Month: March 2013

By Kaustubh Kulkarni MUMBAI (Reuters) – BDR Pharmaceuticals said on Monday it has applied to India’s patent office for a compulsory license to sell a generic version of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co’s cancer drug dasatinib, after unsuccessfully seeking a voluntary license from Bristol-Myers. Under a global Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement, countries can issue compulsory licenses for certain drugs that are deemed unaffordable to a large section of their populations. …

Parents increasingly say they are worried about the safety of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and don’t intend to vaccinate their teen daughters, a new study found.

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider in what circumstances the assets of a defendant can be frozen before trial. The question before the high court is whether prosecutors can prevent defendants from using their assets to pay for a lawyer without a hearing on the issue. …

By Tom Bill CANNES, France (Reuters) – As growing numbers of shoppers move online, European mall owners are looking to pull in customers by including services that can't be replicated on the Web like hospital care and government offices. Malls must become more like full-service community centers to survive in the face of a growing list of failed retailers like HMV and Blockbuster, property experts at the annual MIPIM trade fair in Cannes, France, told Reuters. On the flip side of that retail revolution, the experts see big gains in warehousing as more goods are sent and returned via post. …

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – Deadly strains of tuberculosis (TB) resistant to multiple drugs are spreading around the world, and authorities urgently need another $1.6 billion a year to tackle them, global health officials said on Monday. Donors should step up with “significant funding” to help experts track down all existing cases and treat the most serious ones, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in joint statement. …

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Overweight and obese diabetes patients given high doses of Novo Nordisk's drug liraglutide achieved 6 percent weight loss in a clinical trial, only slightly above the loss seen in those on a lower dose. The Danish group, the world's biggest insulin producer, said on Monday it was pleased with the results. But investors worried about where it left Novo's strategy for a premium-priced high-dose obesity treatment and shares in the company fell 4 percent. …