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| White House tracking bird flu outbreak in China Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:24 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is keeping a close eye on the outbreak of a new strain of bird flu in China, a spokeswoman said on Thursday, noting that the U.S. government is prepared to help world health authorities if needed. There have been a total of 14 confirmed cases of the virus in China, a strain called H7N9, which has killed five people, four of them in the financial hub of Shanghai. World health authorities are on alert. But there is no evidence so far that the flu is spreading from person to person, which would raise fears of a pandemic. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. weighs new vehicle-safety ratings to help older drivers Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:09 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Transportation Department said on Thursday it is looking at ways to expand its vehicle safety ratings in response to rapidly changing technology, including the addition of ratings to help inform older drivers. Innovations such as blind-spot detection and automatic braking in the event of an imminent crash could help prevent accidents, the department said, as it sought public input on how to best update its ratings system. ... Full Story | Top |
| For first time, majority of Americans favor legalizing marijuana Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 11:38 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For the first time, a majority of Americans back legalizing marijuana, marking significant changes in public opinion toward the drug, especially among the young, a survey by the Pew Research Center showed on Thursday. The survey showed 52 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, which the federal government deems an illegal drug even as many states have loosened restrictions on "pot" use. Support for legalizing pot has risen by 11 points since 2010 and was up from just 12 percent backing in 1969, when 84 percent of those polled opposed legalization. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas House debates budget that would restore some cuts Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 11:02 AM PDT By Corrie MacLaggan AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Texas House of Representatives on Thursday began debating a two-year budget proposal that would increase state spending by about 7 percent and restore some of the cuts made to public education in 2011. Two years after lawmakers passed a spending plan that made deep cuts in the face of a budget shortfall, the state's financial health and robust economic growth have allowed budget writers to add back a significant amount of that money, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts told his colleagues. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court reverses $482 million case against JNJ's Cordis Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 10:50 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cordis Corp, a Johnson and Johnson subsidiary, did not infringe upon a stent patent owned by a radiologist, an appeals court said on Thursday, reversing a ruling by a lower court which had ordered Cordis to pay $482 million. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a ruling from a Texas jury, which had found Cordis guilty of infringement and ordered the payment, plus interest. The appeals court ruled that Cordis had not infringed. A lawyer for the radiologist, Bruce Saffran, was not immediately available. The case in the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mental changes after bypass usually temporary: study Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 10:50 AM PDT By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Declines in thinking and memory skills that sometimes follow coronary artery bypass surgery may be short-lived, a new small study suggests. Earlier reports found cognitive problems in up to two-thirds of people being discharged from the hospital after bypass surgery, which is done to improve blood flow to the heart. The procedure involves grafting a healthy blood vessel around a blocked one, so blood "bypasses" the unhealthy vessel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pill-watching practice may not improve Tuberculosis treatment Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 10:04 AM PDT By Trevor Stokes NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Tuberculosis patients who swallow their anti-tuberculosis pills under the watchful gaze of doctors fare just as well as patients trusted to self-medicate, according to a new analysis. "Do we still need to observe patients taking their pills? Our findings are that's probably not as useful and we could direct resources to other interventions that would be more cost-effective," said study co-author Dr. Tawanda Gumbo, associate professor of medicine at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands protest Chevron's shale gas plans in Romania Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 09:30 AM PDT  By Ioana Patran BARLAD, Romania (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians across the country protested on Thursday against Chevron's plans to explore for shale gas, demanding the country's leftist government withdraw concessions and ban drilling of the U.S. company's first test wells. About 500 rallied in the town of Barlad on the eastern border with Moldova where Chevron has a nearby 1.6 million acre concession, some wearing gas masks, many chanting "Chevron go home. ... Full Story | Top |
| World experts debate case for new bird flu vaccine Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 09:20 AM PDT By Ben Hirschler and Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Experts from around the world are in daily talks about the threat posed by a deadly new strain of bird flu in China, including discussions on if and when to start making a vaccine. Any decision to mass-produce vaccines against H7N9 flu will not be taken lightly, since it will mean sacrificing production of seasonal shots. And scientists warn it will take months to get any finished bird flu vaccine to the market. But the groundwork is being laid. ... Full Story | Top |
| China readies to fight new bird flu; Japan, Hong Kong on guard Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 09:17 AM PDT By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - The death toll from a new strain of bird flu rose to five in China on Thursday as Beijing said it was mobilizing resources nationwide to combat the virus, Japan and Hong Kong stepped up vigilance and Vietnam banned imports of Chinese poultry. The H7N9 bird flu strain does not appear to be transmitted from human to human but authorities in Hong Kong raised a preliminary alert and said they were taking precautions at the airport. ... Full Story | Top |
| Deadly new bird flu vindicates controversial research Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 07:27 AM PDT  By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists in the Dutch city of Rotterdam know precisely what it takes for a bird flu to mutate into a potential human pandemic strain - because they've created just such mutant viruses in the laboratory. So as they watch with some trepidation the emergence in China of a strain of bird flu previously unknown in humans, they also argue it vindicates their controversial decision to conduct these risky experiments despite fierce opposition. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's Mandela improving, visited by Zuma Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 07:14 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela, 94, received a visit in hospital from current leader Jacob Zuma on Thursday, who said the anti-apartheid hero was making "continuous improvement" under treatment for pneumonia. "Madiba is stable and we are thankful that he is responding well to treatment and that he is much better," Zuma said, referring to Mandela by his clan name. Mandela has spent just over a week in hospital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Valeant expects Mylan's launch of generic herpes drug to hurt profit Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 06:40 AM PDT (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc, Canada's biggest listed drugmaker, said it expects Mylan Inc's launch of a generic version of Valeant's genital herpes drug to reduce its cash earnings-per-share for the year by 30 to 40 cents. The company said it would launch its own generic of the ointment, Zovirax, on Thursday. Mylan, a generic drugmaker, said on Wednesday it received final approval for the first generic version of Zovirax from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merrimack lung cancer drug fails in one mid-stage trial group Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 06:32 AM PDT (Reuters) - Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc said one of three patient groups in a mid-stage trial of its experimental lung cancer drug failed to meet the main goal of improving survival rates after four months of treatment without the disease worsening. The company's shares fell 7 percent in premarket trade. The group was administered the drug, MM-121, in combination with erlotinib, an approved cancer treatment, for non-small cell lung cancer. Erlotinib is marketed as Tarceva by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG. ... Full Story | Top |
| Navidea cancer imaging agent may see wider use Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:02 AM PDT (Reuters) - Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc said its cancer diagnostic agent was effective in identifying the first lymph node reached by the disease in patients with head and neck cancer, paving the way to expand its use in all solid cancers. The company said a safety monitoring committee recommended that the trial be stopped early due to the positive results. ... Full Story | Top |
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