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| NRA-funded proposal calls for armed personnel in schools Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:50 AM PDT  By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Every U.S. school would have armed, trained personnel under a study funded by the powerful National Rifle Association and unveiled on Tuesday in response to December's massacre at a Connecticut school. The proposal of the National School Shield Task Force also includes security accords between schools and law enforcement, an online safety assessment tool for schools, state safety standards and improved federal coordination for school safety. ... Full Story | Top |
| New-look Sarepta eyes approval for muscular dystrophy drug Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:12 AM PDT By Zeba Siddiqui (Reuters) - After three decades without bringing a drug to market, Sarepta Therapeutics Inc stands on the verge of a breakthrough with its treatment for a crippling genetic disorder that affects one in every 3,500 newborn boys. If U.S. regulators fast-track approval of its treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, as some investors are betting, it would complete a remarkable turnaround for the company that began life as AVI Biopharma in Corvallis, Oregon, 33 years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mandela's condition unchanged, no deterioration: presidency Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:17 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela's condition has not changed after a weekend improvement, the government said on Tuesday, and it denied media reports suggesting the anti-apartheid hero had suffered a relapse in his pneumonia. "His condition is unchanged as reported yesterday," presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Health insurers rally after surprise Medicare decision Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:10 AM PDT (Reuters) - Shares in some of the largest health insurers surged on Tuesday following an announcement late Monday by the government that it would increase payment rates for Medicare Advantage in 2014. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced after the market closed on Monday that it would raise the reimbursement rate by 3.3 percent next year instead of cutting it by 2.3 percent, as it had proposed in February. Humana Inc said on Tuesday that the government's move is an improvement over earlier proposals, but it still faces challenges in certain parts of the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo promises action on mass rapes in eastern town: U.N. Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:06 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has promised to bring a group of suspected mass rapists to justice after the United Nations last month threatened to halt support to two Congolese army battalions, the world body said on Tuesday. The United Nations said 126 women were raped in Minova in November after Congolese troops fled to the town as so-called M23 rebels briefly captured the nearby provincial capital of Goma. The U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama launches research initiative to study human brain Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:56 AM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House unveiled details on Tuesday of a new initiative to study the human brain with the goal of creating effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other disorders. Called the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, the program aims to help researchers see how brain cells and neural circuits interact through technology that produces "dynamic pictures" of the brain. It is to be funded with $100 million from President Barack Obama's fiscal 2014 budget. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merck unit sues India's Glenmark over diabetes drug Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:13 AM PDT  MUMBAI (Reuters) - A unit of U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co sued India's Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday for infringing its patent on two diabetes drugs. The action comes a day after Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG lost a landmark court ruling over patent protection for its cancer treatment Glivec, a decision widely seen as boosting India's generic pharmaceuticals business. Merck's Indian unit, MSD, holds an Indian patent on sitagliptin, a chemical compound sold under the Januvia and Janumet brands. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Big Pharma down, not out, after Indian patent blow Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:03 AM PDT  By Ben Hirschler and Kaustubh Kulkarni LONDON/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Stung by a landmark patent defeat, Western drugmakers will be wary about launching new products in India, but they cannot afford to quit a country tipped to be the world's eighth largest market for medicines by 2016. Makers of patented drugs will in future have to get more creative about doing business in India, including striking deals with local firms to sell cheaper versions of their drugs, industry experts believe. ... Full Story | Top |
| New strain of bird flu infects four others in China: Xinhua Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 07:58 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported four new cases on Tuesday of a strain of bird flu that was previously unknown in humans but has already killed two people, raising the total of known cases to seven. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday there was no evidence that the H7N9 strain could be transmitted between people, but that it was investigating the outbreak. The four new patients in China's eastern Jiangsu province were all in critical condition and receiving emergency treatment, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Jiangsu provincial health bureau. ... Full Story | Top |
| Shoppers may buy more fruit, veggies when prices dip Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 07:39 AM PDT  By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cut fruit and vegetable prices in half and people will load up on them, according to a new study that suggests price regulation may play an important role in future public policy. "Many people argue that we should educate the population better about healthy eating - however our results clearly show that that is not the direction to go," lead author Wilma Waterlander told Reuters Health by email. "Price changes are really needed," said Waterlander, a research fellow at the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obagi Medical gets higher offer from Merz Pharma Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 05:38 AM PDT (Reuters) - Neurological and dermatology drugs maker Merz Pharma Group offered to buy cosmetic products maker Obagi Medical Products Inc for $383.5 million, topping a bid by Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc . Merz's $22 per share bid represents a premium of 11 percent to Valeant's offer of $19.75. Obagi shares were trading above Merz's offer price at $22.90 in premarket trade, suggesting that some investors expect a bidding war. ... Full Story | Top |
| AstraZeneca suffers fresh drug patent setback in U.S. Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 02:50 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has suffered a fresh patent setback with a U.S. court decision that a patent protecting its Pulmicort Repsules asthma treatment is invalid, clearing the way for a generic copy from Actavis. The ruling comes as AstraZeneca is already facing a big fall in sales due to patent expiries on other medicines, prompting a $2.3 billion restructuring plan and further job losses announced by new CEO Pascal Soriot last month. AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it strongly disagreed with the court's decision and was considering next steps, including lodging an appeal. ... Full Story | Top |
| After "Tan Mom," New Jersey bans children from tanning beds Monday, Apr 01, 2013 06:56 PM PDT By David Jones NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law on Monday banning children under 17 from using commercial tanning beds, a move stemming from the case of a local woman accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth. Christie said that while he does not favor government regulation of small business, the new law was important for protecting the safety of minors. "Governmental regulation of the private sector should always be carefully scrutinized, and sparingly adopted," he said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Statin side effects can often be overcome: study Monday, Apr 01, 2013 04:52 PM PDT By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most people who stop taking cholesterol-lowering statins - because of side effects or for another reason - are able to restart the same drug or a similar one without lasting problems, a new study suggests. That's important because for people who need statins, quitting them for good increases the chance of serious heart problems, researchers said, so doctors and patients should think carefully before letting milder reactions lead them to give up on the drugs altogether. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colorado prosecutors seek death penalty for accused cinema gunman Monday, Apr 01, 2013 03:17 PM PDT  By Keith Coffman CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - Colorado prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the man charged with killing 12 moviegoers during a showing of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" last year. District Attorney George Brauchler's formal call for the death penalty at a hearing on Monday came after his rejection last week of a defense suggestion that James Holmes would be willing to plead guilty in exchange for a life prison term without parole. ... Full Story | Top |
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