“Most U.S. employers are planning to further scale back health benefits offered to retirees, as companies struggle with the upward march in the cost of medical care and weigh increased contributions from the government’s Medicare program, a survey found.”

“Pfizer Chief Executive Hank McKinnell defended his compensation on Sunday, saying share price performance alone is not enough to evaluate his effectiveness as CEO of the world's largest drug maker.

McKinnell became the target of complaints about excessive executive compensation when Pfizer disclosed a retirement package under which he can he can choose from an annual pension of more than $6.5 million, or a lump sum payment of $83 million. He also earned nearly $16 million in 2005.”

The wholesale prices of brand-name prescription drugs increased 3.9% in the first quarter of 2006, the largest quarterly increase since 2000, according to a study released on Tuesday by AARP, the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports (Freking, AP/Arizona Daily Star, 6/21).

“We’re making great progress against cancer, right?

The National Cancer Institute desperately wants you to believe that, even if it means spinning the scientific facts to fit the perception.”

“The American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) has not published a single letter to the editor regarding a highly publicized study by Dr. Gregory Simon, et al., ‘Suicide Risk During Antidepressant Treatment,’ claiming that data from this uncontrolled epidemiological study demonstrated that antidepressant treatment reduced suicide attempts. The study has been widely criticized. The director of the National Institute of Mental Health acknowledged the Simon study provides no valid information . . . . Other critiques have been made on both sides of the Atlantic.”

“Imagine yourself, newly arrived in Ottawa, as the freshman minister of cheeseburgers. Before moving into your office, might you be inclined first to divest yourself of your personal interest in Harvey's? Particularly if your interest amounted to a whopping one-quarter ownership of the company?”

“A piece of fruit coming into the United States is more likely to get government attention than a ligament or heart valve taken from a cadaver and destined for transplant.”

“If you're reading a magazine ad promoting an anti-cancer drug, be sure to read the fine print, a new U.S. study says. Drugs to fight cancer that were advertised in consumer-based magazines seemed to promote all of the benefits of the drugs in large text. Risks and side effects, however, generally appeared lower on the page and in a smaller, more difficult-to-read text.”

“The European Medicines Agency has recommended to extend the indication for Prozac (fluoxetine) and associated names to include the treatment of children of 8 years of age or older who suffer from moderate to severe depression and who do not respond to psychological therapy. The Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use concluded that the benefits of using Prozac in this indication outweigh its potential risks, but that the marketing authorization holder, Eli Lilly, should carry out additional studies to ensure that the safety profile of Prozac remains acceptable.”

“In the three years since Americans gained federal protection for their private medical information, the government has received thousands of complaints alleging violations yet has not imposed a single civil fine and has prosecuted just two criminal cases.”