Consumers want tougher probe of engineered salmon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to subject a new genetically engineered salmon to a more rigorous review process than is now in place before the fish can be approved as safe to eat. The fish at issue, AquaBounty Technologies' AquAdvantage salmon, is currently classified as a new animal drug for the purposes of FDA review.
White House defends contraception rules as criticism mounts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is willing to work with Catholic universities, hospitals and other church-affiliated employers to implement a new policy that requires health insurers to offer birth control coverage, a top adviser to the president's re-election campaign said on Tuesday. David Axelrod, a senior campaign adviser to President Barack Obama, said the administration had heard the Roman Catholic Church's concerns and never intended to "abridge anyone's religious freedom."
Teen pregnancy, abortion rates at record low, study says
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Birth and abortion rates among U.S. teens fell to record lows in 2008 as increased use of contraceptives sent the overall teen pregnancy rate to its lowest level since at least 1972, a study showed on Wednesday. But disparities among racial and ethnic groups continued to persist, with black and Hispanic teens experiencing pregnancy and abortion rates two to four times higher than their white peers, the Guttmacher Institute, the nonprofit sexual health research group that conducted the analysis, said.
FDA says ulcer drugs may raise diarrhea risk
(Reuters) - Health regulators said ulcer drugs such as AstraZeneca Plc's blockbuster Nexium could increase the risk of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Clostridium difficile is a bacteria naturally present in the gut and can cause colitis and other intestinal conditions.
Obama boosts funds for Alzheimer's research
(Reuters) - The Obama administration plans to spend an additional $156 million over the next two years to help find an effective treatment for Alzheimer's, a fatal brain-wasting disease that affects more than 5 million Americans. The White House said on Tuesday it will spend and extra $50 million this year, and it will seek an extra $80 million in fiscal 2013 to bolster Alzheimer's research. Obama also plans to spend an additional $26 million in programs to support people who care for Alzheimer's patients.
Bread a culprit in Americans eating too much salt
(Reuters) - Nine out of 10 American adults consume too much salt and the leading culprit is not potato chips or popcorn but slices of bread and dinner rolls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. Forty-four percent of salt consumed can be linked to 10 types of foods, CDC said. Bread and rolls lead the list followed by cold cuts and cured meat, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes and snacks such as pretzels and potato chips.
Komen VP steps down after Planned Parenthood flap
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior executive of breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure resigned on Tuesday, a week after the group became the target of a public furor for cutting funding to women's health organization, Planned Parenthood. Karen Handel, a Republican who once ran for governor of Georgia on a platform calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, stepped down from her role as the charity's senior vice president for public policy and chief lobbyist, the organization said on Tuesday.
Roche digs in for long fight for Illumina
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche is digging in for a long fight after gene sequencing company Illumina rejected its $5.7 billion hostile takeover bid as inadequate and said it would be more successful on its own. Roche, which offered to pay $44.50 per share when it launched the bid for Illumina last month, reiterated on Wednesday that it believed its offer was "full and fair" and that it was ready to start discussions with Illumina.
Rotavirus vaccine not linked to bowel problems
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study further eases fears that the rotavirus vaccine might increase the risk of blocked bowels in infants -- a concern that led to an earlier version of the vaccine being pulled from the market in the United States. In the report on close to 800,000 doses of the vaccine, which protects against severe diarrhea, vaccinated babies were no more likely to end up in the hospital or emergency room with so-called intussusception -- when one part of the intestine slides inside another like a telescope.
Consumer groups want tougher probe of engineered salmon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to subject a new genetically engineered salmon to a more rigorous review process than is now in place before the fish can be approved as safe to eat. The fish at issue, AquaBounty Technologies' AquAdvantage salmon, is currently classified as a new animal drug for the purposes of FDA review.
