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| Six new MERS coronavirus cases reported in UAE, Saudi Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:56 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - Health authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have reported six new cases of the SARS-like coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. The latest infections of four women and two men aged between 26 and 42 bring the global total to 88 cases, including 45 deaths, the United Nations agency said in a statement. Five of the six new cases were health workers and the other was a man who came in close contact with someone who had been infected with the disease, which is known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS, WHO ... Full Story | Top |
| Pfizer not to move forward with takeover bid for Onyx: sources Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:18 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc decided not to pursue a bid for Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc this week, according to two people familiar with the matter, leaving Amgen Inc in the pole position to buy the cancer drugmaker with a market value of nearly $10 billion. Onyx, which rejected Amgen's $120 per share bid and instead put itself up for sale on June 30, was expecting to receive first-round offers from a few interested parties as soon as this week, people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas governor signs strict abortion law that sparked protests Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:09 PM PDT  By Karen Brooks AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday signed into law tough new restrictions on abortion, including a ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy, marking one of the biggest victories in a decade for opponents of the procedure in the United States. Perry, a Republican, signed the measure flanked by invited political supporters and anti-abortion activists, who gave him a standing ovation as he entered the room. "It is a very happy and celebratory day," said Perry, who thanked anti-abortion activists for helping to "support the health of Texas women. ... Full Story | Top |
| India to probe school meal scheme after 23 children die Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 11:42 AM PDT  By Annie Banerji GANDAMAN, India (Reuters) - The Indian government announced on Thursday it would set up an inquiry into the quality of food given to school pupils in a nationwide free meal scheme after at least 23 children died in one of the deadliest outbreaks of mass poisoning in years. Within minutes of eating a meal of rice and potato curry in the eastern state of Bihar on Tuesday, the children began to fall ill, a cook at the school at the center of the outbreak told Reuters from her hospital bed. ... Full Story | Top |
| More evidence not all prostate cancers need treatment Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 11:06 AM PDT Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study of older men who had died from causes other than prostate cancer, almost half were found to have prostate tumors. And up to half of those tumors detected on autopsy would have qualified for treatment had doctors known about them while the men lived, though none had been the cause of death. That suggests the criteria for treatment "might be worth reexamining," according to the study authors, and adds to a growing body of evidence that a wait-and-see approach might be better than treatment for many prostate cancers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Celgene to stop blood cancer trial due to high death rates Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:43 AM PDT (Reuters) - Celgene Corp said it will stop a late-stage trial of its blood cancer drug, Revlimid, after it observed a higher number of deaths in elderly leukemia patients taking the drug compared with those on another treatment. Revlimid, with 2012 sales of $3.8 billion, is Celgene's flagship blood cancer drug and is already approved for use in various types of blood cancer, including multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. Celgene shares were down 2.7 percent at $132.98 on Thursday afternoon on the Nasdaq. Over the past 12 months, the shares have nearly doubled. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama steps in to push health plan as critical date draws near Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:35 AM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fending off delays and a barrage of political criticism of his signature healthcare law, President Barack Obama on Thursday touted benefits Americans already are reaping from the law and vowed to work through setbacks to fully implement it. "Generally speaking, what we've seen is that healthcare costs have slowed drastically in a lot of areas since we passed the Affordable Care Act," Obama said at a White House event, surrounded by individuals who have seen their health insurance costs drop. ... Full Story | Top |
| World pays tribute as 'improving' Mandela turns 95 Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 09:53 AM PDT By Peroshni Govender PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa and the world showered tributes on Nelson Mandela on Thursday as the anti-apartheid leader turned 95 in hospital and his doctors reported he was "steadily improving" from a six-week lung infection. The country has been on edge since the former president and father of the multi-racial 'Rainbow Nation' established at the end of apartheid in 1994 was admitted to hospital on June 8 with recurring lung problems that kept him in a critical condition. ... Full Story | Top |
| UnitedHealth upbeat on growth, copes with Medicare cuts Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 09:29 AM PDT  By Caroline Humer (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc posted a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit as it enrolled more people in private and government-sponsored health insurance plans and said it expects long-term growth after U.S. healthcare reform takes effect. Shares rose nearly 6 percent on Thursday as the company said it was "strongly positive" about the future despite near-term challenges tied to decreased funding for its privately run Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors and costs related to President Barack Obama's healthcare law. UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rare birth defect on the rise Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 08:32 AM PDT By Kerry Grens NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The proportion of babies born with a defect called gastroschisis has nearly doubled since 1995, according to a large new study. The cause of gastroschisis - which is a hole in the baby's abdomen - is unclear, although it's known to be more likely in the children of teen mothers. A mother's exposure to certain chemicals has also been tied to the malformation, though not conclusively. In the new study, researchers looked at rates of gastroschisis in millions of live births over an 11-year period in the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sees lower-than-expected Obamacare insurance costs Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 08:23 AM PDT  By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hoping to gain the high ground in an escalating war of words over Obamacare, the U.S. administration on Thursday forecast sharply lower than expected insurance costs for consumers and small businesses in new online state healthcare exchanges. A report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said data from 10 states and the District of Columbia shows preliminary 2014 premiums on the lowest-cost mid-range "silver" plans in those marketplaces to be 18 percent lower on average than earlier administration and congressional estimates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Science for hire - Trial over plastic exposes disclosure deficit Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 07:32 AM PDT  By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) - By 2012, Eastman Chemical seemed to be perfectly positioned when it came to producing plastic for drinking bottles. Concerns about a widely used chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) had become so great that Walmart stopped selling plastic baby bottles and children's sippy cups made with it and consumer groups were clamoring for regulators to ban it. Medical societies were warning that BPA's similarity to estrogens could disrupt the human hormone system and pose health risks, especially to fetuses and newborns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tai chi tied to longer life Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 07:07 AM PDT  By Kerry Grens NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Chinese men who practiced tai chi were less likely to die over a five-year period than men who didn't exercise at all, in a new study. The findings support past studies that found health benefits related to the traditional Chinese exercise. "It combines slow motion exercise and mind concentration to focus on movement. That itself can reduce your stress and, of course, it will increase your flexibility and endurance," said Dr. Xianglan Zhang, one of the study's authors from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. ... Full Story | Top |
| China halts travel agency's business over GSK case: report Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:13 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities in Shanghai have suspended the business of a travel agency in connection with allegations of bribery against British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline , the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday. Chinese police have started investigating suspected involvement by the Shanghai Linjiang International Travel Agency in illegal activities such as falsifying bills, it said without elaborating. The travel agency has been ordered to suspend its business and carry out an internal overhaul, it said. Reuters was not immediately able to reach the travel agency for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| India school tragedy raises questions for Gandhi's food plan Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 04:57 AM PDT  By Sruthi Gottipati and Mayank Bhardwaj RAIPUR/PATNA, India (Reuters) - The deaths of at least 23 Indian children poisoned after eating a free school meal has triggered an outcry over food safety just as the ruling Congress party is set to launch an ambitious plan to feed 800 million poor, with an eye on elections due within a year. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's national subsidized food project includes free school meals and expands existing handouts to make it probably the biggest welfare initiative since India gained independence in 1947. ... Full Story | Top |
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