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Valeant CEO Pearson remains hospitalized for pneumonia: Bloomberg

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc Chief Executive J. Michael Pearson has been moved to another hospital where he is being treated for a severe case of pneumonia, a company spokeswoman told Bloomberg on Sunday. Elaine Andrecovich, a public relations manager at Morristown Medical Center, where Pearson initially was admitted for treatment on Friday, confirmed that Pearson is not at the hospital but declined to provide more details. Laurie Little, a Valeant spokeswoman, told Bloomberg that Pearson is still in a hospital but declined to say where.

Valeant says CEO J. Michael Pearson hospitalized with severe pneumonia

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc Chief Executive J. Michael Pearson was hospitalized with a “severe case of pneumonia” on Friday and is receiving treatment, a company spokeswoman said. Pearson, 56, joined Valeant as CEO in September 2010 after a 23-year career at McKinsey & Company and became chairman of the board in 2010. Under Pearson's leadership, the company has come under U.S. government scrutiny for acquiring off-patent drugs and drastically hiking the prices.

Partners may not spot penis repair for common birth defect

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – Men don’t need to live in fear of ridicule over the appearance of their penis after getting surgery to correct a birth defect that causes urine to come out in the wrong place, a Swiss study suggests. Researchers focused on a condition known as hypospadias, a birth defect that affects around 1 in 200 boys and causes the urethra to form abnormally with an opening for urine anywhere from just below the end of the penis to the scrotum. Men with corrected hypospadias – a surgery typically done between ages 3 months and 18 months – often suffer from sexual inhibition and fear of being ridiculed for their penile appearance, researchers note in the Journal of Pediatric Urology.

South Korea announces official end to MERS outbreak

South Korea announced on Wednesday the official end to a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that killed 36 people and sparked widespread panic in Asia's fourth-largest economy. World Health Organization standards call for a four-week waiting period after the last MERS patient fully recovers before an outbreak can definitively be said to be over. The virus infected 186 people, with nearly 17,000 people confined to their homes and thousands of schools temporarily closing at the peak of the largest MERS outbreak outside Saudi Arabia, where it first appeared in 2012.

FDA overturns 30-year ban on blood donations by gay men

The United States government on Monday overturned its 30-year ban on blood donations by gay men, saying they can now donate 12 months after their last sexual contact with another man. The Food and Drug Administration said its decision to reverse the policy was based on an examination of the latest science which shows that an indefinite ban is not necessary to prevent transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. “Ultimately, the 12-month deferral window is supported by the best available scientific evidence, at this point in time, relevant to the U.S. population,” Dr. Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA's biologics division, said in a statement.

HealthCare.gov signs up 6 million for Jan. 1 insurance

About 6 million people have signed up for health insurance on the website HealthCare.gov, including 2.4 million new customers, for coverage effective Jan. 1, 2016, the U.S. government said on Friday. HealthCare.gov sells subsidized insurance plans created as part of President Barack Obama’s national healthcare reform, often called Obamacare. Last year at this time, about 3.4 million people had signed up for these plans, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

New laws to ease doctor shortage see long delays, criticism

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new Missouri law offered a first-of-its-kind solution to the physician shortage plaguing thousands of U.S. communities: Medical school graduates could start treating patients immediately, without wading through years of traditional residency programs.