Month: October 2013

By David Morgan and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A software contractor for the U.S. government's troubled new healthcare website said on Thursday that his company warned officials about performance risks before it opened on October 1, saying there was too little time for system testing. But the lead contractor, CGI Federal, expressed confidence at a congressional hearing that problems with the website at the center of President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy would be fixed in time for millions of people without healthcare insurance to sign up by January 1. …

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – New federal guidelines expand the range of patients who might benefit from Johnson & Johnson’s Sirturo drug for the treatment of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the first new type of TB drug to win U.S. regulatory approval in more than 40 years. The recommendations, issued on Thursday by the U.S. …

Dear Evolution, Thanks for the Allergies

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Koset Surakomol decided to have a sex change operation, the company she worked for told her co-workers that the man they'd labored alongside for a dozen years should be addressed as a woman going forward.

By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Medical device maker Stryker Corp will pay $13.2 million to settle civil charges the company bribed doctors and government officials to win business in five different countries, U.S. regulators said Thursday. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said the company tried to mask $2.2 million in bribes in Argentina, Greece, Mexico, Poland and Romania by booking them as legitimate expenses for charitable donations, travel costs, consulting services and commissions. Stryker is settling the case without admitting or denying the charges. …

By Bill Berkrot (Reuters) – Celgene Corp raised its earnings forecast for 2013 on Thursday after reporting slightly higher-than-expected quarterly profit on robust sales of its flagship blood cancer drug Revlimid and rapid growth in newer cancer treatments. While Revlimid remains the backbone of the company, Celgene’s newer products are off to an impressive start. Pomalyst, a multiple myeloma drug for patients who have received treatment with at least two prior therapies, had sales of $90 million in its second full quarter on the market, up 35 percent from the prior quarter. …

Repent for Your Sins or Turn Them into Something Good

(Reuters) Mitzi Dulan's new book “The Pinterest Diet: How to Pin Your Way … Transformation Boards” that include foods high in fiber, protein and healthy fat, …

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – At least 22 people are suspected of having polio in Syria, the first outbreak of the crippling viral disease in 14 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Most of those stricken with acute flaccid paralysis, a symptom of diseases including polio, in Deir al-Zor province are children under the age of two, WHO spokesman Oliver Rosenbauer said. More than 100,000 children under the age of five are deemed at risk of polio in the eastern province. …