Month: March 2014

By Dorene Internicola NEW YORK (Reuters) – Training for U.S. Navy SEALs, the special operations force, follows a warrior tradition that harkens back to Samurais, but fitness experts say the tough regime is gaining popularity with entrepreneurs, corporate executives, lawyers and elite athletes. "We look at training as being as important to our life as eating and sleeping," said retired Navy SEAL commander and fitness instructor Mark Divine, the author of "8 Weeks to SEALFIT: a Navy Seal's Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness." SEALFIT draws on the varied, high-intensity interval training of CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, strongman exercises, yoga, and martial arts.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German drugmaker Bayer said on Monday it won approval in the European Union to widen the use of lung drug Adempas to two life-threatening forms of pulmonary hypertension. The EU Commission cleared the use of the drug, also known as riociguat, for the treatment of chronic-thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). U.S. authorities approved the drug for the same uses in October. Bayer counts Adempas among its most promising new drugs, predicting peak annual sales of more than 500 million euros ($688 million). ($1 = 0. …

An experimental treatment has shown promise in lowering bad cholesterol, offering hope for people at risk of heart disease but who cannot tolerate drugs known as statins, researchers said Sunday. The therapy developed by Amgen pharmaceuticals is known as evolocumab. Evolocumab is part of a new class of drugs known as PCSK9 inhibitors, which suppress a gene involved with cholesterol regulation in the liver. Research from two separate phase III trials released at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting showed it was effective in lowering LDL, or bad cholesterol, with few side effects.

By Caroline Copley ZURICH (Reuters) – Novartis has ended a late-stage clinical trial of a chronic heart failure drug early, following strong interim results, giving the Swiss drugmaker a boost after recent setbacks to another heart failure medicine. The Basel-based firm said on Monday an independent committee had unanimously recommended it close its PARADIGM-HF study ahead of time after results showed patients receiving its LCZ696 drug lived longer without being hospitalized for heart failure than those who were given enalapril, the standard care. The Swiss drugmaker, long a major player in cardiovascular medicine, is looking to LCZ696 as one of two new treatments for heart failure that could revive its fortunes as top-selling blood pressure pill Diovan faces generic competition. Novartis said it would present the full data at an upcoming conference and seek approval for the drug from global regulators.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd said on Monday it had received approval to manufacture and supply two vaccines for prevention of pandemic influenza from the Japanese health ministry. The New Drug Application for the vaccines, H5N1 “Takeda” and “Takeda”, was submitted in March 2013. Takeda had entered a development, licensing and technology transfer agreement with Baxter International Inc in 2010 in which Baxter licensed exclusive rights to its cell culture-based pandemic flu vaccine technology for the Japanese market. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Dominic Lau)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A simple test appears very good at ruling out heart attacks in people who go to emergency rooms with chest pain, a big public health issue and a huge worry for patients.

(Reuters) – New York state joined New York City in suing package delivery company FedEx Corp for allegedly violating state and federal laws by illegally delivering contraband cigarettes to people's homes. The City of New York had sued FedEx last December, accusing the company of creating a "public nuisance" through its partnership with Shinnecock Smoke Shop to ship untaxed cigarettes to homes. An amended complaint filed on Sunday included the State of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman among the plaintiffs, and sought more than $239 million in damages and penalties. The New York state alleged that FedEx knowingly shipped nearly 400,000 cartons of unstamped cigarettes to homes in the state, depriving it of $15, $27.50 or $43.50 on each carton in tax revenue.