Month: April 2013

By Kaustubh Kulkarni and Suchitra Mohanty MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India's top court dismissed Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG's attempt to win patent protection for its cancer drug Glivec, a blow to Western pharmaceutical firms targeting India to drive sales and a victory for local makers of cheap generics. The decision sets a benchmark for intellectual property cases in India, where many patented drugs are unaffordable for most of its 1.2 billion people, and does not bode well for foreign firms engaged in ongoing disputes in India, including Pfizer Inc and Roche Holding AG, analysts said. …

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is relaxing its restrictions on the use of over-the-counter nicotine patches, gum and lozenges. Currently, consumers are instructed to stop smoking when they begin using a nicotine replacement product and to stop using it after 12 weeks. The FDA said on Monday it plans to remove both these restrictions in response to claims by critics that they may cause some smokers to abandon attempts to quit if they have a cigarette while on a replacement therapy. …

People generally like sex. A lot. With so many fans out there, and many of those folks needing to use contraception and stay safe from infections, the latest challenge issued by the powerhouse philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—to create a better condom—could get a huge response.

More than 400 people who have been patients of Dr. W. Scott Harrington , the Tulsa, Okla., dentist whose practices are at the center of a health scare there lined up early Saturday for free blood testing, according to ABCNews.com . Potentially, thousands of Harrington’s former patients will be visiting the North Tulsa health department office over the next few weeks to have their blood tested for the presence of HIV , hepatitis B and hepatitis C .

By Alicia Underlee Nelson FARGO, North Dakota (Reuters) – North Dakota's only clinic that offers abortion services is vowing to challenge the state's adoption of new restrictions that its backers say imperil its ability to operate. The Red River Women's Clinic, which is tucked inside a downtown Fargo building that once housed one of the state's first beauty shops, is the only alternative for women seeking abortion services for hundreds of miles. …

By Edward Krudy NEW YORK (Reuters) – Federal authorities have dramatically lowered the amount that New York state can claim from the federal government for certain medical services, costing the state an estimated $1.2 billion. The Center for Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers the nation's medical insurance system for people on low incomes, cut the per-patient reimbursement rate for patients in developmental centers to $1,200 from $5,100 from April 1, according to CMS documents seen by Reuters. …

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says smokers who are trying to quit can safely use over-the counter nicotine gum, patches and lozenges for longer than previously recommended in a move to help millions of Americans kick the habit.

Until this weekend, H7N9 was a type of influenza A virus that was known to only infect birds. On Sunday, March 31, HealthMap picked up a story from China that told of three human infections of H7N9. These are the first recorded human cases of H7N9.

Two men in Shanghai died after they became infected with a strain of avian flu not previously seen in humans. A Chinese woman who contracted the same strain of flu — H7N9 — remains in critical condition, according to a statement released Sunday by China’s National Health…

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa's anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who is being treated in hospital for pneumonia, was visited by members of his family on Monday after doctors had reported an improvement in his condition over the weekend. A statement from South Africa's presidency said there was "no significant change" in the condition of the 94-year-old former president, who has been in hospital since late Wednesday suffering from a recurrence of a lung infection. "Former President Mandela is still in hospital where he is receiving treatment … …

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa's anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who is being treated in hospital for pneumonia, was visited by members of his family on Monday after doctors had reported an improvement in his condition over the weekend. A statement from South Africa's presidency said there was "no significant change" in the condition of the 94-year-old former president, who has been in hospital since late Wednesday suffering from a recurrence of a lung infection. "Former President Mandela is still in hospital where he is receiving treatment … …

BEIJING (Reuters) – The World Health Organization says no evidence has emerged to show that a type of bird flu which has killed two Chinese men can be transmitted between people. Two men in Shanghai, aged 87 and 27, fell sick in late February. A woman in Anhui province also contracted the virus in early March and is in critical condition. “At this point, these three are isolated cases with no evidence of human-to-human transmission”, the WHO representative in China, Dr. Michael O’Leary, told reporters on Monday. …