GSK gets EU approval for first gene therapy for children

The GlaxoSmithKline building in Hounslow, west LondonThe world&;s first life-saving gene therapy for children, developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Italian scientists, was approved for sale in Europe on Friday, in a step forward for the pioneering technology to fix faulty genes. Called Strimvelis, it is designed for a tiny number of children with ADA Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (ADA-SCID). Strimvelis is the second gene therapy to be approved in Europe, after UniQure&039;s Glybera, which treats a rare adult blood disorder.

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Australian family facing deportation highlights UK immigration headache

By Elisabeth O’Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) – An Australian family who came to Scotland four years ago during a drive to attract people to live in rural areas, is now battling deportation under British immigration rules which changed after they arrived. Kathryn and Gregg Brain and their seven-year-old son Lachlan, who has learned Scotland’s ancient Gaelic language at school, arrived in 2011 as part of a plan backed by the British government to help prop up an aging and shrinking population in the Highlands. “If we are not a poster family for successful immigration, I’m not sure who is,” said Gregg Brain, a 48-year-old Australian health and safety expert who faces deportation on Tuesday along with his wife Kathryn, also 48, and Lachlan.
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U.S. Congress moves to revamp toxic chemical law

Legislation with bipartisan support that would revamp U.S. chemical safety law for the first time in decades is advancing in Congress, winning overwhelming passage in the House of Representatives as backers sought quick Senate action. Senate leadership aides said the timing was still being worked out for a Senate vote on the first update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in about 40 years. The House’s 403-12 vote to pass the measure updating the regulation of toxic chemicals aided the bill’s chances, with the Senate also expected to strongly embrace the bill, according to leadership aides.
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