Bush would veto House bill on stem cells
President Bush said on Friday he would veto legislation that would loosen restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and expressed concern about human cloning research in South Korea.
In the House of Representatives, supporters of embryonic research sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware and Democratic Rep. Diane DeGette of Colorado hope for a vote next week and believe it will be close.
Bush said the bill would violate his principles.
Honduras sees 1.5 mln at risk from Chagas disease
The deadly Chagas disease has infected 300,000 Hondurans and could spread to 1.5 million more without measures to halt it, a health official said on Thursday.
Chagas, which is transmitted mainly by blood-sucking insects known as kissing bugs, kills up to a third of its victims and disproportionately affects the rural poor in Latin America.
J&J says FDA rejects Risperdal as autism treatment
Johnson & Johnson said on Friday U.S. regulators rejected its application to market antipsychotic drug Risperdal for patients with autism.
Johnson & Johnson’s Pharmaceutical Research & Development unit said it received a “not-approvable” letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on its petition for an additional use of the drug, which currently is used as a treatment for schizophrenia.
Rifaximin protects against Montezuma’s revenge
The antibiotic rifaximin seems to be effective for preventing Traveler’s Diarrhea, not just for treating the problem, according to a new report.
Rifaximin, sold under the brand name Xifaxan (and possibly others), is not absorbed into the bloodstream so it’s useful for treating intestinal infections. It has proven to be an effective treatment for travelers’ diarrhea, and was recently approved for this purpose in the US.
