By ANDREW POLLACK and DUFF WILSON
A federal jury has awarded $1.37 million in damages to a former Pfizer scientist who claimed she was sickened by a genetically engineered virus at a company laboratory and then fired for raising safety concerns.
The case, which was decided Thursday, has raised questions about the safety of workers in the biotechnology industry and about regulations to protect them. The new head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said on Friday that the agency was moving to improve regulation of biological materials. Read More…
State tells insurers no on 235 plans for small groups
By Robert Weisman
Making good on Governor Deval Patrick’s promise to reject health insurance rate increases deemed excessive, the state Division of Insurance yesterday denied 235 of 274 increases proposed by insurers for plans covering individuals and small businesses. Read More…
The agency approves four drugs it says can treat the condition without adverse side effects. Pilot groups hail the move.
Pilots taking antidepressants will be permitted to fly after U.S. regulators dropped a decades-old ban on four drugs.
So much for going off your meds. University of Florida researchers have created an ingestible pill capsule fitted with a tiny microchip and antenna that alerts doctors or family members each time a pill is taken. Miss a dose and you’re busted.
After a series of tests and misdiagnoses, he discovers his weakness and nausea were caused by allergic reactions to milk, wheat and other foods.
By Ed Rockey
Symptoms of weakness and nausea were afflicting me, sometimes disabling me for hours at a time. So I went to an internist, who ran a series of tests, which turned up nothing.
By Stuart Fox
In a move that could significantly alter the future of genetic medicine and the industry around it, a US District Court judge invalidated seven patents for human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer, on the grounds that genes are discovered, not created. The ruling opens up challenges against the patents held by numerous companies on thousands of human genes, and jeopardizes an industry business model based on exclusive rights to gene treatment. Read More…
A woman in the US has given birth to twins a week apart.
By Paul Thompson
Jennifer Renz’s daughter Grace, who weight 1lbs 13oz, arrived first on March 22 through a natural delivery, but her other baby did not routinely follow.
Some experts say statins help healthier people, but others worry about risks
By Ed Edelson
FRIDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) — When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February approved the use of the cholesterol-lowering statin drug Crestor for some people with normal cholesterol levels, cardiologist Dr. Steven E. Nissen cheered the decision.
(Reuters) – British scientists studying the genetics of aging said on Thursday that experiments on laboratory worms showed that a specific gene is strongly linked to lifespan, immunity and disease resistance.
Since the gene, called DAF-16 in worms, is found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging, immunity and resistance in humans, the scientists said.
By ERICA WERNER
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration took a step Friday toward showing voters concrete benefits from the new health care law, moving to help people with pre-existing health conditions get coverage within months.
