2004

Sex Education Gets Party Treatment in West Africa: Reuters NewMedia - December 30, 2004; James Knight and Katrina Manson; NOE, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - A day after the rest of the world marked World Aids Day on December 1, the Love Life Caravan blasted its way into the remote border outpost of Noe between Ivory Coast and Ghana . An enormous sound system pumped out a thunderous mix of home-grown hip hop, as dancers, artists and health exper
Bad Water, Not Corpses, Main Tsunami Disease Threat: Reuters NewMedia - December 30, 2004; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Preventing outbreaks of diseases across tsunami-hit Asia is a race against time, but contrary to popular belief, the thousands of rotting corpses do not pose the main threat, health officials said on Thursday. Sewage-contaminated water is the main risk factor in the spread of deadly diseases like ch
India's new patent law to shake up drug industry: Reuters NewMedia - December 30, 2004; Rosemary Arackaparambil; BOMBAY (Reuters) - India s drug industry enters a new era in 2005 when laws recognizing foreign patents take effect, ending a copycat trade that has fostered local pharma firms for three decades and helped bring cheaper medicines to the poor. By presidential decree this week, India met a World Trade Organization commi
Brown to Start UK G8 Presidency with Africa Visit: Reuters NewMedia - December 29, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Gordon Brown will launch the UK s 2005 presidency of the Group of Eight rich nations with a six-day visit to Africa to highlight the need for more money for the world s poorest countries. Britain has dubbed the next year as make or break for development and says its leadershi
British lawmakers launch AIDS fund plea: Reuters NewMedia - December 24, 2004; Jeremy Lovell; LONDON (Reuters) - A group of British lawmakers on Friday launched a bid to force the European Union to divert billions of pounds paid in subsidies to its farmers to help the millions of people suffering from AIDS in Africa. A letter in the Daily Telegraph newspaper signed by 22 parliamentarians from the two main polit
Zoellick Bad Choice to Head World Bank -Activists: Reuters NewMedia - December 23, 2004; Doug Palmer; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Social activists expressed concern on Thursday at the possible selection of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick to head the World Bank. David Waskow, international program director at the Friends of the Earth, said many groups were worried that Zoellick -- the top U.S. official in charge of
U.S. Looking for Funds to Boost Food Aid: Reuters NewMedia - December 23, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration said on Thursday it was looking for money to increase food aid and head off shortages that humanitarian groups say could threaten programs across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. An administration official said an interagency review has been launched to determine what addit
Annan: Won't Resign Over Iraq Oil, Food Scandal: Reuters NewMedia - December 22, 2004; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday corruption allegations in the Iraqi oil-for-food program had cast a shadow over the United Nations but said again he would not resign as the world s top diplomat. To meet criticism in the Republican-dominated U.S. Congress that the United Nati
Mandela Plans New AIDS Concert: Reuters NewMedia - December 22, 2004; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Nelson Mandela announced plans on Wednesday for a second concert to raise money to fight HIV/AIDS, bringing rock group Queen and other artists back to South Africa in March for a televised show. Mandela, 86, has made fighting Africa s AIDS pandemic one of his major campaigns since stepping down
GSK gets EU approval for combination HIV drug: Reuters NewMedia - December 22, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc has won approval from European regulators to sell KIVEXA, a new treatment for HIV combining two antiretrovirals in one tablet dosed once a day, Europe s biggest drug maker said on Wednesday. KIVEXA comprises existing HIV treatments EPIVIR and ZIAGEN and does not have any food or f
Medics Answer AIDS Pill Drug Resistance Charge: Reuters NewMedia - December 20, 2004; Frank Nyakairu; KAMPALA (Reuters) - A key anti-HIV/AIDS drug distributed in Africa causes drug resistance in pregnant women, but only if they ignore doctors orders on how to take the pills, medical officials said on Monday. The drug, nevirapine , is distributed as part of President Bush s high-profile bid to fight the spread of the di
Bristol-Myers, Gilead form HIV drug joint venture: Reuters NewMedia - December 20, 2004; NEW YORK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Gilead Sciences Inc. have formed a joint venture to develop and market a fixed-dose combination of their two HIV drugs, the companies said on Monday. The joint venture will work to combine Bristol-Myers drug
S.Africa's ANC Accuses U.S. of AIDS Drug Cover-Up: Reuters NewMedia - December 18, 2004; Rebecca Harrison; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s ruling party has accused top U.S. officials of treating Africans like guinea pigs amid questions over testing of a key HIV/AIDS drug before a U.S.-backed roll-out of the treatment across the continent. The African National Congress (ANC) said on its Web site U.S. health officials
Condom Shortage Alarm for Uganda's Festive Season: Reuters NewMedia - December 17, 2004; KAMPALA (Reuters) - AIDS-aware Ugandans, who use about 250,000 condoms a day, face a shortage of the product after the government introduced new condom tests likely to cut supply over the festive season, the Health Ministry on Friday. The Ministry withdrew Engabu, a local popular brand that was emitting a bad smell, af
Stop Condom Debate and Help AIDS Victims -Cardinal: Reuters NewMedia - December 17, 2004; Philip Pullella; VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The cardinal chosen by Pope John Paul to head a new Vatican foundation to help AIDS victims said on Friday too much time was spent arguing over the Catholic Church s opposition to condoms while too many people were dying. I don t care about the condoms yes, condoms no, debate, Cardinal Javier L
Americans Give Up on Flu Vaccine, Survey Shows: Reuters NewMedia - December 16, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of Americans, frightened off by news reports of long lines or discouraged by their own failed attempts, have given up on getting flu shots this year, U.S. health officials said on Thursday. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were still enough flu vaccines left
Glaxo, Roche drugs backed for wider European use: Reuters NewMedia - December 16, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Two established drugs sold by GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Roche Holding AG were recommended for wider use by a panel of European drug experts on Thursday, the European Medicines Agency said. GSK s Arxitra -- an ex-Sanofi product which it was forced to sell when it merged with Aventis -- is now recommende
Swaziland Army to Reject HIV-Positive Recruits: Reuters NewMedia - December 16, 2004; MBABANE (Reuters) - The army will not accept HIV-positive recruits in the small southern African kingdom of Swaziland , one of the countries worst hit by the AIDS pandemic, officials said on Thursday. The army is experiencing a rise in HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and deaths, and this has adverse effects on the overall m
Jazz Stars Help U.S. HIV/AIDS Campaign in India: Reuters NewMedia - December 14, 2004; Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell enlisted U.S. jazz stars on Tuesday to help India fight AIDS and HIV, an epidemic he called the worst weapon of mass destruction on the face of the earth. Next month s concert tour of India by jazz musicians including Al Jarreau, Earl Klugh and Ravi Coltrane highli
Glaxo grants S.African AIDS drug licence to Cipla: Reuters NewMedia - December 14, 2004; LONDON - GlaxoSmithKline Plc has granted a voluntary licence allowing India s Cipla Ltd to make and sell generic copies of its anti-AIDS medicines in South Africa , the British-based company said on Tuesday. The licence for Cipla Medpro (Pty) Ltd, a local unit of Cipla, is the fifth such voluntary licence g
Australia Urged to Run PNG Border Controls: Reuters NewMedia - December 14, 2004; CANBERRA - Australia should consider taking over the customs and border controls of neighboring Papua New Guinea to crack down on cross-border gun running and drug trafficking, an Australian thinktank said Tuesday. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) report on PNG warned that the struggling nation of 5.
Schwarzenegger Nominates Stem Cell Research Chief: Reuters NewMedia - December 13, 2004; Leonard Anderson; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday nominated a leading financial backer and campaigner for the state s stem cell initiative to chair a committee to oversee the $3 billion, 10-year research effort. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, nominated Robert Klein, a real estate developer, for c
Abandoned Africa HIV Orphans Struggle with Stigma: Reuters NewMedia - December 13, 2004; William Maclean; NAIROBI (Reuters) - Monica is 12, likes ice cream, thinks boys are rough and dirty, and wants to grow up to be a flight attendant because they work hard and play hard . Robert is 13, good at science, likes french fries, dreams of being a pilot and thinks corruption is hurting Africa. The two bright-eyed Kenyans with br
S.Africa's Aspen jumps on US OK for AIDS drug plan: Reuters NewMedia - December 13, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Shares in Africa s biggest generic drug maker Aspen jumped more than 5 percent on Monday after the company said it won U.S. regulatory approval to make life-prolonging AIDS drugs. If the company also wins approval for the drugs themselves, it could pave the way for it to supply anti-ret
Chinese official moved as Hu consolidates power: Reuters NewMedia - December 13, 2004; Benjamin Kang Lim; BEIJING (Reuters) - China s Communist Party chief Hu Jintao moved a close political ally out of a problem-plauged province on Monday and analysts say he will make more personnel changes as he continues to consolidate power. Hu only replaced Jiang Zemin in the country s top military job in September after taking over as
French Court to Rule on Hizbollah TV Ban on Monday: Reuters NewMedia - December 11, 2004; PARIS (Reuters) - A French court is to decide on Monday whether to ban television broadcasts to Europe by Lebanon s Hizbollah guerrilla group, after the satellite station claimed Zionists were trying to export AIDS to Arab countries. France s broadcasting authority, the Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA), approved the al
Nobel Winner Maathai Sounds Alarm Over Planet: Reuters NewMedia - December 10, 2004; Inger Sethov; OSLO (Reuters) - Calling humanity a threat to the planet, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai urged democratic reform and an end to corporate greed after becoming the first African woman to collect the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. She said sweeping changes were needed to restore a world of beauty and wonder by over
Modern Ills Burden Mexico's Aging Health System: Reuters NewMedia - December 10, 2004; Lorraine Orlandi; MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Pleading with doctors at a Mexican hospital to treat his 26-year-old daughter as she bled from her nose, mouth and vagina, Jesus Domingo Trasvina was told to stop exaggerating, that she had a sinus infection. Hours later, Ana Elvia stopped breathing and died. A hospital worker then approached Tr
Ugandan Virgins Rally to Promote Abstinence: Reuters NewMedia - December 10, 2004; Daniel Wallis; KAMPALA (Reuters) - Hundreds of virgins gathered in the Ugandan capital on Friday to meet the country s first lady and renew their pledges to abstain from premarital sex. If you don t have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, they say you are crazy, don t they? 23-year-old Alex Mumale asked the youngsters as they banged drums
From Herders to Gem Dealers, Tanzania's Maasai Reborn: Reuters NewMedia - December 10, 2004; Helen Nyambura; MERERANI, Tanzania (Reuters) - The orange sun sets over the Tanzanian mining town of Mererani as pick-up trucks take the night shift to pits producing blue Tanzanite gemstones, and tired workers trudge home in the opposite direction. As the dirty miners return to their villages, they are watched by a much cleaner group
Nobel Peace Prize winner Maathai answers critics: Reuters NewMedia - December 9, 2004; Alister Doyle; OSLO (Reuters) - Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai dismissed critics on Thursday who say ecology has too little to do with peace to merit the award. She said most wars are fought over natural resources. It may be water, it may be firewood, it may be oil, it may be timber ... but it s mostly natural resour
UK to Seek Bush Support on G8 Poverty Goals: Reuters NewMedia - December 9, 2004; Katherine Baldwin; LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will seek Washington s support to help it achieve goals on global poverty reduction, debt relief and fair trade during London s G8 presidency next year, finance minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday. He said 2005, when Britain chairs the group of rich nations, marked a vital test for the world
Key Facts from the UNICEF Annual Report: Reuters NewMedia - December 9, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Half of the world s two billion children are living in poverty at the start of the 21st century, and the world s political leaders are to blame, UNICEF, the UN s child rights organization said on Thursday. The following are some key facts from the annual report. *2.2 million children die each year th
Interview: Political Leaders Fail Children Worldwide: Reuters NewMedia - December 9, 2004; Jeremy Lovell; LONDON (Reuters) - Political leaders the world over are failing the most vulnerable of their people -- children, the U.N. child rights organization UNICEF said on Thursday. Although child mortality rates had fallen by one-fifth in the past decade, they remain far too high due to a combination of grinding poverty, the H
UN Members Back Annan with Lengthy Standing Ovation: Reuters NewMedia - December 8, 2004; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan received an unusual standing ovation in the 191-nation General Assembly on Wednesday following calls for his resignation from conservative U.S. lawmakers. Annan has been accused by some Republicans in the U.S. Congress of presiding over corruption in the U.N.
Scientists Find Gene Clue in Hunt for AIDS Vaccine: Reuters NewMedia - December 8, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists said Wednesday they have identified key genes involved in the body s response to HIV, which causes AIDS -- a finding that could narrow the search for an effective vaccine against the deadly illness. A vaccine is considered the Holy Grail in the battle against the global AIDS epidemic but e
Asia religious leaders join to fight radicals: Reuters NewMedia - December 7, 2004; Jerry Norton; YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Leaders at a 13-nation interfaith conference that ends on Tuesday said they would go home with new ideas on working together against violence-prone religious radicals and solving problems that fuel extremism. The two-day meeting had begun with a call for tolerance by President Bambang
UNICEF: Arab Media Should Help Knock AIDS Taboos: Reuters NewMedia - December 7, 2004; Heba Kandil; DUBAI (Reuters) - Media in the Middle East and North Africa, with one of the fastest AIDS growth rates, needs to help combat the epidemic by fighting cultural taboos, a U.N. Children s Fund (UNICEF) official said on Tuesday. Currently 540,000 people in the region live with the HIV virus, up from 430,000 in 2002. The di
Honey, Here's Why You Shouldn't Hitch-Hike...: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; HARARE (Reuters) - A group of late night Zimbabwean hitch-hikers had a shock when they were driven to a cemetery and forced to dig up a coffin at gunpoint. The three men in a truck who offered the 20 hitch-hikers a lift to Chitungwiza, a township outside Harare, instead sped to a graveyard, gave them picks and shovels
A Condom by Any Other Name ...: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has shelved a plan to replace the English word for condom with a Korean word after a string of complaints from people with identical or similar sounding names. The Korean Anti-AIDS Federation said it would drop the use of a suggested new word for condom, ae-pil, which was derived from th
Glaxo grants 4th AIDS drug licence in South Africa: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 6 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc has granted a fourth voluntary licence to a South African generics firm to market its anti-AIDS medicines, the world s leading supplier of HIV/AIDS drugs said on Monday. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has granted a voluntary licence to generics company Biotech Laboratories for
Nadine Gordimer Enlists Literati to Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Novelist Nadine Gordimer decided that if rock stars could stage huge gigs for worthy causes, writers could do the same and she launched on Tuesday a book of stories by 21 of the world s most distinguished authors in support of AIDS victims. The 81-year old Gordimer contacted 20 colleagues aro
AEterna Zentaris wins German approval for Impavido: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; TORONTO (Reuters) - AEterna Zentaris Inc. said on Monday it has won approval to market in Germany its drug for black fever and to distribute it to German troops infected while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq . The Canada-based biotech company said the German Food
Religious Forum in Indonesia Aims to Blunt Radicals: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; Jerry Norton; YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, the world s most populous Muslim nation, called on all religions Monday to rise up against terrorism and show that faith could be a force for peace. The former general, who took power in October, made the comments at an international rel
Amnesty: China arrests, jails human rights defenders: Reuters NewMedia - December 6, 2004; Marcin Grajewski; BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Human rights defenders face arrest and torture in China , and the European Union should raise the issue at a summit with Beijing s leaders this week, Amnesty International said in a new report on Monday. EU leaders should take into account that while the number of human rights activists is growing
Singapore may test couples for HIV before marriage: Reuters NewMedia - December 5, 2004; SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Couples in Singapore may face mandatory HIV tests before marrying, Singapore media reported on Sunday, a week after the government said all pregnant women would be screened for HIV/AIDS to stem a rise in new infections. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said Singapore planned to seek public feedback o
Barr says FDA approves AIDS drug generic version: Reuters NewMedia - December 3, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the company s generic version of Videx EC, an AIDS treatment marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb . The FDA granted an expedited review of Barr s application to make a copycat
L.A. TV Stations Shun 'Phil the Sore' Syphilis Ad: Reuters NewMedia - December 3, 2004; Dan Whitcomb; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The group behind an anti-syphilis commercial starring an irascible chancre named Phil the Sore says it will file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission after Los Angeles broadcasters balked at airing the government-funded ad. A spokesman for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which
Hollis-Eden pursues first radiation sickness drug: Reuters NewMedia - December 3, 2004; Deena Beasley; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Inc. has set aside its quest for an AIDS antidote in order to develop the first drug for acute radiation sickness as nuclear terrorism fears spur market demand for such medicines. If a major city were hit with a nuclear device, it has been estimated that close to a mi
Who Wears the Wrong Size Condom?: Reuters NewMedia - December 2, 2004; BERLIN (Reuters) - Most German men wear condoms of the wrong size, a condom distributor said on Wednesday, after asking more than 2,500 men to measure their erect penis. People measure their feet when they buy shoes. Why shouldn t they measure their penises? A man would not wear children s shoes, said Jan Vinzenz Kraus
Women Key to Reversing AIDS Epidemic, Experts Say: Reuters NewMedia - December 2, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Any effort to battle the AIDS epidemic must focus on changing the fate of women by educating them, helping them own property and giving them the power to stand up to men, experts said on Wednesday. Women make up nearly 60 percent of all people infected with the AIDS virus in Africa, the continent
India Aims to Stabilize New HIV Infections by 2007: Reuters NewMedia - December 2, 2004; NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India , home to the second largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, expects its growth rate in new infections to stabilize by 2007, the country s top official dealing with the deadly disease said on Thursday. Our goal in the national AIDS control policy is to achieve zero rate of growth in n
Sex-Disease Chlamydia Rife Among Japanese Teens: Reuters NewMedia - December 2, 2004; TOKYO (Reuters) - More than 10 percent of Japanese teenagers who were screened for a sexual disease that can cause infertility tested positive, a newspaper reported, adding to concerns about increasing sexual activity among Japan s youth. An average of 11.4 percent of high school students on the main northern island of
Abstinence Programs Stretch the Facts - Post: Reuters NewMedia - December 2, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only sex-education courses frequently receive inaccurate or misleading information, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. According to a congressional staff analysis, some courses teach that touching a person s genitals can lead to pregn
U.N. releases major report on reform, global threats: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A blue ribbon panel released on Tuesday a landmark report on global threats that insisted the U.N. Security Council approve any preventive war, which was not the case when the U.S. invaded Iraq . U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had asked the panel of 16 veteran foreign ministers and diploma
Swazi King Unbowed by Rising Calls for Reform: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; MBABANE, Swaziland (Reuters) - He is reviled by critics at home and abroad for his authoritarian and often arbitrary rule but adored by others as a God-given monarch in his small kingdom. King Mswati of Swaziland has come under fire from groups like Amnesty International, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and Reporters
Germany Risks HIV Import from Sex Tourism-Experts: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Alexandra Hudson; FRANKFURT ODER, Germany (Reuters) - Germany faces soaring HIV infection rates if thousands of German tourists continue to seek cheap, unprotected sex across its eastern border, health campaigners said on Wednesday. Almost all major roads running from Germany s borders into the Cz
Annan Pushes Firms to Treat Employees with AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In today s global economy, AIDS affects us all, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday, urging corporate boards to do more to prevent its further spread and treat their infected workers. While the disease has hit Africa harder than other parts of the world, it has become the wors
HIV, AIDS Cases Rise Among U.S. Gay, Bisexual Men: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - A rise in new cases of AIDS and HIV infection among gay and bisexual men in many U.S. states, reported in a federal study on Wednesday, has given support for concerns the disease is resurgent in the country. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released in connection with Wo
Women Key to Reversing AIDS Epidemic, Experts Say: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Any effort to battle the AIDS epidemic must focus on changing the fate of women by educating them, helping them own property and giving them the power to stand up to men, experts said on Wednesday. Women make up nearly 60 percent of all people infected with the AIDS virus in Africa, the continent
HIV Found in More U.S. Gay, Bisexual Men: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - The number of newly diagnosed HIV infections in gay and bisexual men has risen in many U.S. states, according to a federal study on Wednesday which stoked concerns AIDS may be poised for a resurgence in the country. In a study of HIV/AIDS data from 32 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prev
Parades mark World AIDS Day, Africans told "Abstain": Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Lindsay Beck; BEIJING (Reuters) - The world s two most populous nations promised on Wednesday to eradicate ignorance about AIDS, a disease that was at first dismissed by many as a Western evil confined to drug users, homosexuals and prostitutes. In the world s poorest continent, Africa, where the epidemic has ripped huge holes in th
Botswana Leader Warns on AIDS: Abstain or Die: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Botswana President Festus Mogae issued a blunt message to his people Wednesday on HIV/AIDS: abstain from unsafe sex or die. Botswana, which has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, could not afford on its own to keep a rising number of patients alive and depended on outside funding
Mozambique cemeteries become shrines as AIDS bites: Reuters NewMedia - December 1, 2004; Mateus Chale; MAPUTO (Reuters) - On Saturday mornings in Mozambique the cemetery is the place to be -- for both the living and the dead. On a recent Saturday, some 100,000 people carrying flowers and picnic bags crowded outside the gates of Maputo s largest cemetery, bringing traffic on a nearby highway to a virtual standstill.
World Kicks Off AIDS Day, China Gets Tough: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; Lindsay Beck; BEIJING (Reuters) - The world marked AIDS Day on Wednesday, promising to eradicate ignorance and prejudice about a disease that was at first dismissed by many as a Western evil confined to drug users, homosexuals and prostitutes. China , criticized for its slow initial response to HIV/AIDS, put on a public display of c
Nadine Gordimer Enlists Literati to Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Novelist Nadine Gordimer decided that if rock stars could stage huge gigs for worthy causes, writers could do the same and on Tuesday she launched a book of stories by 21 of the world s most distinguished authors in support of AIDS victims. The 81-year old Gordimer contacted 20 colleagues aro
Violence against women abets HIV: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; LONDON - A orldwide pandemic of violence against women is fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. Mass rape and sexual violence in conflicts, coupled with collapsing health systems in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, put women at much greater risk of contracting HIV, it
TV Show Unmasks Sexual Taboo: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - China s first nationally televised show about sex will get participants talking freely but allow them to wear masks to avoid embarrassment, the state-run China Daily said Tuesday. The late-night educational program, The Masks, would air on more than 50 provincial and city channels, the newspaper sai
Improved Screening Prompts Jump in Chlamydia Cases: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - The number of sexually transmitted chlamydia infections reported in the United States rose more than 5 percent last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday. The increase is due largely to better screening and diagnosing of the sexually transmitted disease (STD), it said.
Brazil to Break Foreign AIDS Drugs Patents: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; Andrew Hay; BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil will break patents on some foreign AIDS drugs next year to escape the control of multinational firms holding developing countries hostage, the government said on Tuesday. Brazil, which has a much-copied universal free AIDS program, has for years threatened to break patents in its dri
Cipla HIV Drugs Back on WHO Approved List: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; GENEVA (Reuters) - Two generic drug products by the Indian drug maker Cipla for treating HIV/AIDS have been reinstated on the World Health Organization s recommended list six months after being removed, a senior WHO official said on Tuesday. The two, lamivudine and lamivudine combined with zidovudine, were returned to
Glaxo Defends Testing AIDS Drugs in Children: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc Tuesday defended trials of AIDS/HIV drugs in children in care homes, saying clinical studies involving children were legal and not unusual. A BBC television documentary entitled Guinea Pig Kids, being shown later in the day, revives criticism of company-sponsored studies at the In
India to Begin Trials of HIV Vaccine on Humans: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; BOMBAY, India (Reuters) - India, home to the world s second largest HIV population after South Africa , is set to begin human trials of a new vaccine against the virus in January, a research institute said Tuesday. The country has over 5.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS and experts saying the number
China President Hu Shakes Hands with AIDS Patients: Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - In a public display of commitment to fighting the disease a day before World AIDS Day, state media reported on Tuesday that China s President Hu Jintao shook hands with patients during a visit to a hospital in the capital. China s battle against the spread of HIV has been hampered by politics, with
Brazil to manufacture its own AIDS drugs: Reuters NewMedia - November 29, 2004; Carlos A. DeJuana; SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - The Brazilian government plans to start domestic production next year of three to five anti-AIDS drugs it currently buys from foreign pharmaceutical companies, a Health Ministry official said on Monday. Given the high cost of the medicines it hands out free to HIV and AIDS patients, Brazil
HIV Vaccine Shows Promise in Brazil Study: Reuters NewMedia - November 29, 2004; SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - An experimental vaccine reduced the presence of the HIV virus by at least 80 percent in a Brazilian study of 18 infected patients released in the journal Nature Medicine. Viral loads in all patients fell and stayed low for one year after being inoculated with the vaccine three times in a s
S.Africa Party Challenges Mbeki as Tutu Row Rages: Reuters NewMedia - November 28, 2004; Alistair Thomson; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s main opposition has challenged President Thabo Mbeki to a series of parliamentary debates after a spat between Mbeki and Archbishop Desmond Tutu over the level of debate in the ruling party. Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, last week accused Mbeki s African National Congress (
Singapore Intensifies Battle Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - November 27, 2004; Fayen Wong; SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore , facing a rise in AIDS cases, is considering making it compulsory for pregnant women to be screened for HIV/AIDS, an official said on Saturday. If all mothers had been tested for HIV, and treatment started for HIV positive mothers, the risk of the baby having AIDS would be reduced from
China Approves Testing for Potential AIDS Vaccine: Reuters NewMedia - November 26, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - China has approved human testing of a locally developed potential AIDS vaccine, the official Xinhua news agency said Friday, just days before World AIDS Day. Officials have pledged to speed up the approval process for anti-AIDS drugs in China, where the United Nations has warned AIDS victims could r
Everybody must fight AIDS, Mandela says: Reuters NewMedia - November 25, 2004; Jeremy Lovell; LONDON (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela, surrounded by rock stars, launched a book of photographs of a major anti-AIDS concert on Thursday with a call to ordinary people to take a lead in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We all have a responsibility to act. Each of us must do more. We are all leader
Worker Shortages Threaten Health Advances - Report: Reuters NewMedia - November 25, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - A shortage of doctors, nurses and midwives around the globe is threatening health initiatives and could have dire political and economic consequences, public health experts said on Friday. Without an estimated 4 million more healthcare workers, efforts to battle HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and ot
AIDS Seen Undercutting Africa's Young Democracies: Reuters NewMedia - November 25, 2004; Andrew Quinn; PRETORIA (Reuters) - Southern Africa s AIDS crisis is undermining the region s young democracies as politicians die, voter rolls shrink and electoral shifts help to entrench ruling parties in power, a new study said on Thursday. The threat really is in the area of elections and thus the foundation of democratic governa
UK Pledges Extra Funding for Surge in Sexual Diseases: Reuters NewMedia - November 24, 2004; Friedel Rother; LONDON (Reuters) - The British government pledged on Thursday to put 300 million pounds aside to combat a surge in sexual diseases as health experts revealed record numbers of people in the UK living with HIV and other sexual diseases. Campaigners said that in addition to more investment in sexual health clinics, more
China University Puts Halt to Condom Handout: Reuters NewMedia - November 24, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - China has halted a plan to distribute free condoms on university campuses, quashing the AIDS prevention effort only a week before World AIDS Day, state media said Wednesday. University authorities said the distribution of 1,000 condoms at the elite Peking University had not been approved by the coll
Violence against women is spreading AIDS - Amnesty: Reuters NewMedia - November 24, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A worldwide pandemic of violence against women is fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS, human rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday. Mass rape and sexual violence in conflicts, coupled with collapsing health systems in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, put women at much great
Broadcasters, activists harness TV against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - November 23, 2004; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - About 100 broadcasters, advertisers, activists and U.N. officials exchanged ideas at U.N. headquarters on Tuesday on how to get messages into television programming to help contain the spread of AIDS. Programming and creative directors from 35 media companies including Viacom Inc., South Afri
Babies Exposed to HIV Should Get Antibiotic--U.N.: Reuters - November 23, 2004; GENEVA (Reuters) - Babies of HIV-infected mothers should be given an inexpensive antibiotic to prevent infections and prolong their lives, United Nations aid agencies said on Tuesday. The recommendation by the U.N. Children s Fund (UNICEF), UNAIDS and World Health Organization (WHO) follows a report in The Lancet
Report: Nearly Half of HIV Adults Are Women: Reuters - November 23, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Women make up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults living with HIV and in sub-Saharan Africa the proportion rises to almost 60 percent, according to a UN report released on Tuesday. Increasingly the face of AIDS is young and female, said Dr Kathleen Cravero, deputy executive director of the Joint U
FACTBOX-Key Facts and Figures About HIV/AIDS: Reuters - November 23, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A report from UNAIDS , the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, released on Tuesday, shows the number of adults and children living with HIV reached 39.4 million in 2004. Following are some key facts and figures about the disease: - The number of people living with HIV has increased from 35 mill
CHRONOLOGY-Development and Spread of HIV/AIDS.: Reuters - November 23, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - UNAIDS , the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS reported on Tuesday that 3.1 million people died from AIDS in 2004. Here is a short chronology of major developments in AIDS: 1981 - Outbreaks of two rare illnesses are reported among young homosexual men in the United State
Encircled Lesotho Mulls South Africa Links: Reuters - November 23, 2004; Peter Apps; MASERU, Lesotho (Reuters) - Because it is completely encircled by South Africa , many people assume Lesotho is part of its much larger neighbor. Although the small mountain kingdom is dependent on the giant next door, it has failed to reap any significant benefits from the relationship. Gross domestic product per h
Mandela Unveils New Project to Mark World AIDS Day: Reuters NewMedia - November 22, 2004; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Nelson Mandela has launched a new project to get people actively involved in fighting AIDS in South Africa , one of the country s hardest hit by the epidemic, his charitable foundation said on Monday. The Nelson Mandela Foundation is appealing to South Africans to volunteer their services to no
APEC Leaders Want to Revive World Trade Talks: Reuters NewMedia - November 21, 2004; Jason Webb; SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - Asia-Pacific leaders promised on Sunday to try to revive world trade talks and fight terrorism after a summit marred at the end by disputes over the security of President Bush. The leaders of 21 Pacific Rim states from China to Canada , gathered in Chi
SWAPO Declared Winner in Namibia Election: Reuters NewMedia - November 21, 2004; Petros Kuteeue; WINDHOEK (Reuters) - A former comrade-in-arms hand-picked by former guerrilla leader Sam Nujoma won election on Sunday to succeed him as Namibian president. Hifikepunye Pohamba, who won 76.4 percent of the vote, is widely expected to remain in the shadow of Nujoma, who will retain the leadership of his SWAPO party afte
Congress Passes $388 Billion Spending Bill: Reuters NewMedia - November 20, 2004; Anna Willard; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Saturday passed a $388 billion package financing government programs in this fiscal year after days of battling over spending cuts and priorities for programs including foreign aid, energy and a presidential yacht. The Senate voted 65-30 for the legislation late on Saturday b
Cheap antibiotic works well with HIV children: Reuters NewMedia - November 19, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A low-cost antibiotic which has performed well in tests should be given to all HIV children in developing countries to prevent infections such as pneumonia and reduce deaths, scientists said on Friday. Dr Diana Gibb of Britain s Medical Research Council said a trial involving HIV-infected children in
India's Hetero Takes AIDS Drugs Off WHO List: Reuters NewMedia - November 19, 2004; Stephanie Nebehay; GENEVA (Reuters) - Hetero Drugs has withdrawn all six of its generic antiretroviral drugs from the WHO s list of approved drugs following concerns about their laboratory tests, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday. It was the third time since June that an Indian company has removed anti-AIDS drugs following
Thailand to deport German accused of spreading HIV: Reuters NewMedia - November 19, 2004; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand is to deport a one-legged German accused of trying to infect nearly 100 Thai teenage girls with HIV through unprotected sex, his lawyer said on Friday. A court sentenced Hans-Otto Schiemann, 56-year-old former sailor, to two months in jail for overstaying his visa as Thailand had no law to
Doctors call for antibiotic drug for HIV children: Reuters NewMedia - November 18, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A low-cost antibiotic should be given to all children with HIV in developing countries to prevent infections such as pneumonia and reduce deaths, scientists said on Friday. Dr Diana Gibb, of Britain s Medical Research Council, and her colleagues said a trial involving HIV-infected children in
New Boehringer AIDS drug outdoes rivals in study: Reuters NewMedia - November 18, 2004; FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A greater portion of patients on a new AIDS drug from Boehringer Ingelheim achieved a reduction in their viral count than those given rival drugs in a study, Germany s top drugmaker by sales said on Thursday. Unlisted Boehringer said that its tipranavir drug achieved a treatment response -- a pred
Elan, Teva and Gilead drugs backed by EU panel: Reuters NewMedia - November 18, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A panel of European experts on Thursday backed the use of Elan Corp Plc s new painkiller Prialt, providing a fillip for Ireland s leading drug maker. The London-based European Medicines Agency said its committee also recommended use of Azilect, a treatment for Parkinson s disease from Israel s Teva P
'All My Children' Plans 35th Birthday Broadway Show: Reuters NewMedia - November 17, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - The stars of daytime soap opera All My Children will celebrate 35 years of twisted plot lines and melodrama with a Broadway musical in February to support the fight against AIDS, ABC said on Wednesday. The one-off production on Feb. 7 will feature daytime television names such as former talk show h
Africa Lobbies for More AIDS, TB, Malaria Funds: Reuters NewMedia - November 17, 2004; Wangui Kanina; ARUSHA, Tanzania (Reuters) - African leaders lobbied the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria for more money on Wednesday to solve a cash crunch but were told a new round of funding was likely to be delayed by several months. The Global Fund, an independent private-public partnership that raises and disburses
Bristol-Myers plans new test of HIV fusion blocker: Reuters NewMedia - November 17, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. on Wednesday said it plans to begin mid-stage clinical trials next year of a pill designed to block HIV from fusing with human cells, a possible improvement over Trimeris Inc. s similar Fuzeon drug, which must be injected. Bristol-Myers also told industry analysts at a rese
Is More Aid Needed to Solve Africa's Woes?: Reuters NewMedia - November 17, 2004; Ed Stoddard; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - American economist Jeffrey Sachs has a novel way to tackle African poverty: Shower more aid on the world s poorest continent. This may shock critics of African development who say aid has only made a bad situation worse. Some analysts say aid has created a continent-wide sense of dependency and
Top Researchers Ask Web Users to Join Science Grid: Reuters NewMedia - November 16, 2004; Eric Auchard; NEW YORK (Reuters) - IBM and top scientific research organizations are joining forces in a humanitarian effort to tap the unused power of millions of computers and help solve complex social problems. The World Community Grid will seek to tap the vast underutilized power of computers belonging to individuals and busines
Polio Epidemic in Africa Coming Under Control--WHO: Reuters NewMedia - November 16, 2004; GENEVA (Reuters) - A polio epidemic spreading from Nigeria throughout West and Central Africa has begun to come under control, but more funds are needed to wipe out the disease in 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Unless it received some $35 million soon, the WHO will be forced to postpone or c
Merck's Gilmartin-Teflon CEO Impervious to Attacks: Reuters NewMedia - November 15, 2004; Bill Berkrot; NEW YORK (Reuters) - For a man being painted as corporate America s latest public enemy No. 1, and after nearly seven weeks of constant assault, Merck & Co. Chief Executive Raymond Gilmartin remains remarkably cool and unflappable under fire. Hit with daily attacks in the media and in medical circles and mounting l
FDA Encourages Radio Tags on Drug Bottles: Reuters NewMedia - November 15, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Viagra, Oxycontin and some AIDS drugs will be among the first to carry radio chip tracking devices under a new Food and Drug Administration initiative to prevent theft and counterfeiting announced on Monday. The FDA said it was lifting restrictions on labeling that may have discouraged companies
Reuters Summit-Merck's Gilmartin Cool Under Fire: Reuters NewMedia - November 15, 2004; Bill Berkrot; NEW YORK (Reuters) - For a man being painted as corporate America s latest public enemy No. 1, and after nearly seven weeks of constant assault, Merck & Co. Chief Executive Raymond Gilmartin remains remarkably cool and unflappable under fire. Hit with daily attacks in the media and in medical circles and mounting l
MTV to Launch Local Africa Music Channel in 2005: Reuters NewMedia - November 15, 2004; Jeffrey Goldfarb, European Media Correspondent; LONDON (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. s MTV Networks will next year launch its first local channel in Africa, the final global outpost for the music video and kids broadcaster and its 100th channel worldwide. MTV Base in Africa will reach only about 1.3 million homes in 48 countries, primarily in South Africa an
India's Ranbaxy Pulls All AIDS Drugs from WHO List: Reuters NewMedia - November 12, 2004; Richard Waddington; GENEVA (Reuters) - Indian firm Ranbaxy took all its anti-AIDS drugs off the U.N. s approved list, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, dealing a blow to efforts to make cheaper medicines more widely available for the scourge. The United Nation s health agency said the company took the step voluntarily after d
Mystery lingers around Yasser Arafat's death: Reuters NewMedia - November 12, 2004; Timothy Heritage; PARIS (Reuters) - What killed Yasser Arafat? It s a mystery that could keep the rumour mill churning and fuel conspiracy theories for years to come. Internet Web sites are spilling over with speculation that Arafat, who died in a French hospital on Thursday, had anything from stomach cancer or a rare blood disorder to
London drug users hit by hepatitis C epidemic: Reuters NewMedia - November 11, 2004; Mohammed Abbas; LONDON (Reuters) - An epidemic of the deadly disease hepatitis C is spreading unchecked amongst London s drug users. London now has higher rates of hepatitis C infection among injecting drug users than Sydney and New York, and a greater incidence of HIV infection than Amsterdam, researchers said on Friday. Hepatitis C
Finding No Fish, Ghanaians Turn to Bushmeat, Report Says: Reuters NewMedia - November 11, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Overfishing by subsidized European fleets off the coast of West Africa is hurting local fisheries and forcing people to slaughter wildlife to get enough to eat, researchers said on Thursday. They said the so-called bushmeat trade in Ghana is strongly driven by a lack of fish, and added the countr
Singapore facing AIDS epidemic - health ministry: Reuters NewMedia - November 11, 2004; SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore faces an AIDS epidemic, with the number of new infections diagnosed expected to hit a rate of 1,000 a year by 2010, a health official said. Homosexuals and heterosexual men who have casual sex in other countries were two groups that needed attention, said Senior Minister of State for Hea
Legal row over Princess Diana fund settled: Reuters NewMedia - November 10, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A U.S. souvenir firm has dropped its lawsuit against a memorial fund dedicated to the late Princess Diana after the two sides settled out of court. The Diana fund and the Franklin Mint agreed in a joint statement on Wednesday that the energy and resources needed for a court battle over the use of Dia
Female Genital Mutilation Lives on in Djibouti: Reuters NewMedia - November 10, 2004; Ed Harris; DJIBOUTI (Reuters) - Late one evening on a stony hill above Djibouti s northern town of Tadjourah, an old Afar woman is squatting comfortably on a thin mat, tiny limbs wrapped tidily up around her. A reputed practitioner of female circumcision, the woman answers questions in a croaking voice about a custom reviled by h
Mandela Lawyers Fight for His Prison Number: Reuters - November 9, 2004; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Lawyers for former South African President Nelson Mandela are fighting a commemorative coin importer over the use of his prison number as a telephone hotline. Private firm Investgold has been using the number to sell coins with Mandela s image on them, but the Nelson Mandela Foundation says it
India's Ranbaxy Pulls All AIDS Drugs from WHO List: Reuters - November 9, 2004; Richard Waddington; GENEVA (Reuters) - Indian firm Ranbaxy took all its anti-AIDS drugs off the U.N. s approved list, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, dealing a blow to efforts to make cheaper medicines more widely available for the scrounge. The United Nation s health agency said the company took the step voluntarily after
Botswana sees 2004-05 GDP growth slowing to 5.4 pct: Reuters - November 8, 2004; GABORONE, (Reuters) - Botswana s gross domestic product growth will slow to 5.4 percent in 2004-05 from 6.7 percent the previous fiscal year, President Festus Mogae told Parliament on Monday following his re-election this month. The immediate outlook for the economy is satisfactory. The projected growth for the current
Asia takes aim at growing child sex trafficking: Reuters NewMedia - November 8, 2004; Karishma Vyas; CHIANG MAI, Thailand (Reuters) - In a small brothel in northern Thailand, six girls, their bodies covered in bruises and cigarette burns inflicted by drunken customers, cower inside dark, grimy rooms. It is one of the more horrific memories of Ben Svasti s time on the front line of the fight against child trafficking.
Refugees from Ugandan War Say World Forgets Them: Reuters NewMedia - November 8, 2004; Daniel Wallis; LALOGI CAMP, Northern Uganda (Reuters) - Natalia Lariang survives on handouts in one of scores of refugee camps dotted across northern Uganda, praying for an end to one of the world s most brutal civil wars. The mother of eight says outsiders have forgotten her and the other victims of an 18-year-old conflict that has
V.I, Techologies amends merger deal with Panacos: Reuters NewMedia - November 8, 2004; NEW YORK, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Biotechnology company V.I. Technologies Inc. on Monday amended its merger deal with privately-held U.S. Panacos Pharmaceuticals after trials of a new HIV drug proved more promising than expected. V.I. Technologies (Vitex) said in a statement the revised merger terms reflected the enhanced va
S. African Theatre Icon Gibson Kente Dies - Media: Reuters NewMedia - November 7, 2004; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African playwright Gibson Kente, the founding father of black township theater who announced he had HIV/AIDS last year, died in Soweto on Sunday. He was 72. One of Kente s relatives told SA FM radio the playwright had died at a hospice in South Africa s most famous township early on Sunda
EU to Bush: You Need Us to Solve World Problems: Reuters NewMedia - November 5, 2004; Paul Taylor, European Affairs Editor; BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union urged re-elected President Bush on Friday to make a fresh start in transatlantic cooperation, but internal EU differences over ties with Washington refused to die down. The EU and its member states look forward to working very closely with President Bush and his new administratio
Calif. stem cell victory draws praise, concern: Reuters NewMedia - November 3, 2004; Deena Beasley and Leonard Anderson; LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California voters decision to fund a decade of stem-cell research with $3 billion in state money was hailed on Wednesday by researchers and patient groups, while critics called for tough public oversight on how the money is spent. California s decision to back stem cell research to
Dismayed Africa sees little to gain from Bush win: Reuters NewMedia - November 3, 2004; William Maclean; NAIROBI (Reuters) - Few Africans cheered President George W. Bush s re-election on Wednesday, reflecting his reputation in much of the continent as a warmonger. Many commentators said they expected the Iraq crisis and the U.S.-led war on terror to continue to divert U.S. attention from efforts to rescue Africa from pov
Two Abbott HIV Drug Ads Misleading, U.S. FDA Says: Reuters NewMedia - November 2, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Abbott Laboratories Inc. promotions for HIV-fighting drug Kaletra exaggerated benefits and left out information about life-threatening safety risks, U.S. regulators charged in a letter made public on Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration ordered the company to stop circulating
Study: Sub-Saharan Africa Slides Deeper Into Poverty: Reuters NewMedia - November 2, 2004; CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions in the world, will slide deeper into poverty over the next decade despite a bold economic recovery plan, according to a survey released Tuesday. The independent South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) annual report estimates that the region,
WHO: Africa Needs 10-Fold More Cash to Fight Malaria: Reuters NewMedia - November 2, 2004; BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Africa needs up to $2.5 billion a year to fight malaria, or 10 times the donor funds pledged for a campaign against the disease, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The mosquito-borne disease kills more than 1 million people a year around the world -- more than 90 perc
Cholesterol pills and grapefruit don't mix: Reuters NewMedia - November 2, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Taking certain cholesterol-lowering drugs at the same time as grapefruit juice can increase the risk of potentially life-threatening muscle toxicity, British regulators warned on Tuesday. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said the risk was greatest with Merck & Co Inc s, Zoc
Tipranavir cuts AIDS virus better than rivals-study: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 1, 2004; FRANKFURT, Nov 1 (Reuters) - A greater portion of patients on Boehringer Ingelheim s anti-AIDS drug tipranavir experienced a reduction in their virus count than those given rival drugs in a study, Germany s top drugmaker by sales said on Monday. Unlisted Boehringer said in a statement that tipranavir, which it said was
Gilead says AIDS drug combo beats Glaxo's Combivir: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 1, 2004; LOS ANGELES, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday said its AIDS drugs Viread and Emtriva are more effective than competitor GlaxoSmithKline Plc s (GSK.
Glaxo's entry-blocking AIDS drug promising in test: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 1, 2004; LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - An experimental anti-AIDS pill from GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , known as a CCR5 inhibitor, has produced promising results in early stage trials. In a 10-day study, GSK s product 873140 reduced the amount of virus in the blood by more than 90 percent in the majority
Rare Infection a Risk to Gay, Bisexual Men in US: Reuters NewMedia - October 29, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - A rare sexually transmitted disease that is spreading among gay and bisexual men in Europe could be poised to surface in the United States , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The CDC, a federal agency that monitors epidemics and other health threats, urged doctors
Bristol Hepatitis B Drug Beats Glaxo's in Study: Reuters NewMedia - Friday October 29, 2004; Bill Berkrot; NEW YORK (Reuters) - An experimental Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. pill for the liver disease hepatitis B proved better than a commonly-used anti-viral medicine made by GlaxoSmithKline in late-stage clinical studies, researchers said. Bristol-Myers, which has already applied to U.S. regulators for approval of its hepatitis
Drug May Block Alzheimer's, Scientists Say: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 28, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It might be possible to make a pill that prevents the brain damage that marks Alzheimer s disease, U.S. researchers said Thursday. Scientists said they had designed a drug that, at least in test tubes, stops the buildup of sticky proteins that kills brain cells in Alzheimer s patients. The appr
CDC: Rare Infection a Risk to Gay, Bisexual Men in US: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 28, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - A rare sexually transmitted disease that is spreading among gay and bisexual men in Europe could be poised to surface in the United States , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The CDC, a federal agency that monitors epidemics and other health threats, urged doctor
AIDS Fund Head Warns of 2005 Funding Crunch: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 28, 2004; Ben Hirschler; BARCELONA (Reuters) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, battling a shortfall in funding from donors, faces a critical year in 2005, its executive director said on Thursday. Lack of cash means it is still unclear whether a new round of project funding against the three killers will be approved whe
Jailed Street Children in Excrement Protest: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, October 27, 2004; NAIROBI (Reuters) - More than 100 jailed Kenyan street children smeared themselves and their Nairobi cells with feces in a protest Wednesday, leading police to call in firefighters to hose them down. The homeless boys had been jailed at the central police station for several weeks, awaiting transfer to government-spons
MTV to charm Africans with local sounds: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, October 27, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Video music broadcaster MTV is launching an African channel that will trade Britney Spears, Eminem and Beyonce for Youssou N Dour, Mandoza and other top homegrown artists. The youth broadcaster aims to launch an English language African version of its 24-hour MTV Base channel in Februar
In Africa, hoping for Kerry because he's not Bush: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday October 26, 2004; C. Bryson Hull; NAIROBI - U.S. President George W. Bush s administration boasts no other American presidency has done more for Africa than his, and many on the world s poorest continent agree. But despite Bush s championing of a $15 billion anti-AIDS programme and efforts to drop trade barriers, sub-Saharan Africa appears to want to s
Group: New Drugs, Plan Needed to Fight Killer TB: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, October 26, 2004; PARIS - Tests and medicines used to diagnose and combat tuberculosis (TB) in poor countries are outdated and ineffective and new treatments must be developed to fight the disease, Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday. Strategies being used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Union Against Tuber
AIDS-hit Zambia bans condom handouts to students: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, October 26, 2004; Shapi Shacinda; LUSAKA - Zambia banned free distribution of condoms in schools on the same day the United States began a $24 million programme to fight AIDS by handing them out. A government official who declined to give his name said a circular had been sent round primary and secondary schools on Tuesday ordering condom programs most
Transatlantic Live Brain Surgery to Be Beamed to UK: Reuters NewMedia - October 25, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - It s not for the squeamish but Britons with a strong constitution will get a rare opportunity to view brain surgery as it happens, in an operating room 4,000 miles away in the United States . As a team of surgeons at Overlook Hospital in New Jersey remove a benign tumor from the brain of a patient on
Boehringer files key AIDS drug for US, European nod: Reuters NewMedia - October 25, 2004; Sitaraman Shankar; FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim has applied for U.S. and European approval for its anti-AIDS drug tipranavir, a potential rival to drugs from Roche and GlaxoSmithKline , it said on Monday. Unlisted Boehringer, Germany s top drugmaker by sales, said in a statement that it was seeking priority
S.Africa AIDS Group Drops Legal Case on Drug Delays: Reuters NewMedia - October 24, 2004; Mariam Isa; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa s main AIDS treatment lobby group has dropped a court case against the government demanding it reveal target dates for the rollout of life-prolonging drugs, activists and officials said Sunday. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said it withdrew the case after health
U2's Bono Finds Long-Lost Lyrics in Oregon: Reuters NewMedia - October 22, 2004; PORTLAND (Reuters) - A briefcase containing lyrics for songs meant to be used in U2 s 1981 album October has been returned to the group s lead singer Bono, 23 years after it was stolen at a Portland concert, the band said on Friday. Cindy Harris of Washington state found the briefcase in the attic of a rental home in T
Russia Duma ratifies Kyoto environment pact: Reuters NewMedia - October 22, 2004; Oleg Shchedrov; MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia s lower house of parliament ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Friday, clearing the way for the long-delayed climate change pact to come into force worldwide. The U.N. accord aimed at battling global warming is already backed by 126 countries, but it needed Russia s support to make it internationa
Theratech names Yves Rosconi CEO: Reuters NewMedia - October 21, 2004; TORONTO (Reuters) - Theratechnologies Inc. named Yves Rosconi as president and chief executive on Thursday as the company prepares for late-stage development of its key growth-hormone compound. The Montreal-based biotech said Rosconi will build on research and development, including ThGRF. The compound, a treatment for
Gilead Sciences drops development of 2 HIV drugs: Reuters NewMedia - October 21, 2004; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc. on Thursday said its quarterly net profit rose 55 percent on increased sales of its HIV drugs, including its recently launched two-drug combination pill Truvada . The biotechnology company, based in Foster City, California, also said it has discontinued work on two
Uganda Opens Africa's Biggest AIDS Training Center: Reuters NewMedia - October 20, 2004; Daniel Wallis; KAMPALA, Uganda (Reuters) - The biggest HIV/AIDS training center in sub-Saharan Africa opened in Uganda Wednesday with officials hopeful it will significantly boost the continent s ability to fight the deadly pandemic. The Infectious Diseases Institute, largely funded by drug giant
India wins new fans in drug R&D stakes: Reuters NewMedia - October 19, 2004; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON (Reuters) - A few years ago, Western drug makers would never have dreamt of putting their research dollars to work in India , a country associated with pirating medicines invented elsewhere. Today, pharmaceutical executives are predicting a surge of investment to exploit a low-cost base of scientific talent.
Disease Stages Revival in Rebel-Held Ivory Coast: Reuters NewMedia - October 19, 2004; Peter Murphy; ODIENNE, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - A battered pick-up truck weighed down by a dozen passengers sitting on sacks of mangoes crawls though a checkpoint and enters Ivory Coast s rebel zone. Behind the truck is the government-controlled South where much of the population in the main towns has access to state-run hospitals, m
Proud Africans Love Their Continent - BBC Survey: Reuters NewMedia - Monday October 18, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Africa may be seen by the rest of the world as a continent dogged by war and poverty, but Africans themselves are fiercely proud of their homeland, a survey conducted by British broadcaster the BBC showed on Monday. The survey, which questioned more than 7,500 people across 10 countries, showed 90 pe
German accused of HIV vendetta against Thai girls: Reuters NewMedia - Monday October 18, 2004; Karishma Vyas; CHAIYAPHUM, Thailand (Reuters) - A one-legged German, accused of trying to infect nearly 100 teenage girls with HIV through unprotected sex, launched a tirade of abuse against Thai women on Monday, calling them witches and monkeys . Hans-Otto Schiemann, a 56-year-old former sailor from Schweinfurt in Bavaria, has beco
EU gives $75 mln to U.N. population agency U.S. shuns: Reuters NewMedia - October 15, 2004; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The European Union has pledged $75 million for a U.N. population agency that the White House has shunned so the group could buy contraceptives, medicines and other supplies for needy men and women. The grant for reproductive health goods was announced on Thursday at a U.N. General Assembly se
Amnesty blasts Mugabe over Zimbabwe food crisis: Reuters NewMedia - October 15, 2004; Andrew Cawthorne; LONDON (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe s government is underplaying Zimbabwe s food crisis and may again use hunger to punish political foes prior to next year s parliamentary elections, a rights group charged on Friday. Harare has curtailed foreign food aid since May, forecasting a good harvest in the coming year.
Trimeris HIV drug, already sold, gets formal ok: Reuters NewMedia - October 15, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trimeris Inc. on Friday said U.S. regulators had granted traditional approval to its already marketed Fuzeon treatment for HIV, meaning the drug s package insert label can now include longer-term clinical trial data. The Food and Drug Administration in March 2003 had granted fast-track approval of
U.S. Worried by Health Disparities Among Hispanics: Reuters NewMedia - October 14, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - Hispanics in the United States are more likely to be overweight or obese, develop diabetes and die from strokes, AIDS and liver disease than whites, federal officials said on Thursday. Those problems, when combined with an expected jump in the U.S. Hispanic population, pose a challenge to the well-b
Drug Protects Monkeys from AIDS in Experiment: Reuters NewMedia - October 14, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A souped-up version of a naturally occurring immune system protein can protect female monkeys from the AIDS virus, scientists reported on Thursday in a finding they say may lead to a new way to prevent infection in people. They hope to eventually use their discovery to develop a microbicide -- a
Abbott Profit Lifted by Arthritis Drug: Reuters NewMedia - October 14, 2004; Ransdell Pierson; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories Inc. on Thursday posted higher third-quarter profit, helped by surging demand for its new arthritis drug and rising sales of medical devices. The company said fourth-quarter earnings would match or slightly exceed Wall Street expectations. Third-quarter profit from continuin
250 Leaders, But Not US, Back UN Population Plan: Reuters NewMedia - October 14, 2004; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - More than 250 world figures -- but not the Bush administration -- have urged the United Nations to promote a population agenda that seeks women s education, health care and family planning. The United States refused to support a statement from presidents, prime ministers and Nobel Prize winne
China to Scrutinise Blood Sellers for AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - October 13, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - China is to launch a nationwide survey of people who sold their blood in the 1990s as it tries to track down HIV/AIDS victims, state television said on Wednesday. China passed a law in August banning the buying or selling blood to prevent the spread of AIDS after botched selling schemes of the 1990s
France Tops the League, Asia Lags in Sex Poll: Reuters NewMedia - October 12, 2004; Kate Kelland; LONDON (Reuters) - France is well positioned as the world s sexiest state, according to a global survey of lovemaking published on Tuesday. In a poll of more than 350,000 people, condom maker Durex found that lovers across the globe are having sex an average of 103 times per year, but the French are living up to their
AIDS Crisis Could Fuel Africa Famine - U.N.: Reuters NewMedia - October 12, 2004; ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Famine in Africa could worsen unless action is taken to tackle the continent s HIV/AIDS epidemic, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday. Unless urgent interventions are made, the epidemic could cause a steady fall in agricultural production which would fuel serious famine in African countries,
Osbournes on Best Behavior for Charity Event: Reuters NewMedia - October 11, 2004; Chris Gardner; LOS ANGELES - There was no ham-tossing or obscenity-spewing in the Osbournes backyard in Beverly Hills on Thursday night. Instead, it was a little bit of glitz and a lot of music with some fund-raising in between. Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne opened the doors to the home made famous by the cameras of MTV to host An Evening
EU Ends Libya Sanctions Despite Bulgaria Worries: Reuters NewMedia - October 11, 2004; Sebastian Alison; LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - EU foreign ministers agreed to lift an arms embargo on Libya on Monday, despite fears for Bulgarian and Palestinian medical workers sentenced to death there, but imposed a visa ban on senior officials from Myanmar . At a meeting that illustrated conflicting pressures on the EU on sanctions and hu
Beijing to Install Condom Machines to Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - October 10, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing will install about 1,000 condom vending machines in hotels, bars, universities and on construction sites in the Chinese capital this month to fight the spread of AIDS, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. The machines will dispense condoms for 1 yuan (12 U.S. cents) a piece and th
Cellegy to acquire Biosyn for AIDS prevention gel: Reuters NewMedia - October 8, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cellegy Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it would buy privately-held Biosyn to acquire its experimental vaginal gel, a drug in late stage of development, designed to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Under the terms of the deal, Cellegy will exchange 2.5 million shares of its common stock and $3.
Many nations lagging on child health - UNICEF: Reuters NewMedia - October 7, 2004; Irwin Arieff; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - More than half the world s countries are falling behind in a U.N. campaign to reduce child deaths by two-thirds by 2015, the U.N. children s agency UNICEF reported on Thursday. Worldwide in 2002, the latest year for which reliable data is available, one in 12 children died before age 5, repre
S.African AIDS Campaigner Not Betting on Nobel: Reuters NewMedia - October 7, 2004; Gordon Bell and Manoah Esipisu; CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - South African AIDS campaigner Zackie Achmat knows he s a long shot for the Nobel Peace Prize, but says his nomination is already a victory for the millions of people around the world battling the epidemic. I would not bet on (winning) it if I were a betting man, said Achmat, who is
Africa's Woes Make It Haven for Terrorists - Blair: Reuters NewMedia - October 7, 2004; Andrew Cawthorne; ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Poverty and conflict in Africa have made it a refuge for terrorists, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday at a summit in Ethiopia he hopes will turn the continent s problems into a global priority. We know that poverty and instability leads to weak states, which can become havens f
Roche hepatitis drugs win fast review for HIV use: Reuters NewMedia - October 6, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Roche Holding SA on Wednesday said U.S. regulators would give priority review to whether the company s combination treatment for hepatitis C should be used by patients also infected with HIV. Roche s injectable interferon drug, Pegasys, and ribavirin pill are already approved to treat patients infe
CombiMatrix to take stake in cancer drug developer: Reuters NewMedia - October 4, 2004; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Acacia Research Corp. said on Monday that its CombiMatrix group plans to acquire a 33 percent stake in cancer drug developer Leuchemix for $4 million as it continues to expand drug development efforts. CombiMatrix, an operating group of Newport Beach, California-based Acacia Research, makes semi
Israel to soothe battle trauma with marijuana: Reuters NewMedia - October 2, 2004; Corinne Heller; JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers traumatised by battle with the Palestinians have a new, unconventional weapon to exorcise their nightmares -- marijuana. Under an experimental programme, Delta-9 tetrohydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant, will be administered to 15 soldiers over
Franklin Mint Wins Right to Sue Lady Di Memorial Fund: Reuters NewMedia - October 2, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - A judge has given the green light to a U.S. firm to sue a memorial fund dedicated to the late Princess Diana over its attempt to stop the firm from selling Diana trinkets such as dolls and plates. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund said Saturday a U.S. judge had decided at a preliminary heari
Leaders Launch Drive to Curb Polio in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - October 2, 2004; Mike Oboh; KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Political leaders and health workers launched a drive Saturday to immunise more than 80 million children against polio in 23 African nations and fight back against a resurgence of the crippling disease. Campaigners had been hoping to eradicate polio this year or next but the virus has spread i
'Black Pinocchio' Tells of Dreams and Desperation: Reuters NewMedia - September 30, 2004; Rachel Sanderson; ROME (Reuters) - Some Italians want African illegal immigrants deported, others want them arrested, but theater director Marco Baliani believes one way to ease Italy s refugee crisis is with a long-nosed wooden puppet. And that s no lie. Baliani is touring Italy with Black Pinocchio, a fresh spin on the classic tale wh
Most Gay Men with HIV Practice Safer Sex -US Study: Reuters NewMedia - September 30, 2004; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - Most gay and bisexual men infected with HIV in the United States are taking steps to reduce the chances of passing on the deadly virus to their sex partners, according to a federal study released on Thursday. A survey of 1,923 men who have sex with men found that 31 percent had abstained from sex wi
US's Snow urges more debt relief for poor nations: Reuters NewMedia - September 30, 2004; Glenn Somerville; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global lenders need to offer more grants and debt relief to impoverished countries and tailor their lending toward building up the private sector, Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Thursday. In an address to the Bretton Woods Committee ahead of semiannual meetings of the International Monetary
British, French Drug Firms Lead on Marijuana Tests: Reuters NewMedia - September 29, 2004; Leonard Anderson; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - British and French pharmaceutical companies are racing ahead of their U.S. counterparts to develop new drugs containing marijuana to relieve pain and treat a wide range of illnesses because marijuana is illegal in the United States , scientific researchers said on Wednesday. The plant tha
Trinity gets FDA nod for finger stick HIV test: Reuters NewMedia - September 29, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Irish diagnostic company Trinity Biotech plc on Wednesday said U.S. regulators had approved a finger stick version of its test for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The Uni-Gold finger stick HIV test gives results within 10 minutes, Trinity said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had previously
Madagascar to Distribute 15 Million Free Condoms: Reuters NewMedia - September 28, 2004; ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Impoverished Madagascar is to distribute 15 million free condoms next year to promote safe sex and halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, officials said Tuesday. Fenosoa Ratsimanetrimanana, executive secretary of the national AIDS committee, said the giant island s first ever distribution of free condoms
Ethiopia Church Says Condoms Unchristian: Reuters NewMedia - September 28, 2004; ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Condoms should not be used to fight HIV/AIDS as they are unchristian and unreliable, according to an influential church in Ethiopia , where 1,000 people are infected daily. Our church does not condone the campaign to use condoms against HIV/AIDS because such practices are unchristian and are not
Move Over Sniffer Dogs, Here Come Africa's Rats: Reuters NewMedia - September 27, 2004; Helen Nyambura; MOROGORO, Tanzania - Tom sits patiently in a cage while Jerry, tethered by a harness, scuttles around sniffing and scratching the earth. They may look like nothing more than ordinary laboratory rodents, but these rats are on a mission to root out Africa s land mines with the tips of their twitchy pink noses. Scient
Black Pinocchio: tale of migrant dreams and desperation: Reuters NewMedia - September 27, 2004; Rachel Sanderson; ROME - Some Italians want African illegal immigrants deported, others want them arrested, but theatre director Marco Baliani believes one way to ease Italy s refugee crisis is with a long-nosed wooden puppet. And that s no lie. Baliani is touring Italy with Black Pinocchio , a fresh spin on the classic tale which he ho
Viacom Expands in China: Reuters NewMedia - September 26, 2004; Steve Brennan; LOS ANGELES - Viacom is continuing its march into the emerging Chinese media market with a strategic partnership with Beijing Television for music and entertainment content production as well as new developments in the region for its MTV and Nickelodeon brands. Details of Viacom s continued expansion in
S.Africa Gays, Lesbians March to Celebrate Freedom: Reuters NewMedia - September 25, 2004; Dinky Mkhize; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Thousands of gays and lesbians held a noisy march on Saturday to celebrate South Africa s gay rights laws, unprecedented on a continent where many regard homosexuality as an un-African taboo. South Africa s post-apartheid constitution was the first in the world to recognize the rights of gays,
Lawmakers Seek Probe of Cheap Drugs Rejection: Reuters NewMedia - September 24, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Democratic lawmakers on Friday called for an investigation into two recent U.S. government decisions to block a nonprofit company from making cheaper versions of two drugs, including an Abbott Laboratories Inc. AIDS medicine. On Thursday, the National Institutes of Health rejected a bid to ma
Miniskirted women in Swaziland threatened with rape: Reuters NewMedia - September 24, 2004; James Hall; MANZINI, Swaziland (Reuters) - Bus conductors in Swaziland vowed on Friday to assault and rape female passengers who wore miniskirts, sparking outrage among women s groups in the conservative African kingdom. The threat followed this week s arrest of two conductors and a bus driver who were charged with indecently assa
AIDS Up 6 Percent in S.Africa, Seen Stabilizing: Reuters NewMedia - September 23, 2004; CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - The number of South Africans carrying the virus that causes AIDS rose in 2003 but the rate of infection especially among teenagers was stabilizing, the government said in a report released Thursday. The Department of Health estimated that 5.6 million of the country s 45 million popul
Savient explores sale of Israeli operations: Reuters NewMedia - September 23, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on Thursday said it was exploring a potential divestiture of its Israeli business operations, including its subsidiary Bio-Technology General (Israel) Ltd. Savient, which is based in East Brunswick, New Jersey, said it hopes to complete the divestiture in the first hal
Glaxo grants Kenya firm ARV drug licence: Reuters NewMedia - September 22, 2004; David Mageria; NAIROBI (Reuters) - Europe s largest drug maker GlaxoSmithKline Plc has agreed to license a Kenyan firm to make and sell generic versions of its antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS, officials said on Wednesday. British-based Glaxo said it had allowed Cosmos Limited to make the drugs in Kenya and sell them in Ke
Southern Africa Faces Food, Water Crises - Study: Reuters NewMedia - September 22, 2004; Ed Stoddard; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Southern Africa faces major challenges to feed its swelling populations and to keep its wells from running dry, a study showed Wednesday. On a greener note, it said much of the region s biological diversity is intact and tourism related to nature is growing quickly -- a huge economic boom.
Official Wants Law to Limit Youth Sex: Reuters NewMedia - September 22, 2004; TOKYO (Reuters) - Parents in Tokyo would be legally responsible for keeping school-aged children from having sex if the city s top law and order official gets his way. The feasibility of such a step, proposed by Tokyo Vice Governor Yutaka Takehana, will be one of the topics discussed when a panel of experts meets on We
Nobel peace winner picked, tips include ElBaradei: Reuters NewMedia - September 21, 2004; Alister Doyle; OSLO (Reuters) - The Norwegian Nobel Committee picked the winner of the 2004 Peace Prize from a record field of 194 candidates on Tuesday with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and its head, Mohamed ElBaradei, tipped as favourites. But the winner of what many consider the world s top accolade will not be announced until next m
Asian drug fight hobbled by information gap: Reuters NewMedia - September 21, 2004; Stuart Grudgings; MANILA (Reuters) - Poor sharing of information is hobbling Asian countries efforts to fight a dramatic rise in the use of amphetamine-type drugs supplied by gangs unhindered by national borders, anti-drug officials said on Tuesday. From Thai school children addicted to ya ba to Philippine slum dwellers hooked on shabu
Ugandan HIV/AIDS Rate Higher Than Thought-NGO: Reuters NewMedia - September 21, 2004; KAMPALA (Reuters) - The rate of HIV/AIDS cases in Uganda , a country widely praised for its fight against the disease, may be nearly three times as high as official figures suggest, according to an NGO that works with HIV/AIDS sufferers. The National Guidance and Empowerment Network (NGEN) used a network of people livi
TB Care Will Save 500,000 Lives in Africa-Experts: Reuters NewMedia - September 21, 2004; ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - As many as half a million lives could be saved every year in Africa if governments combine their approach to tackle a rampant AIDS epidemic with measures to treat tuberculosis, health experts said on Tuesday. Campaigners meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa this week said tuberculosis is
Dutch Singles Just Aren't Loving It: Reuters NewMedia - September 21, 2004; AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch singles aren t having satisfying love lives despite the country s reputation as a haven for free and easy sex, according to a new poll. Close to two-thirds of the men and women surveyed said their intimate relations compared poorly with married couples, and one third of the men and nearly ha
Investors tell drug makers to do more for poor: Reuters NewMedia - September 20, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - The pharmaceuticals industry needs to do more to fight public health problems in developing countries, shareholders said on Monday. Failure to develop a more effective strategy could hit the industry s reputation and jeopardise its operations in some countries, according to a report from the Pharmace
Abbott seeks foothold in high-stakes stent business: Reuters NewMedia - September 20, 2004; Julie Steenhuysen; CHICAGO (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories Inc. is betting $1 billion in deals and the start of a new clinical trial will finally get Wall Street to focus on its cardiovascular device business. The company, best known for its drugs for HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, recently launched tests of its drug-eluting stents -- tin
'Sopranos' Gets Respect as HBO Sweeps Emmys: Reuters NewMedia - September 20, 2004; Arthur Spiegelman; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The dark side of American life dominated the 56th annual Emmy Awards Sunday as the mobsters of The Sopranos and the AIDS victims of Angels in America walked off with top awards, making cable network HBO king. But the evening had a sentimental side as the stars of two recently departed prime-time
TB set to be global scourge again, models predict: Reuters NewMedia - September 19, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Super drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are at the tipping point of a global epidemic, and only small changes are needed to help them spread quickly, U.S. researchers predicted on Sunday. Two separate studies show that multiple-drug-resistant TB, which can only be cured with a carefully monito
Bush Faces Global Critics at U.N. This Week: Reuters NewMedia - September 19, 2004; Steve Holland; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two years after he made a case against Iraq over unconventional weapons that were never found, President Bush faces global critics at the United Nations this week to argue it is essential that war-ravaged Iraq become a stable democracy. Bush makes his annual trek to New York to speak to the U
L.A. Porn Industry Stung by First Condom Fines: Reuters NewMedia - September 17, 2004; Jill Sergeant; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The lucrative Los Angeles porn film industry was reeling on Friday by news that two production companies had been slapped with the first fines for allowing actors to perform without condoms. California s state health and safety board fined Evasive Angles and TTB Productions $30,560 each for maki
Non-profit drug research needs $1 bln injection: Reuters NewMedia - September 17, 2004; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON (Reuters) - Non-profit groups developing new drugs and vaccines for neglected tropical diseases urgently need more than $1 billion in additional funding, according to a report on Friday. The Initiative on Public-Private Partnerships for Health (IPPPH), based in Geneva, said $2 billion had been pledged in last fi
Sweden and Tanzania to Start HIV Vaccine Trials: Reuters NewMedia - September 17, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Medical researchers will start trials of an HIV vaccine in Sweden in October and expect to extend the program to Tanzania next year, a senior member of the research team said on Friday. Tanzania estimates that 2.2 million of its 34 million people are infected with the virus that leads to AIDS.
Experts warn AIDS on rise in eastern Europe: Reuters NewMedia - September 17, 2004; Darius James Ross; VILNIUS (Reuters) - A lack of information and public funding is helping fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS in several recent European Union entrants and threatens to become pandemic across the bloc, a panel of experts said on Friday. They said the opening of borders on Europe s eastern flank could allow for an influx of infec
Drug Firms Walk Tightrope on Trials Disclosure: Reuters NewMedia - September 16, 2004; Ben Hirschler and Toni Clarke; LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drug companies, already struggling to find enough new medicines to sustain historic growth rates for their businesses, face a dilemma as demands increase for them to reveal results of all clinical trials. Firms don t want to share scientific secrets with rivals but cannot afford to alienate
Experts: Scarce Vaccine Back in Supply, So Get It: Reuters NewMedia - September 16, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A once-scarce vaccine that protects against a range of infections including meningitis is back in supply and small children should get four doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. There have been on- and off-again shortages of Prevnar, but the maker, Wyeth, ha
New Lilly, Glaxo drugs win nod from EU expert panel: Reuters NewMedia - September 16, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co s new drug for depression Cymbalta and GlaxoSmithKline Plc s fixed dose anti-AIDS pill Kivexa were both recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency s expert committee on new drugs, the London-based regulator said on Thursday. The panel also backed extended uses for
Roche boosts pipeline with asthma drug deal: Reuters NewMedia - September 16, 2004; Tom Armitage; ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG will jointly develop a new asthma treatment with U.S. biotech firm Protein Design Labs Inc in a move that continues the Swiss drug maker s strategy of co-developing drugs. Roche will pay Protein Design $17.5 million up front as well as $187.5 million in development and commercialisat
Senate Panel Suggests Using Iraq Money for Sudan: Reuters NewMedia - September 15, 2004; Anna Willard; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday suggested sending $102 million of unused Iraq reconstruction money to Sudan as the Bush administration came under fire for having spent only a tiny fraction of the funds set aside for Iraq. Senators fumed that the administration has used only $1 bill
South Africa Group Demands Info on AIDS Drug Delays: Reuters NewMedia - September 15, 2004; Gershwin Wanneburg; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s leading AIDS treatment lobby is taking the government to court, accusing the authorities of falling behind their own targets to give drugs to people with HIV, the group s lawyer said on Wednesday. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) earned international plaudits for demanding lif
U.N.: World Population Goals Could Be Missed: Reuters NewMedia - September 15, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Goals set a decade ago to cut world population growth and ensure women s rights could be missed without greater resources and political will, a U.N. report said on Wednesday. Progress has been made since 179 nations pledged at a meeting in Cairo to implement a Program of Action by 2015, but daunting
World Population Trends: Reuters NewMedia - September 15, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - The United Nations released a report on Wednesday on progress since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. Here are some points from the report, issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). * THE ORIGINAL PLAN - Adopted by 179 countries in Cairo 10 y
Fund shortage hampers Asia's poverty fight - U.N.: Reuters NewMedia - September 15, 2004; Karishma Vyas; BANGKOK (Reuter) - A shortfall in donor funding, including a U.S. decision to cut aid, jeopardises Asia s efforts to curb widespread poverty by reining in population growth, the United Nations said on Wednesday. In July, the United States withheld $34 million earmarked for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in
Billions Needed to Meet U.N. Development Goals: Reuters NewMedia - September 15, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Wealthy countries must donate billions more dollars to ensure women s reproductive rights and cut population growth, a U.N. report said on Wednesday. If nations fail to keep their pledges, plans to balance the world s people with its resources and improve the status of women by 2015 may not be met, a
Crucell in licence deal to develop AIDS vaccine: Reuters NewMedia - September 14, 2004; AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch biotechnology company Crucell has signed an exclusive licence agreement to develop an AIDS vaccine based on its technology, the firm said on Tuesday. Crucell expects to receive development funding and substantial upfront, annual and milestone payments, as well as royalties on future HIV vacc
WHO's Plan to Tackle Global TB Not Working -Experts: Reuters NewMedia - September 14, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Global efforts to control rising levels of tuberculosis are not working and more needs to be done to fight the deadly airborne disease, public health experts said Tuesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a strategy in 1993 aimed at halving deaths over the following decade from the cont
Abbott targets Europe growth with new Dutch site: Reuters NewMedia - September 13, 2004; Karl Emerick Hanuska; BREDA, Netherlands (Reuters) - U.S. pharmaceuticals company Abbott Laboratories plans to invest 42 million euros ($51.41 million) in a new Dutch logistics centre to cash in on growth as new countries join the EU, it said on Monday. The Illinois-based firm, which is overhauling its logistics network in Europe, said the
Crucell in human genome technology licensing deal: Reuters NewMedia - September 13, 2004; AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch biotechnology firm Crucell has sealed a licensing deal with Vaxin Inc. allowing the U.S. company to use its PER.C6 human genome technology, Crucell said on Monday. The agreement will permit Vaxin to use the technology for research, development and commercialisation of vaccines against certai
Chiron settles with Roche over HIV patent: Reuters NewMedia - September 10, 2004; CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chiron Corp. on Friday said it settled a patent dispute with Swiss drugmaker Roche over a patent on an AIDS drug, allowing Chiron to keep certain funds and get a $78 million payment. The row dealt with licensing fees and royalties that Chiron claimed it was owed based on its patent for nucleic acid
Cannabis may have long-term benefit for multiple sclerosis - study: Reuters NewMedia - September 10, 2004; Patricia Reaney; EXETER, England (Reuters) - Cannabis-based treatments may have longer-term benefits for multiple sclerosis patients, scientists said on Friday. The findings of a short, 15-week trial of MS patients published last year were inconclusive because although patients reported relief in muscle stiffness, rigidity and mobility
British Lab Scraps Experimental Anti-AIDS Gel: Reuters NewMedia - September 9, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - An experimental gel designed to prevent men and women from being infected with the virus that causes AIDS has been dropped by the British biotechnology firm developing it. ML Laboratories Plc said on Thursday it was scrapping the project after scientists from Britain s state-funded Medical Research C
Trimeris names new chief executive officer: Reuters NewMedia - September 9, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trimeris Inc., a maker of drugs for HIV, on Thursday named Steven D. Skolsky as its chief executive officer. Skolsky will replace Dani Bolognesi, the company s founder, who will continue to be chief scientific officer and who was named vice chairman of the board of directors. Skolsky was most recen
S.African Musician Masekela Tells of Drug Risks: Reuters NewMedia - September 9, 2004; Peter Apps; TEMBISA, South Africa (Reuters) - Exile, alcoholism, drug addiction, discrimination, failed marriages -- South African jazz icon Hugh Masekela has been through them all. Now he has now broadened his act beyond music to include educating township children on the dangers of addiction, talking about more than four decades
Antibiotic Interaction May Raise Heart Death Risk: Reuters NewMedia - September 8, 2004; Gene Emery; BOSTON (Reuters) - Doctors have known for years that the antibiotic erythromycin can, in rare cases, spark an abnormal and sometimes fatal heartbeat. But combining it with several common drugs may dramatically increase that risk, researchers warned on Wednesday. Their analysis of 1,476 sudden deaths in Tennessee found
African Leaders Meet to Draw Up Poverty Battle Plan: Reuters NewMedia - September 8, 2004; Alistair Thomson; OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (Reuters) - More than a dozen leaders from across Africa met Wednesday hoping to draw up a battle plan to fight poverty and create jobs in the poorest continent. Leaders from Africa s biggest and some of its smallest economies hope to succeed where previous efforts have failed and break the tw
Swazi King Wants Teen Beauty Queen for Bride?: Reuters NewMedia - September 7, 2004; MBABANE (Reuters) - Swaziland s King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa s last absolute monarch, has chosen a 16-year-old beauty queen as his 13th wife following a ceremony at which 20,000 bare-breasted maidens danced in his honor. The Times of Swaziland reported on Sunday that Mswati had chosen the girl -- a Miss Teenage Swaz
Roche bullish as Pegasys drug reaches new patients: Reuters NewMedia - September 6, 2004; LONDON (Reuters) - Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG said on Monday its hepatitis treatment Pegasys/Copegus was well on track to hit peak annual sales of 2 billion Swiss francs ($1.57 billion), as it reaches new patient groups. In a presentation to analysts in Zurich, details of which were posted on the company s Web s
Bill Gates' charity wins $100 mln China QFII quota: Reuters NewMedia - September 3, 2004; SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A charitable body set up by Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates has won approval to invest $100 million in China s main stock and debt markets, regulators said on Saturday. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is only the 17th institution allowed to trade in China s $500 billion stock markets und
Zambia Declares AIDS Emergency to Produce Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - September 3, 2004; LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia has declared HIV/AIDS a national emergency in a bid to start manufacturing generic AIDS drugs under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, a senior government official said on Friday. One in every five Zambians is infected with HIV or AIDS, which has orphaned more than 800,000 children and kill
Roche seeks expanded use of its hepatitis C drugs: Reuters NewMedia - September 2, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG on Thursday said it would seek approval from U.S. regulators to use its popular hepatitis C combination therapy to treat patients with the chronic liver disease who are also infected with HIV. Pegasys, or peginterferon, in combination with ribavirin, sold as Copegus
U.S. Policies 'Hurt Poor Women's Health' -Advocates: Reuters NewMedia - September 2, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - The United States is endangering the lives of millions of women because of its policy of teaching that sexual abstinence is the best way to fight AIDS, women s health experts said on Thursday. They also accused the United States of putting women at risk by cutting funding to groups Washington says pr
Republican convention dogged by relentless protests: Reuters NewMedia - September 2, 2004; Grant McCool; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Five thousand people protesting high job losses formed a 3 mile unemployment line in Manhattan on Wednesday and AIDS activists disrupted a Republican meeting on the third day of the party s convention to nominate the president to a second term in office. The unemployment line snaked from Wall Stree
Anti-Bush Protesters Swarm Grand Central Station: Reuters NewMedia - September 2, 2004; Grant McCool; NEW YORK (Reuters) - About 200 activists swarmed into New York s Grand Central Station on Thursday, hung banners and chanted Fight AIDS, not war on the day President Bush accepts the Republican nomination at his party s convention. Police officers arrested about a dozen people who sat down around the information booth
More anti-Bush protests mark New York convention: Reuters NewMedia - September 1, 2004; Grant McCool; NEW YORK (Reuters) - An unemployment line of thousands snaked through New York on Wednesday to mark jobs lost under President George W. Bush in a quiet protest a day after street scuffles and the arrest of more than 1,000 demonstrators. The third day of the Republican National Convention brought out 5,000 silent joble
After SARS, bird flu, China now reports plague: Reuters NewMedia - August 31, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - After outbreaks of SARS and bird flu, China says plague has killed one person and infected another, and has appealed for efforts nationwide to stamp it out. The cases were found earlier this year in China s impoverished west -- one in Gansu province s Sunan county and another in Qinghai province s Q
Mixed Results in Improving Women's Health -- Report: Reuters NewMedia - August 31, 2004; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Some countries have taken major strides to improve the rights and reproductive health of women but more must be done to meet goals set at a U.N. conference a decade ago, according to a report released Tuesday. Twenty-three countries including Bangladesh ,
Republicans Salute Bush's Leadership After 9/11: Reuters NewMedia - August 30, 2004; John Whitesides, Political Correspondent; NEW YORK (Reuters) - John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani kicked off the Republican convention on Monday with an impassioned tribute to President Bush s wartime leadership and said his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks proved his strength as commander in chief. At the convention s opening session, Republicans repeate
Poor, homeless rally against Bush in New York: Reuters NewMedia - August 30, 2004; Larry Fine; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Several thousand protesters staged demonstrations and marches against the Bush administration s economic policies on Monday as the Republican Party opened a four-day convention to nominate the president for a second term in office. An estimated 1,000 people rallied on behalf of the homeless opposit
Swazi King's Dancers Seek to Trade Life of Poverty: Reuters NewMedia - August 30, 2004; LUDZIDZINI ROYAL VILLAGE, Swaziland (Reuters) - Thousands of young women bared their breasts and danced in Swaziland Monday in the hope of trading a life of poverty for one of royal comfort as one of King Mswati s many wives. The 36-year-old king picks a new bride each year at the Reed Dance in a royal ritual that is d
AIDS Researchers Call for 10-15 Bln Euros: Reuters NewMedia - August 30, 2004; ZURICH (Reuters) - AIDS researchers need some 10-15 billion euros over the next decade in order to fully develop potential vaccines for the disease as HIV infection rates continue to climb, delegates at a conference said on Monday. Delegates at the AIDS VACCINE 2004 conference held in Lausanne this week called for more
China Bans Blood Trade to Stop AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - August 28, 2004; BEIJING (Reuters) - China s parliament passed a law Saturday banning the buying or selling of blood to prevent the spread of AIDS and outlawing discrimination against victims of infectious diseases, state media said. China says it has 840,000 HIV/AIDS cases, but experts say at least one million poor farmers were infect
Aids study shows fewer teenage infections: Reuters NewMedia - August 27, 2004; James Hall; Mbabane - Far fewer Swazi teenage girls are HIV positive than previously estimated, bringing a rare glimmer of good news to a country fighting one of the world s worst Aids epidemics, according to a United Nations-sponsored study. The study, which involved the first mass blood testing in the tiny African kingdom, found
Glaxo grants 3rd AIDS drug licence in South Africa: Reuters NewMedia - August 27, 2004; LONDON, (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc, has granted a third voluntary licence to a South African generics firm to market its anti-AIDS medicines, the world s leading supplier of HIV/AIDS drugs said on Friday. Feza Pharmaceuticals will be allowed to manufacture, import and sell antiretrovirals containing GSK s two pate
World Bank increases lending to India: Reuters NewMedia - August 26, 2004; Lesley Wroughton; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank on Thursday increased its lending to India s new government by about $1 billion a year, saying the majority of the money would target the country s four poorest-performing states. The bank said it would lend India up to $3 billion a year between 2005 and 2008 under a new country st
India Struggles to Revive Ailing Health Sector: Reuters NewMedia - August 26, 2004; Sugita Katyal; MADRI, India (Reuters) - Whenever Lalibati, a poor farmer s wife in western India, falls sick, she heads for only one person: the local faith healer. The Bhopaji waves a peacock feather fan on my head, gives me a little packet with some ash and that cures me, the middle-aged woman giggled, as she sat on the floor of a
Gilead says HIV drug combo beats Glaxo's Combivir: Reuters NewMedia - August 26, 2004; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gilead Sciences , on Thursday said a preliminary analysis of a late-stage trial shows its two drugs Viread and Emtriva were better able to control levels of HIV than
Theratech research VP quits, stock drops 11 pct: Reuters NewMedia - August 25, 2004; TORONTO (Reuters) - Theratechnologies Inc., shares fell to a year low on Wednesday as investors fretted about the resignation of a top research executive, less than three months after he was promoted to the position. Theratech, whose flagship growth-hormone compound ThGRF is poised to enter phase III clinical trials, s
Jackson on Libyan Mercy Trip for Condemned Nurses: Reuters NewMedia - August 24, 2004; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. civil rights campaigner Rev. Jesse Jackson said on Tuesday he would appeal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to show mercy to five Bulgarian nurses condemned to death for infecting children with HIV. In a telephone call from Benghazi, Libya, Jackson told reporters he would also urge Gaddafi i
Tense NY Convention Seen for Protesters, Police: Reuters NewMedia - August 24, 2004; Grant McCool; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activists and police are preparing for a tense standoff and possible violence on New York streets when hundreds of thousands gather to decry the Iraq war and Bush administration polices during the Republican convention. People have been saving themselves for this, said Eric Laursen, one of the org
Bollywood Film Tackles HIV Stigma in India: Reuters NewMedia - August 23, 2004; Jayashree Lengade; BOMBAY (Reuters) - In a movie-mad country where people are shy about discussing sex, a Bollywood film-maker hopes to shed some light on India s potentially disastrous HIV problem. While the virus, which is mainly spread through sex in India, has already infected one out of every 215 people, the subject has rarely been
Injected contraceptive raises STD risk - study: Reuters NewMedia - August 23, 2004; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women who use the injected contraceptive Depo-Provera have a higher rate of sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. This holds true even when behavior and other factors are taken into account, the research team at the National Institutes of Health, University of North
Viagra abuse may boost sex diseases, officials warn: Reuters NewMedia - August 23, 2004; Adam Tanner; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco has petitioned federal regulators to warn that the anti-impotence drugs like Viagra use could increase the risk of sexually transmitted disease and HIV, officials said on Monday. The request to the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month is a response to recreational use
S.Africans bring case against GSK over AIDS drugs: Reuters NewMedia - August 20, 2004; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African activists on Friday filed a lawsuit accusing GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) of charging excessive prices for AIDS drugs but said they would drop the case if the firm made the drugs more affordable. UK-based GSK and Germany s Boehringer Ingelheim last year reac
Canada says G7 not doing enough to help Africa: Reuters NewMedia - August 19, 2004; OTTAWA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Leaders from the Group of Seven rich industria