Month: March 2014

CHICAGO (AP) — For uninsured people, the nation's new health care law may offer an escape from worry about unexpected, astronomical medical bills. But for Stephanie Payne of St. Louis, who already had good insurance, the law could offer another kind of escape: the chance to quit her job.

(Reuters) – Stock futures on Canada's main stock index were little changed on Friday after data showed higher-than-expected retail sales and a slower rate of annual inflation. In her first press conference as chair of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen on Wednesday indicated that the first increase in rates could come in the first half of next year. The Day Ahead newsletter http://link.reuters.com/mex49s) TOP STORIES Private equity investment firm Onex Corp said it would sell The Warranty Group, a provider of extended warranty contracts, to an affiliate of TPG Capital Management LP for an enterprise value of about $1.5 billion. Silver Wheaton Corp reported a 47 percent fall in quarterly profit due to a decline in metal prices, but forecast slightly higher production for the current year.

By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Friday, with major indexes on track for a week of strong gains, though geopolitical concerns remained in view as the tenuous situation in Ukraine continued. The biggest East-West confrontation since the Cold War ramped up after U.S. President Barack Obama targeted some of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest long-time political and business allies in response to Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia retaliated with sanctions of its own against top U.S. politicians.

(Reuters) – Endocyte Inc said its experimental cancer drug, when used in combination with an approved treatment, improved survival rates without the disease worsening in a mid-stage study on patients with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer. The trial tested the drug, vintafolide, in combination with a chemotherapy drug known as docetaxel in 199 patients who failed one prior treatment with chemotherapy.

(Reuters) – Biogen Idec Inc said on Friday it had won Canadian approval for its long-lasting hemophilia B drug Alprolix. Hemophilia B, a rare inherited disorder in which the ability of a person's blood to clot is impaired, affects some 4,000 people in the United States and roughly 25,000 worldwide. Biogen is developing the drug in partnership with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB. Traditional hemophilia treatments must be infused two to three times a week, while Biogen's drug needs to be administered only once a week or once every 10 to 14 days to protect against bleeding episodes.