Investor Woodford calls for outsider to head GlaxoSmithKline

The GlaxoSmithKline logo is seen at the entrance of a building in LuxembourgFund manager Neil Woodford, a top investor in GlaxoSmithKline and a critic of the drugmaker&;s current structure, said on Thursday he wanted to see an outsider replace Andrew Witty as the group&039;s chief executive. "I have a strong preference for an external candidate," Woodford said in an e-mailed statement. Britain&039;s biggest drugmaker said on Thursday that Witty would retire at the end of March 2017, after leading the company since 2008, and the board would consider both internal and external candidates to replace him.

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Study strengthens Zika-microcephaly link, women and babies at risk

Josemary da Silva, 34, bathes Gilberto, five months old, her fifth child and born with microcephaly, at her house in Algodao de Jandaira,In the study in the Lancet medical journal which analyzed a 2013-14 Zika outbreak in French Polynesia, researchers said the risk of microcephaly is about 1 for every 100 women infected with the virus during the first trimester of pregnancy. While more research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms by which Zika might cause microcephaly, the researchers said, these findings suggest the World Health Organization&;s (WHO) advice that pregnant women should protect themselves from mosquitoes is a sound precaution.

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Drugmaker Valeant cuts 2016 outlook, says it faces default risk

The headquarters of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. seen in Laval QuebecThe Canadian drugmaker, the target of U.S. investigations into its business and accounting practices, reiterated that it would put off filing its annual report with U.S. regulators but for the first time raised the specter of a default. Defaulting on debt could prompt lenders to demand faster repayment and place restrictions on Valeant&;s ability to borrow further. As of Sept. 30, Valeant had about $30 billion of long-term debt.

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