FDA adds suicide-risk warning to atomoxetine.
The Food and Drug Administration's public health advisory on a potential increased risk of suicidal ideation in children and adolescents taking atomoxetine is a cautious move, given the paucity of data. But the data should not be ignored, several experts told this newspaper. The FDA has instructed...

Cough syrup could harm kids.
Byline: Rupali Mukherjee NEW DELHI: The next time your child sneezes and wheezes, don't reach out for the cough syrup bottle and a teaspoon. It not only doesn't always work, chances are it could be dangerous for the kid. Talk to a doctor instead. Though...

Measles shot kills 4 babies in Tamil Nadu.
Byline: Pushpa Narayan & K Praveen Kumar CHENNAI: Four 10-month-old babies died within minutes of being administered an anti-measles vaccine at two medical camps in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvallur district on Wednesday. Three girls died at a centre in Pennalurpettai village, about 75 km from Chennai....

CIGNA Names E-Commerce Service & Distribution Leader.
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The CIGNA E-Commerce Office has named David A. Finkel vice president in charge of e-commerce service and distribution initiatives. He is responsible for driving CIGNA's strategy for e-enabling the service capabilities of its employee benefits businesses -- HealthCare, Group Insurance, Retirement...

Big pharma--bullies in the PBS: Hans Lofgren shows how US pharmaceutical companies are undermining the PBS.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), one of the enduring legacies of the Labor social policy reforms of the 1940s, is administered by the Commonwealth Department of Health to allow 'equity of access' to necessary prescription drugs. In the past the PBS has weathered pressures for greater reliance on 'free...

The FDA advisory on paroxetine.
Multiple studies over the past decade have been supportive of the reproductive safety of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) when used during the first trimester; these studies include one recent metaanalysis and other extensive reviews. Particularly reassuring have been the prospective data on fluoxetine (Prozac) and citalopram (Celexa)....

Life after MBBS.
Byline: Rashmi Atal Even after doing your MBBS, you may feel that working in a hospital at odd hours of the day is not really your calling. With limited availability of post-graduation seats and work opportunities, a slight change in the career track may not be that...

Cornell's here to study now; may teach later.
NEW DELHI: It could come as a dampner to those who were hoping that top foreign universities would be rushing in to set up campuses in India. Cornell University is not yet ready to set up shop in the country. Instead, a delegation led by Cornell University...

Federal plan boosts donor organs for transplant.
MADRID -- A federal program has succeeded in boosting the number of donor organs available for transplantation in the United States. The next step is to also boost the rate at which available organs are actually transplanted into recipients. During the 12 months ending in October 2005,...

Cornell University isn't planning to set up shop here.
NEW DELHI: It could come as a dampener to those who were hoping that top-drawer foreign universities would be rushing in to set up campuses in India. Cornell University isn't looking at setting up shop in the country. Instead, a delegation led by Cornell University president Dr...