IBTimes.com : Companies - Health

Investors Love Rio: Why Foreign Companies Are Buying Into Brazil's Real Economy

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:28:23 EDT

Investing in Brazil's booming economy has turned another page as foreign companies, especially Japanese firms, move from putting money into the nation's financial industry to putting it into the real economy of South America's largest nation.

Monsanto Maize: EU Blocks France Ban On MON 810 "Yieldgard"

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:15:12 EDT

Days after France attempted to ban a genetically-modified strain of maize created by the controversial agricultural company Monsanto, based in St. Louis, Mo., the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) rejected France's grounds for banning the maize, even though France believes the corn is harmful to the environment.

Agilent Shares Gain After Dako Acquisition

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:42 EDT

Shares of Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), the No. 1 U.S. instrument maker, surged on Thursday after the company announced it’s biggest acquisition, the $2.2 billion takeover of Denmark’s Dako.

Resume Embellishment? Yahoo’s CEO Not Alone

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:35:26 EDT

Rather than deal with business, directors of Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), the No. 3 search engine, have been busy all week in the “resume embellishment” scandal that forced one director to quit and put the CEO under a cloud.

The Global Fund Gets $1.6 Billion Shot In Arm

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:48:12 EDT

The Global Fund, a leading financier in the struggle against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, expects to have an additional $1.6 billion to fund projects in 2012-2014, its new chief said on Wednesday, a turnaround from a funding freeze last year.

GlaxoSmithKline Launches Hostile Takeover Bid for Human Genome Sciences

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:17:51 EDT

GlaxoSmithKline Plc (NYSE: GSK) will begin a $2.6 billion hostile takeover bid for Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: HGSI), the company announced Wednesday.

Novartis Acquires Fougera In $1.5B Deal

Wed, 02 May 2012 17:23:03 EDT

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis International AG / Sandoz (NYSE: NVS) announced Wednesday it would acquire Melville, N.Y.-based Fougera Pharmaceuticals for $1.5 billion in cash.The deal makes Sandoz, Novartis's generics drug division, the world's largest maker of generic dermatological drugs.

Stendra, Potential Viagra Alternative, Gets FDA Approval

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:28:14 EDT

Stendra, the first new drug to enter the erectile dysfunction market in nearly a decade, aims to become the new Viagra alternative after receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Mergers, Acquisitions Increase: Sunoco, Delta, Payless Shoe

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:32:31 EDT

Mergers and acquisitions are on the upstream as low interest rates, rising business and consumer confidence plus depressed prices for some assets have companies seeking buys that will allow them to expand or cut costs through synergy.

Xgeva: FDA Rejects Amgen's Application To Expand Use Of Drug

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:50:01 EDT

U.S. health regulators rejected the application by Amgen Inc, the world's biggest biotechnology company, to expand the use of the drug Xgeva to delay the spread of tumors to the bone in patients suffering from advanced prostate cancer.

Moody's Warns That Supreme Court Ruling Against Health Care Mandate Would Crush Hospitals

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:53:13 EDT

Hospitals would be crushed from the cost of caring for uninsured Americans if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the health care reform mandate, which requires that most people obtain coverage, Moody's Investor Service said.

Watson Pharm Paying $5.92B For Swiss Drugmaker Actavis

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:28:24 EDT

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: WPI) will announce on Wednesday the purchase of major Swiss competitor Actavis Group, according to media reports citing persons familiar with the negotiations.

Thomson Reuters Closes $1.25-Bln Deal Selling Health Care Unit To Veritas Capital

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:58:57 EDT

Thomson Reuters Corp. (NYSE: TRI) announced Monday it has entered into an agreement to sell its Ann Arbor, Mich.-based health care unit to private equity firm Veritas Capital Management LLC for $1.25 billion. The sale is expected to close in the coming months pending regulatory approval.

George Rathmann: Amgen's Founding CEO Dies At 84

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:05:44 EDT

George Rathmann, who helped build Amgen Inc from a start-up into the world's biggest biotechnology company as its founding CEO, died on Sunday, the firm said in a statement. He was 84.

Nestle May Sell Part Of Pfizer Nutrition After Purchase

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:14:02 EDT

Swiss food group Nestle SA may sell 10 to 15 percent of the $11.9 billion baby food business it is buying from Pfizer Inc to address antitrust concerns, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

Common Cause Charges ALEC Members Cheated Taxpayers Of Millions In Lobbying Deductions

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:35:02 EDT

The conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which receives funds from 140 U.S. companies, is breaking federal tax laws, Common Cause charged.

HeartWare Shares Up As FDA Safety Review Minimized

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:29:09 EDT

U.S. medical device reviewers said HeartWare International Inc's blood pump seemed to help people with severe heart failure but raised concerns about device-associated clotting rates and stroke.

Nestle Buys Pfizer's Baby Food Business For $11.9 Billion

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:17:38 EDT

Swiss food group Nestle is to buy drugmaker Pfizer's baby food business for $11.85 billion, beating out French rival Danone in the battle for dominance of fast-growing emerging markets.

GE Earnings Rise, Beating Estimates, As Industrial Business Benefits From New Orders

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:13:05 EDT

General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE) reported first-quarter net income rose 3 percent as orders for its industrial products surged. Still, overall revenue dipped 8 percent.

McDonald Employee Marvin Washington Jr. Arrested For Spitting In Customer's Iced Tea

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:10:47 EDT

A customer's worst nightmare came true when a South Carolina McDonald's employee allegedly spit into cups of iced tea that were returned by the customers since they were not sweet enough. The sickening event took place when a mother and a daughter visited McDonald's on Main Street over the weekend and picked up two iced teas from the drive-through, according to Associated Press.

EU OKs J&J $21B Buy Of Synthes, Pending Sale of DePuy Orthopaedics

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:34:30 EDT

Johnson & Johnson secured approval for its $21.3 billion purchase of Synthes Inc. from the European Commission, Thursday, following an agreement to sell its DePuy Orthopaedics Trauma division in the face of possible antitrust concerns.

Actelion First Quarter Net Profit Falls Sharply in ‘Challenging’ Marketplace

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:42:54 EDT

Biotech company has high hopes for forthcoming drug trial despite revenue decline.

Abbott Lab Shares Up After Big 1Q Profit Increase

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:45:26 EDT

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) rose Wednesday after the health care products maker reported a 43 percent jump in first-quarter earnings on a higher sales in emerging markets and also raised its full-year earnings guidance.

Nestlé To Pay $9B For Pfizer's Infant-Nutrition Business: Report

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:38:34 EDT

Nestlé SA is expected to pay at least $9 billion to U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc. for the U.S. drugmaker's infant-nutrition business, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Parkinson's Disease Treatment: New Zealand Firm To Trial Pig Cells

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:03:33 EDT

A New Zealand company plans to implant pig cells in the human brain in a clinical trial to treat Parkinson's disease and help improve movement and brain functions in patients.

Supreme Court Wrestles With Overtime Pay For Pharmaceutical Sales Reps

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:07:22 EDT

The pharmaceutical industry is paying close attention to a case that could determine if about 90,000 sales representatives are entitled to overtime pay.

J&J, Janssen Fined $1.1B Over Risperdal

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:50:50 EDT

Johnson & Johnson was fined $1.1 billion by an Arkansas judge for concealing the risks of the antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

Mothercare Shares Rise on Robust International Growth

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:46:41 EDT

Driven mainly by an increase of 18 percent in international retail sales, Mothercare has reported a rise of 4.5 percent in its worldwide network sales for the fourth quarter. Shares of the group rose as much as 3.10 percent at 0835 AM BST on LSE. But total group sales decreased by 4.2 percent with total UK sales down by 9.5 percent.

IBM Sets ‘PureSystems’ Model For Cloud Services

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:51:00 EDT

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), the No. 2 computer services provider, announced a new campaign called “PureSystems” to sell computers and software for cloud computing.

Mothercare Mulls International Expansion and Major Restructuring Acitvity in UK

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:09:59 EDT

Mothercare, as a part of its British property restructuring activity, is planning to close 111 loss making stores in town by 2013. Out of total 111 stores 76 closures will take place as leases expire and disposal of 35 loss-making stores, which will result in cash cost of £16.6 million.

Carl Icahn Sues Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Pushes For Sale

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:52:14 EDT

Carl Icahn sued Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc to block enforcement of a bylaw that prevents the billionaire investor from launching a proxy fight that could lead to a sale of the maker of diabetes drugs.

Tobacco Display Ban Comes Into Force

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:48:33 EDT

The ban is aimed at reducing the temptation for children and young people to smoke..

Robust Trading Helps BTG to Raise Full-Year Revenue Guidance

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:05:54 EDT

BTG Plc has raised its revenue estimate for the year ended 31 March 2012 to £190 - £195 million from the previous guidance of £160 - £165 million due to the robust trading in the Licensing & Biotechnology business, which was significantly ahead of expectations and higher than anticipated royalties from BeneFIX and Zytiga.

AstraZeneca Partners with Amgen to Develop Inflammation Portfolio

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:17:10 EDT

AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish biopharmaceutical company has entered into an agreement with Amgen, US biotechnology company to develop and commercialise five monoclonal antibodies from Amgen's clinical inflammation portfolio.

GlaxoSmithKline Drug Studies See Progression for Type-2 Diabetes Treatment

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:56:54 EDT

The world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare company, GlaxoSmithKline has reported topline results from seven of the eight 'Harmony' Phase III studies investigating the use of albiglutide in type 2 diabetes.

Xarelto: Johnson & Johnson Drug Shines In Trial Against Standard Lung-Clot Drugs

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:48:11 EDT

Johnson & Johnson's blood clot preventer Xarelto proved as effective as and safer than standard treatments against blood clots of the lung in a big study, possibly paving the way for it to become the eventual preferred treatment for the third most common cause of deaths in hospitals.

Supreme Court Health Care Case: Opening Day Gives Justices Chance To Punt

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:49:25 EDT

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will consider its own authority to consider a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act. Additional oral arguments set for Tuesday and Wednesday will delve into whether the 2010 health care law is constitutional.

Roche extends Illumina offer until late April

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:14:02 EDT

Roche Holding AG on Monday extended its $5.7 billion cash bid for U.S. gene decoder Illumina for a second time as the Swiss drug maker sticks to its tried and tested M&A strategy.

GlaxoSmithKline To Inject £500M Into UK Manufacturing

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:25:32 EDT

Britain's largest drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline announced on Thursday plans to invest £500 million ($792 million) in local manufacturing operations, opening a facility in Scotland that is expected to create 1,000 jobs over the coming years.

Bloomberg Philanthropies Charity Adds $220 Million To Anti-Smoking Effort

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:29:11 EDT

Michael Bloomberg's charitable foundation will commit $220 million over the next four years to fight tobacco use globally, including for the funding of legal challenges against the industry.

Starbucks Opens Juice Bar: What is Evolution Fresh?

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:48:09 EDT

On Monday, Starbucks, the well-known coffee company, opened the doors to their latest store, Evolution Fresh. Don't expect to walk in there for your daily coffee fix though; Starbucks newest venture is a juice bar.

EMIS Group Continues To Trade In Line With Expectations

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:20:38 EDT

EMIS Group Plc, the UK's leading supplier of clinical software and related services, has reported a total revenue of £73.2 million for the year ended 31 December 2011, up £61.9 million in 2010 and EPS from continuing operations at 28.71 pence as compared to 23.31 pence in 2010.

GE Healthcare, Intel Open Test Lab in Israel

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:37:25 EDT

GE Healthcare, the healthcare division of General Electric, and Intel Corp said on Wednesday they have established a laboratory in Israel to jointly test new technologies.

UnitedHealth Group In Mideast Partnership

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:26:24 EDT

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), the biggest U.S. health insurer by revenue, said it was partnering with a Dubai-based insurance company to provide service throughout the Middle East. The announcement is further proof of an ongoing trend for U.S. health insurers, who are looking to expand internationally in the face of some business uncertainty at home.

Pfizer, BYU Go To Court In May Over Celebrex, Millions Of Dollars At Stake

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:17:02 EDT

Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, is scheduled to appear in court in May over Celebrex, a drug Bingham Young University and researcher Dr. Daniel Simmons claim royalties that could amount to millions to a billion dollars.

Japan’s Asahi Kasei to Buy Zoll Medical for $2.2 Billion

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:32:20 EDT

Asahi Kasei Corp., a Japanese chemical manufacturer, agreed to acquire Massachusetts-based medical device and software maker Zoll Medical Corp. for about $2.21 billion, as it looks to expand its global presence and develop a leading position in the critical care.

New Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implant Gets FDA Approval

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 09:24:00 EST

The privately held Sientra Inc. on Friday joined the publicly traded Allergan Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (Mentor Worldwide LLC) as the only three companies to have won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals to market controversial silicone gel-filled breast implants.

IBM’s Watson Supercomputer: Next Stop, Wall Street

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:51:22 EST

Now that IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) Watson supercomputer has gone to the doctor, it’s going to Wall Street.

Global Markets Overview - 03/02/2012

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:46:21 EST

Stocks rebounded from the biggest decline in two weeks, rising after a strong reading on weekly U.S. jobless claims. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 32 points, or 0.3%, to 13032, in Thursday afternoon trading.

Obama Contraception Rule Gets Challenged by GOP Attorneys General

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:14:31 EST

President Barack Obama may have tweaked a policy that will let religiously-affiliated employers avoid offering insurance plans that cover birth control, but seven Republican state attorneys general are fighting the proposed rule on First Amendment grounds.