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Exclusive: Sysco sees U.S. bird flu hurting egg supply up to 18 months

By Anjali Athavaley NEW YORK (Reuters) – Food distributor Sysco Corp said on Friday that a record U.S. outbreak of avian flu would limit its supply of eggs and chickens that lay them for nine to 18 months, based on information provided to the company by its suppliers. Sysco is the biggest U.S. food distributor, whose clients include restaurants, hotels and hospitals. The company is discussing options with its customers, including creating alternative menu items during the period, a Sysco spokesman said in an email. It is too soon to tell whether the supply squeeze will have a material impact on financial results, spokesman Charley Wilson said.

Experts urge $2bn global fund to develop antibiotics

The global pharmaceutical industry should set up a $2.0 billion (1.8-billion euro) global innovation fund to help kickstart research into developing more resistant antibiotics, experts said on Thursday. The report was by the British government appointed Review on Antimicrobial Resistance committee, which has warned that drug-resistant microbes could kill 10 million people a year worldwide by 2050. “We need to kickstart drug development to make sure the world has the drugs it needs,” the review's author, economist Jim O'Neill, told the BBC. O'Neill, who used to work at Goldman Sachs investment bank, has also warned that antimicrobial resistance — when bugs become immune to existing drugs — could cost $100 trillion in lost economic output.

AstraZeneca digs into precision medicine with lung, heart deals

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca is diving deeper into personalized healthcare with two projects that move the concept beyond cancer into respiratory disorders and heart disease. Personalized or precision medicine, which tailors treatment to a patient's genetic profile, is an increasing focus for drug companies, especially after an initiative from U.S. President Barack Obama in January. “Up to now the science of personalized healthcare has been slower to reach those common disease areas such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease.” To redress the balance, AstraZeneca said on Wednesday it had signed two deals, one with Abbott Laboratories for a diagnostic test to accompany an experimental asthma drug and another with Canadian scientists on genes associated with heart disease.

Experts denounce WHO’s slow Ebola response

A UN-sponsored independent report by experts on Monday denounced the World Health Organization's slow response to the Ebola crisis. WHO only declared a global public health emergency on August 8 after the outbreak had taken hold in west Africa.

How Democrats Are Fighting For Moms Every Day

Today, moms across the country will be treated to brunches, cards, flowers, and just generally the appreciation they so fully deserve. The range of ways we show our love for mothers will be as varied and diverse as the families celebrating. Of course, moms deserve more than just one day a year. Families have always relied on mom, but it may be…

FDA staff say Vertex CF combo works, unclear how

(Reuters) – Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc's combination of an experimental compound and an approved drug significantly improved lung function in cystic fibrosis patients with the most common genetic mutation underlying the disease, FDA staff said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers, however, were not sure whether Vertex's already approved therapy, Kalydeco, had a positive effect alone. The FDA is trying to ask the panel if the evidence is enough to show that the combination's benefit is significantly better than that of a single component, RBC Capital analyst Michael Yee said. The FDA staff was satisfied with the safety profile of the combination, to be called Orkambi, according to documents released on Friday.

J&J seeks bioethics advice on compassionate use of drugs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dying patients sometimes seek emergency access to experimental medicines, desperate for a last-chance treatment even if there’s little proof it could help. Now drug giant Johnson & Johnson is taking an unusual step, turning to independent bioethicists for advice on when to say yes or no.

Can peppermint sooth your stomach?

Article written by Coleanse Pills. Many studies suggest that peppermint oil to be effective for pain, indigestion, gas and treating bloated feeling …