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Zafgen to scrap lead obesity drug, shares slide

(Reuters) – Zafgen Inc said it was suspending the development of its lead obesity drug, beloranib, more than six months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the company to halt all tests on the drug following the death of two patients. Zafgen’s shares tumbled more than 40 percent in extended trading on Tuesday after the company also said it would reduce its workforce by about 34 percent to 31 employees by December. The FDA has approved drugs made by Vivus Inc, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc in the past few years, but asked for additional studies to check for safety of these drugs.

U.S. prosecutors launch review of failed FedEx drug case

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice has begun a rare internal examination of what went wrong in the prosecution of a controversial drug conspiracy case against delivery service Federal Express , the department's top prosecutor in San Francisco told Reuters. The review plays into a broader debate about how the government prosecutes suspected corporate wrongdoing and could influence its approach to such cases in the future. Prosecutors obtained a grand jury indictment against FedEx in 2014 on charges the courier service had knowingly helped Internet pharmacies ship illegal pills.

Uruguay wins case against US tobacco firm

Uruguay won an arbitration case against US tobacco giant Philip Morris, which sued the state claiming its strict anti-tobacco law harmed the cigarette maker's business, both sides said. “The Uruguayan state has emerged victorious and the tobacco company's claims have been roundly rejected,” Uruguayan President Tabara Vasquez said in a televised address. Philip Morris reacted by saying “we respect” the verdict, which is binding in any case.

Pace becomes first women’s golfer to opt out of Rio

(Reuters) – South African Lee-Anne Pace, citing Zika concerns, became the first women's golfer to withdraw from the 2016 Rio Olympics on Wednesday, joining a growing exodus on the men's side that includes the world's top-ranked player. Pace, a nine-times winner on the Ladies European Tour who is ranked 38th in the world, said she was eager to represent South Africa at the Aug 5-21 Olympics but felt Zika was too big a risk to take. “After weighing up all the options and discussing it with my family and team, I have decided that due to the health concerns surrounding the Zika virus, I will not be participating,” Pace, 35, said in a statement.

Milestones in legal fight over Texas abortion law

The Republican-led Texas legislature passes and Republican Governor Rick Perry signs the law known as H.B. 2, putting new requirements on abortion providers. September 2013 – Before the law is enforced, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers challenge the measure. March 2014 – The New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, a regional federal appeals court covering Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, reverses the lower court and permits much of the law to take effect.

Singapore team rubs shoulders discreetly with hi-tech massage jacket

By Yiming Woo SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Singapore design team claims to have come up with a solution to coping with aches and pain in the office – a jacket that massages your muscles and attempts to correct your posture. Controlled by a mobile app and able to run for around three hours after a USB charge, ‘Aira’ uses air pressure devices inside the jacket which expand to target pressure points and produce the sensation of a massage.

The End Of Men: Gender And Geriatrics

Two women face each other at a small table at the back of a café in Berkeley, California. A hot autumn sun pulses through the glass. One of the women, sturdy in a chambray shirt and large glasses, shakes her head with a false smile: “Then I just lost it.”Her friend, on the other side, slightly older, her lean left knee tucked below her chin,…

Midlife fitness cuts chances of a stroke later in life

The more fit people are when they reach middle age, the less likely they are to suffer a later-in-life stroke, according to new US research out Thursday. The findings, published in a journal of the American Heart Association, are based on a study of nearly 20,000 adults aged 45 to 50. The individuals, 79 percent of whom were men and 90 percent were white, were subjected to tests to measure their heart and lung exercise capacity.