Month: June 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar — but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new system.

By Jessica Toonkel NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc is looking to sell its dermatology portfolio, which could be worth between $500 million and $1 billion, according to three people familiar with the situation. Astellas has hired London-based investment banking boutique DC Advisory to sell the assets, according to two of the people, who wished to remain anonymous because they are not permitted to speak to the press. The company's dermatology portfolio, which includes a drug to treat eczema called Protopic, sells products around the world. …

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) – Turning around drugmaker AstraZeneca will be a long haul, with a strategy of revamping research and boosting acquisitions set to take up to four years to pay off, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Speaking as the group unveiled the location for a new global headquarters and research center in Cambridge, England, Pascal Soriot said he was not expecting any short-term fixes for the group, which is struggling from falling sales as patents expire. …

By Dave Sherwood BOWDOINHAM, Maine (Reuters) – Democratic legislators in Maine scrambled on Tuesday to muster the votes needed to override Republican Governor Paul LePage’s late-night veto of a bill to expand Medicaid coverage to an additional 60,000 people. LePage late on Monday blocked a compromise bill that would have increased the number of low-income people eligible for the federal insurance program, an expansion allowed by the U.S. healthcare reform that stands as the signature domestic legislative achievement of President Barack Obama’s first term. …

Clients who follow the proven protocol in hCG diets will not only learn what it takes to achieve fast weight loss, they will also develop the skills necessary to make healthy eating choices and the willpower to forgo foods that offer little to no …
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Couples in the United States looking to spice up their sex lives will have to do without certain adult toys after a U.S. trade panel ruled on Monday that some companies are violating a patent held by a Canadian company for a two-armed vibrator. The U.S. International Trade Commission found that vibrator maker Lelo Inc as well as distributors and a retailer infringe on Standard Innovation Corp’s patent for a two-armed vibrator that couples can use during intercourse. …

Researchers have developed an easier method to insert viruses carrying special genes into the eye. Their eventual goal is restoring sight destroyed by blinding diseases.

Six-month-old Ryan Burke’s skull was growing lopsided until Texas surgeons intervened.