ban and subsequent anti-smoking measures had prevented 10,000 premature deaths. "Ten years ago when New York City prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars, many predicted the end of the hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries," Bloomberg said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Prebiotics in baby formula and eczema: mixed picture Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 12:16 PM PDT By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There's some evidence to suggest that putting prebiotics in baby formula protects children against the skin condition eczema, according to a fresh look at past research. The theory is that babies who can't breastfeed can drink formula fortified with prebiotics, which are food particles that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria or flora, and build immunity against some allergens. "When you change the gut flora your immunity changes as well," said Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
| Scientists criticize Italy for allowing unproven stem cell therapy Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 12:13 PM PDT By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Scientists have criticized an Italian government decree allowing a group of terminally-ill patients to continue using an unproven stem cell treatment, saying such therapies may cause harm and risk exploiting desperate people. The treatment, created by the privately-owned Stamina Foundation, was banned by Italian medicines regulator AIFA last year after it inspected their laboratories, leading to a series of legal challenges by families of patients. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mixed results on computer-based support for diabetes Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 12:11 PM PDT By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Computer and mobile phone programs that provide tailored advice and support to people with diabetes may not do much to improve their health and quality of life, a new report suggests. The findings are based on a review of 16 past studies, each looking at a different type of interactive intervention. Some of the programs provided access to social networking and peer support groups from home; a few were available to patients only when they visited a clinic. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fresh Del Monte wins injunction in fruit licensing battle Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 12:10 PM PDT By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday awarded Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc a permanent injunction in its long-running licensing dispute with Del Monte Foods Co, the canned produce and pet food company that spun it off in 1989. U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan awarded Fresh Del Monte much of the relief it requested, after a federal jury last April 6 ordered Del Monte Foods to pay the fresh fruit and vegetable company $13.15 million of damages. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texting fails to boost flu shots in pregnant women Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 10:38 AM PDT By Trevor Stokes NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Text message reminders don't increase flu vaccinations in pregnant women, according to a small pilot study. "Text messaging may be effective in some contexts and not in others," lead study author Dr. Michelle Moniz, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told Reuters Health. Between 2010 and 2011, researchers sent 12 weekly text messages to 158 pregnant women who were mostly poor, black, uninsured and had previously declined to receive a flu shot. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate candidates in Massachusetts spar on abortion, gay marriage Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 10:19 AM PDT By Scott Malone NEEDHAM, Massachusetts (Reuters) - The five candidates running for Massachusetts' open seat in the U.S. Senate sparred on social issues on Wednesday, staking out opposing views on abortion and gay marriage in the first debate to feature candidates from both parties. But even those who took more conservative stances tried to draw a line between their personal beliefs and existing laws, in a nod to the liberal views of many of the New England state's voters. On the Republican side, former Boston U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment