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| Canadian opposition MP defects to Quebec separatists Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:07 AM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - An opposition legislator in the Canadian House of Commons defected to the separatist Bloc Quebecois on Thursday, arguing that it was unacceptable that Canada put conditions on how and when the French-speaking province of Quebec could separate. The move by New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament Claude Patry will not have an immediate effect on the balance of power, but it is an important jolt for the separatist cause after its poor showing in the 2011 federal election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada to fund non-nuclear sources for medical isotopes Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:04 AM PST OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada expects to be able to make enough medical isotopes through non-nuclear methods by 2016 to replace those now produced by an aging reactor and better assure an uninterrupted supply for medical imaging, a government minister said on Thursday. To that end, the federal government will fund three research institutes developing cyclotron and linear accelerator technologies for production of isotopes on a commercial scale, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said. ... Full Story | Top |
| FDA staff say two non-hormonal hot flashes drugs show some efficacy Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:44 AM PST  (Reuters) - Food and Drug Administration staff said experimental drugs by Depomed Inc and Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co Inc showed efficacy in reducing menopausal hot flashes, and highlighted no new risks in comments issued on Thursday. Depomed's shares rose 8 percent on optimism that its drug, which failed to meet pre-defined efficacy goals in studies, may still be approved to address an estimated $1.5 billion market. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arkansas bans most abortions after 20 weeks pregnancy Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:25 AM PST LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Arkansas joined seven other U.S. states on Thursday in banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy as the Republican-controlled state Senate voted to override a veto of the legislation by Democratic Governor Mike Beebe. Senators voted 19 to 14 on party lines to override Beebe's veto, following a 53 to 28 vote by the Republican-controlled state House on Wednesday. In Arkansas, lawmakers can override a veto by a simple majority vote. The law provides exceptions only in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jury awards woman $7.76 million punitive damages for J&J mesh Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:10 AM PST (Reuters) - A New Jersey jury on Thursday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $7.76 million in punitive damages to a South Dakota nurse who claimed harm from the company's now-recalled Prolift vaginal mesh. The diversified healthcare company said in a statement that it would "vigorously" appeal the award from the jury. On Monday, the panel of six women and three men awarded the same woman $3.35 million in other compensation, saying J&J failed to adequately warn her doctors of potential dangers from the vaginal mesh implant made by J&J's Ethicon subsidiary. ... Full Story | Top |
| Poland finds horse DNA in beef at three warehouses Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 08:53 AM PST  WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish authorities found evidence of horse DNA in beef stored at three storage facilities after several countries pointed to Poland as one of the sources of tainted meat that has shaken the European food industry. Poland's General Veterinary Inspectorate said in a statement late on Wednesday it found three tainted samples from 121 tested, with 80 more to be examined. On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Polish arm of furniture giant IKEA said the company stopped buying meatballs from its Polish supplier on concerns they could contain horsemeat. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada's Valeant on hunt for more deals, posts loss Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 08:27 AM PST (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc is in talks to make more acquisitions, its chief executive said on Thursday, adding that Canada's largest publicly traded drugmaker also remains open to discuss a potential "merger of equals." Valeant has made about a dozen deals for smaller companies or assets over the past year, including the $2.6 billion purchase of U.S.-based Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corp in December. Valeant's shares and revenue have soared, although it posted a quarterly loss on Thursday due to costs related to the Medicis acquisition. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's Zuma takes anti-rape campaign to the classroom Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 08:06 AM PST  CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - President Jacob Zuma launched an anti-rape campaign targeting South Africa's 10 million schoolchildren on Thursday, an attempt to tackle some of the world's highest levels of sexual violence in a country where many are inured to reports of such crimes. Girls and boys suffer sexual abuse, bullying and rape in the classroom and playground on a regular basis, according to domestic media reports, and researchers say many youngsters do not know what is right and wrong. "What we are launching today is not a women's campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
| Higher cancer risk after Fukushima nuclear disaster: WHO Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 07:55 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - People in the area worst affected by Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident two years ago have a slightly higher risk of developing certain cancers, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. A magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, killed nearly 19,000 people and devastated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, spewing radiation and forcing about 160,000 people to flee their homes. It was the worst nuclear accident since a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine in 1986. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Mind melds" move from science fiction to science in rats Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 06:52 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The scientists call it a "brain link," and it is the closest anyone has gotten to a real-life "mind meld": the thoughts of a rat romping around a lab in Brazil were captured by electronic sensors and sent via Internet to the brain of a rat in the United States. The result: the second rat received the thoughts of the first, mimicking its behavior, researchers reported on Thursday in Scientific Reports, a journal of the Nature Publishing Group. ... Full Story | Top |
| India's Cipla bids $500 mln for S.Africa affiliate Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 05:59 AM PST  MUMBAI/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Cipla Ltd offered over $500 million to buy out South African affiliate Cipla Medpro on Thursday, sweetening its bid by 17 percent after earlier talks stalled over price. The board of Cipla Medpro, South Africa's third-largest generic drug firm, urged shareholders to vote for the cash offer, endorsing a deal that appeared to have fallen apart just weeks ago. In November Cipla offered $215 million for 51 percent of the company, a price some analysts in South Africa said was too low. ... Full Story | Top |
| Program increases contraceptive use in at-risk teens Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 05:50 AM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Long after completing an 18-month program designed to teach about contraception and healthy relationships, teenage girls at high risk for unwanted pregnancy were using contraceptives more often and maintaining other safer sexual practices, according to a new study. Researchers in Minnesota tested an approach to preventing teen pregnancies that is based on providing access to birth control methods and information as well as building girls' sense of connectedness to family and society. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. firms in China set for greater competition ahead: survey Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 01:02 AM PST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Profitability and sales are harder to come by in China as U.S. firms face increasing competition from domestic and foreign players, said a U.S. business group survey on Thursday. An annual survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai showed a majority of firms believed that competition had intensified, while the number who said they were profitable in 2012 dropped to 73 percent from 78 percent in 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| India's Cipla plans $512 million takeover of South Africa's Cipla Medpro Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 08:52 PM PST  * Raises per-share price to 10 rand from 8.55 rand * Plans to delist Cipla Medpro when sale complete MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Cipla Ltd on Thursday sweetened its offer by 17 percent to take over South Africa's third-largest drugmaker, Cipla Medpro South Africa Ltd, ending the uncertainty of an earlier offer that had been put on hold by the Indian company. Cipla, India's fifth-largest drugmaker by sales, said it would spend about $512 million, or 10 rand a share, to acquire Cipla Medpro and then delist the South African drugmaker. ... Full Story | Top |
| Special program increases birth control use in at-risk teens Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 08:29 PM PST (Reuters) - Long after completing an 18-month program designed to teach them about contraception and healthy relationships, U.S. teens at high risk for pregnancy were still using contraceptives more often, among other safe sexual practices, a U.S. study said. The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is the highest in the developed world, researchers writing in JAMA Pediatrics said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2011 31 out of every 1,000 U.S. teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 gave birth to a baby. ... Full Story | Top |
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