International news and information

Patrick Lukulay faced a daunting task this month when he stepped off a plane in Accra, Ghana. Local clinics were reporting that oxytocin, a drug used to stop hemorrhaging after childbirth, was no longer working.
FULL STORY »

The Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy, which already operates under an unprecedented consent decree banning sales of many of its products in the U.S., agreed to plead guilty in federal court and pay $500 million to resolve allegations of shoddy factory inspections and poor quality control.
FULL STORY »

People in Australia will soon be able to record their dying wishes, such as whether they want to be resuscitated or kept alive by a life support system, on their electronic health record.
FULL STORY »

The need for better communication—with research applicants, patients and practicing clinicians—was a frequent topic of discussion at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's board of governors meeting on Monday.
FULL STORY »

Canada's largest listed drug maker, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc, is in talks to buy generic drugmaker Actavis Inc for more than $13 billion, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday night.
FULL STORY »

House Republicans signaled they are not convinced the FDA needs more statutory authority to police the activities of compounding pharmacies like the one blamed for a meningitis outbreak.
FULL STORY »

Hospital chains, health insurers and retail pharmacy groups are likely to wind up big winners in any shakeup of the corporate tax code, while pharmaceutical companies and medical-device makers may find themselves fighting tooth and nail to keep the status quo.
FULL STORY »

China reported three more cases of human infection of a new strain of bird flu on Sunday, raising the total number of cases to 21.
FULL STORY »

Health communication systems designed for rural, developing countries—where hospitals are often understaffed and transportation is inadequate—are being adapted to improve care in U.S. cities.
FULL STORY »

China announced a sixth death from a new bird flu strain Friday, while authorities in Shanghai halted the sale of live fowl and slaughtered all poultry at a market where the virus was detected in pigeons being sold for meat.
FULL STORY »