Month: July 2013

By Ransdell Pierson (Reuters) – Pfizer Inc, in what could be the prelude to spinning off its generics drug business, said it plans to separate its commercial operations into two units, mainly for patent-protected brands and a third for generics. Pfizer, the largest U.S. drugmaker, said on Monday the changes will take effect by January in countries that do not require a consultation with labor unions. …

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Actress Charlize Theron has pledged her support in the campaign against AIDS during a meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma.

(Reuters) – Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp shares soared as much as 47 percent in heavy trading after the company said preliminary results from a mid-stage study of its drug ganetespib in breast cancer patients supported an expansion of the study. According to the design of the trial, it would advance to the second stage of enrollment if at least one patient achieved objective tumor response, a measure of reduction in tumor size. The study, codenamed ENCHANT-1, showed that four patients achieved an objective tumor response. …

Hospital closures have a cascading effect on surrounding health system.        

A microscopic parasite has shut down a water park in Little Rock, Ark.        

A microscopic parasite has shut down a water park in Little Rock, Ark.        

By Ludwig Burger and Frank Siebelt FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Investors banking on Bayer to embrace a trend in the pharma sector to split off non-core units may be too far ahead of the curve. The diversified German healthcare group has an unusually high threshold for selling its odd-one-out MaterialScience unit, which is the world's largest maker of chemicals for insulation foams and transparent plastics for DVDs and car lights. …

Find Your Voice: Unlocking the Mysteries of Stuttering

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – Women's rights in Afghanistan risk being further undermined in the fragile country's peace process due to entrenched patriarchal attitudes, a United Nations watchdog warned on Monday. Afghan women have made hard-fought gains in education and work since the collapse of the Taliban government in 2001, but fears are growing these could suffer a reversal when most foreign forces leave by the end of next year. The U.N. …

By Dorene Internicola NEW YORK (Reuters) – Triathlons, the three-prong running, biking and swimming races, are more popular than ever in the United States and fitness experts say anyone who trains properly can complete one. Runners hail the triathlon, which offers a whole body, cross training workout, as the new marathon. “Triathlon is any multi-sport competition that has swimming, biking and running at different distances,” said Emily Furia, who has been competing in the triathlons for more 10 years. …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sanofi SA’s allergy drug Nasacort AQ is safe enough to be sold over the counter, according to reviewers for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The reviewers, whose opinions were posted on Monday on the FDA’s website, said the nasal spray, which currently requires a prescription for use, “has a favorable risk-benefit profile” for use in an over-the-counter setting. The documents were posted ahead of a meeting on Wednesday of an advisory committee to the FDA which will recommend whether or not the agency should approve the switch to over-the-counter use. …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Each day over the past decade, about 34 U.S. children went to the emergency room after choking on food, according to a new study of a group of nationally-representative hospitals. Researchers found that candy was the most common culprit – although choking on hot dogs, nuts and seeds most often required kids to be hospitalized. “These numbers are high,” said Dr. Gary Smith, who worked on the study at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. What’s more, he added, “This is an underestimate. …