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| Affiliate of U.S. meningitis-linked firm extends shutdown Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:04 PM PDT (Reuters) - Ameridose LLC, sister company to the pharmacy at the heart of a meningitis outbreak in the United States, has agreed to extend its closure by two weeks while state and federal investigators continue to examine its facilities. The company's accord on Friday with Massachusetts regulators will keep it closed until November 19, according to the agreement, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters. Ameridose has the same owners as the New England Compounding Center (NECC), which distributed a tainted steroid used for back pain that has killed 28 people in the meningitis outbreak. ... Full Story | Top |
| Young docs less tired, less prepared with fewer hours Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:00 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Orthopedic surgeons-in-training said they were tired less often after rules regulating how much they could work went into place, according to new survey results. But the residents didn't actually get any more sleep under the limited work hours policy. And they also said they felt less prepared as doctors and were less satisfied with their education. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pradaxa bleeding risk appears no worse than warfarin - FDA Friday, Nov 02, 2012 11:08 AM PDT (Reuters) - The risk of serious bleeding among new users of Pradaxa, a blood-clot preventer made by Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, appeared to be no higher than in patients on the widely used standard blood thinner warfarin, U.S. regulators said. The announcement Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may allay some safety concerns about Pradaxa, a pill developed by the privately held drugmaker Boehringer, to prevent strokes among patients with an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation. The regulator's findings were based on an assessment of insurance claims and other data. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amsterdam struggles to evade ban on dope-smoking tourists Friday, Nov 02, 2012 11:07 AM PDT AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The mayor of Amsterdam may be unable to deliver on his promise to scrap the ban on tourists visiting the city's marijuana-selling coffee shops, the Dutch justice ministry said on Friday. Dope smokers were relieved this week when mayor Eberhard van der Laan said the coffee shops would remain open to foreigners. The conservative national government that lost power in September had pledged that only locals would be allowed to buy "weed" in coffee shops from the beginning of next year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Removing trays from dining halls cuts food waste Friday, Nov 02, 2012 11:06 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - University students eating at one buffet-style dining hall produced less food waste when the facility removed the trays students had used to carry food, a new study has found. At the single facility, researchers estimated the switch away from using trays saved about 25 total pounds of solid food waste at each lunch and dinner meal. It may also have encouraged students to eat less - although the study team didn't measure food consumption before and after the change. ... Full Story | Top |
| Polish mother accused of killing five of her children Friday, Nov 02, 2012 10:38 AM PDT WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish police arrested a 41-year-old woman on suspicion of killing five of her children, local media quoted prosecutors as saying on Friday. The bodies of four of the children were found in or near their home in a village in south-eastern Poland. Authorities say a fifth child was killed but the body has not been found. (Reporting by Dagmara Leszkowicz; Editing by Robert Woodward) Full Story | Top |
| Retail clinics may cut into primary care Friday, Nov 02, 2012 10:02 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The health clinics in pharmacies and other retail stores may be convenient, but they may also take a bite out of the traditional doctor-patient relationship, a new study suggests. Retail health clinics operate mainly out of chain pharmacies, but they're also in some grocery stores and "big box" stores like Wal-mart. There are now more than 1,300 retail health clinics nationwide, according to the non-profit RAND Corporation. And among Americans with private health insurance, their use rose 10-fold between 2007 and 2009. "The scope of care is limited," said Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
| Valeant revenue jumps, acquisitions hit net profit Friday, Nov 02, 2012 08:36 AM PDT (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc , Canada's biggest public drugmaker, reported a drop in quarterly net profit on Friday, hurt by costs associated with its long string of acquisitions, but revenue jumped almost 50 percent and adjusted earnings rose. Montreal-based Valeant, whose shares were little changed after the results, has been on the acquisition trail since its 2010 takeover by Biovail Corp, which assumed the Valeant name. One of its latest deals was the $2.6 billion purchase of Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corp , a top competitor in the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| FDA says Sandy delays decisions on some drugs Friday, Nov 02, 2012 07:51 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Health regulators will delay decisions on some drugs for up to two days because of the massive storm Sandy, which closed the federal government. The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that the delay in meeting regulatory timelines for prescription drugs, medical devices and biosimilar drugs would apply to those with target dates around October 29 and 30, when offices were closed. For those drugs with target dates on October 31 or later, the agency will consider whether a delay is warranted, but it will not exceed two days. Sandy hit the East Coast late on Monday. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel seeks coalition unity for 2013 election challenges Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:33 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under pressure to resolve a dispute on taxes and welfare between her centre-right coalition partners this weekend in order to present a united front before elections in 2013. The challenge for Merkel's conservatives and their junior Free Democrat (FDP) partners is to ensure that any compromise on rival welfare proposals does not threaten the government's ambitious goal of balancing the budget by 2014. ... Full Story | Top |
| Europe approves high-price gene therapy Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:59 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - European officials have approved the Western world's first gene therapy drug from a small Dutch biotech company, in a milestone for the novel medical technology that fixes faulty genes. The formal clearance from the European Commission paves the way for a launch next summer of the treatment for an ultra rare genetic disease that will cost around 1.2 million euros ($1.6 million) per patient, a new record for pricey modern medicines. ... Full Story | Top |
| In the Badger State, divided over and baffled by Obamacare Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:58 AM PDT  BELOIT, Wisconsin (Reuters) - To Tim Givhan, Obamacare shouldn't be an excuse for election-year polemics: "It's a lifeline." A former IT specialist, Givhan tripped on a machine at work and landed on his head, suffering neurological damage. His employer's insurance company wouldn't pay for an operation, saying the outcome was iffy. Plagued by debilitating migraines and tremors, he quit work. His wife, an attorney, divorced him. Givhan, 49, has moved back to his mother's home in Beloit, Wisconsin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Valeant profit slides, cuts fourth-quarter profit outlook Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:18 AM PDT (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc , Canada's biggest public drugmaker, reported an 81 percent drop in third-quarter profit, and the company cut its profit forecast for the current quarter. Net income fell to $7.6 million, or 2 cents per share, from $40.9 million, or 13 cents per share, a year earlier. Total revenue rose 47 percent to $884.1 million. (Reporting by Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay in Bangalore and Allison Martell in Toronto; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) Full Story | Top |
| In Missouri Senate race, new Akin ad features rape survivor Thursday, Nov 01, 2012 05:43 PM PDT  KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Todd Akin, the Republican candidate in the closely watched U.S. Senate race in Missouri, released a new advertisement on Thursday featuring a woman who says she was raped and had an abortion but supports Akin's anti-abortion stand. The TV commercial comes in the closing days of a campaign that has drawn national attention because of Akin's remark in August that women's bodies could ward off pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." Akin, a six-term U.S. congressman from the St. ... Full Story | Top |
| Retail clinics may cut into primary care: study Thursday, Nov 01, 2012 05:27 PM PDT (Reuters) - The health clinics in U.S. pharmacies and other retail stores may be convenient, but they may also take a bite out of the traditional doctor-patient relationship, according to a U.S. study. Retail health clinics operate mainly out of chain pharmacies, but they're also in some grocery stores and "big box" stores like Wal-mart. They now number more than 1,300 nationwide, according to the non-profit RAND Institute - and among people with private health insurance, their use rose 10-fold between 2007 and 2009. ... Full Story | Top |
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