[WSJ] A scramble among wealthy nations to guard against a swine-flu pandemic is raising concerns that billions of people in poorer countries could be left without adequate supplies of vaccine.
An increasing number of Western countries are signing agreements with vaccine makers guaranteeing them a certain number of doses should a pandemic occur. By locking up the [...]

[TheDay] The point of Shila Renee Mullins’ brain surgery was to remove a malignant tumor threatening to paralyze her left side.  But Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., also saw an opportunity to promote the hospital to prospective patients.
So, a video Webcast of Mullins’ awake craniotomy, in which the patient remains conscious and talking [...]

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2009 (Zenit.org)- The Pontifical Academy of Sciences hosted a week of study to consider the various issues related to the debate surrounding genetically modified organisms. The May 15-19 event in the Vatican brought together 41 scientists from some 15 nations, including China, Mexico, Australia, Kenya and Great Britain.
The experts discussed a range [...]

[USNews] BATON ROUGE, La.-Combining human and animal cells to create what are sometimes called “human-animal hybrids” would be a crime in Louisiana, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, under legislation approved Tuesday by a state Senate panel.
Scientific researchers in some areas have tried to create human embryonic stem cells, which scientists say could [...]

[BizJournals] Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc has agreed to license human embryonic stem cell patents from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the development of new drug therapies.
The license with the university’s patent and licensing arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, provides Pfizer the rights to work with human embryonic stem cells for drug research and discovery. Terms [...]

[NYTimes] “Wash your hands when you shake hands; cover your mouth when you cough,” President Obama urged us at last Wednesday’s news conference when discussing the swine flu. “I know it sounds trivial, but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, keep them out of school. [...]

[Baltimore Sun] It’s a name only a policy wonk could love: comparative effectiveness research. But get ready to hear a lot about it; it could save your rights as a patient – and maybe even your life. If opponents have their way, it could be the bogeyman that brings down health care reform.
Using false and [...]