Month: May 2014

ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Novartis said on Monday a final-stage trial of its Signifor LAR therapy allowed for greater disease control in patients with the endocrine disorder acromegaly than existing therapies. Acromegaly is caused by a benign tumor in the pituitary gland that secretes excess growth hormone, and can lead to the enlargement of body parts, including the hands, feet and facial features. Worldwide regulatory filings for pasireotide LAR in acromegaly are currently underway based on these results, Novartis said. (Reporting by Alice Baghdjian)

PARIS (Reuters) – French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said the World Health Organisation had given its Shan5 paediatric vaccine “prequalification status”, allowing the vaccine to be bought by United Nations agencies including UNICEF. Shan5, which is made in partnership with Indian biotechnology company Shantha, was approved for sale in India in March. The vaccine protects young children from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib and hepatitis B. (Reporting by Leila Abboud; Editing by Michael Urquhart)

CHICAGO (AP) — Baby gates meant to protect young children aren’t always as safe as parents think. A new study says nearly 2,000 U.S. kids get emergency room treatment each year from injuries resulting from falling through or climbing on these gates.

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – When the SARS outbreak arrived in Toronto on Feb. 23, 2003, carried by a woman traveling from Hong Kong, the disease quickly spread to hospital workers and patients in area hospitals, ultimately infecting 257 individuals and killing 33 people. It’s a memory that hangs fresh in the mind of Dr Michael Bell, deputy director of the division of healthcare quality promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Atlanta-based federal agency last week sent a team of infectious disease experts to Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, to attend to the first confirmed U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS. “In a worst-case scenario, this could spread rapidly.” MERS is caused by a coronavirus, a family of viruses that includes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS, which emerged in China in 2002-2003 and killed some 800 people.

(Reuters) – Gary Becker, whose work applying the principles of economics to a wide range of human behavior won the Nobel Prize in 1992, has died at age 83, the University of Chicago said on Sunday. Becker, a student of free-market economist Milton Friedman, died on Saturday after a long illness, the university said on its website. "Gary was a transformational thinker of truly remarkable impact on the world and an extraordinary individual,” University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer said in a statement. Becker got his doctorate in economics at the University of Chicago in 1955 and published the book "The Economics of Discrimination" two years later.

A single man with a microphone stands among hundreds of jittery competitors with the Start sign looming overhead. They form a tight circle around him and fall silent awaiting final instruction. Click here to see the Full Slideshow for 10 Fitness Challenges that could KILL you "Tough Mudder is not a race, but a challenge. You will put teamwork and camaraderie before your course time," the speakers boom. "You will help your fellow mudders complete the course. " A collective "Hoo-rah" comes from the anxious crowd. "You will overcome all fears." Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacle race and