(This story has been posted on The Wall Street Journal Online's
Health Blog at http://blogs.wsj.com/health.)
By Christopher Weaver
Here's what's making health news this morning:
The ABCs of Beating Obesity (WSJ): A new Institute of Medicine
report says schools should be a "national focal point" for the
prevention of obesity, requiring, for instance, at least 60 minutes
of physical activity a day.
GSK Makes Hostile Human Genome Sciences Bid (WSJ):
GlaxoSmithKline said it would take a $2.6 billion bid to buy Human
Genome directly to shareholders after its smaller partner rejected
the offer as too low.
Regulator Seems to Back HIV Drug (WSJ): A memo released by Food
and Drug Administration regulators Tuesday said Gilead Sciences'
drug Truvada could spare people at risk for HIV "infection with a
serious and life-threatening illness," a sign of support for what
would be the first approval of a preventive HIV medicine.
Psychiatry Manual Drafters Back Down on Diagnoses (New York
Times): Amid protests from therapists, scientists and patients, the
nation's top psychiatry association stripped its forthcoming index
of diseases of two new disorders it concluded were not supported by
evidence.
Senate Inquiry Into Painkiller Makers' Ties (New York Times):
Senators are probing ties between pharmaceutical companies that
make pain pills and the patient groups, pain specialists and other
groups that have advocated for broader use of the drugs.
Retired Couples May Need $240,000 for Health Care (Associated
Press): Fidelity Investments estimates that retired couples will
need to reserve $240,000 for health care costs over the remainder
of their lives, a number that could rise if the 2010 federal health
law is repealed.
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