Health Care

Saudis Vaccine Health Workers Against Swine Flu Before Hajj Pilgrimage Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, started vaccinating government health workers against swine flu as Muslims prepare for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, risking the spread of the disease.

Pelosi Predicts Health Bill Will Pass After Abortion Deal, Obama Lobbying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber today will pass legislation on the most sweeping U.S. health-care changes in four decades as President Barack Obama urged Congress to “rise to this moment.”

Google's Flu Trends Tool Aids Swine Flu Surveillance, Researchers Find Google Flu Trends, the influenza- monitoring service of Google Inc.’s philanthropic arm, tracked swine flu almost as well as the surveillance systems maintained by health-care workers, scientists in New Zealand found.

Severely Ill Swine Flu Patients May Spend Weeks in ICU, Irish Doctors Find Swine flu sufferers who developed life-threatening complications during the pandemic’s initial wave in Ireland occupied intensive-care beds for weeks, pointing to a potential area of strain from any winter surge in cases.

Boston Scientific Pays $296 Million to Settle U.S. Probe Into Guidant Unit Boston Scientific Corp. agreed to pay $296 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department investigation into its Guidant unit’s handling of heart devices and restated third-quarter results to show a loss.

CVS Investors Pummel Stock on CEO Ryan's Caremark Surprise Contract Losses CVS Caremark Corp. investors are losing confidence in Chief Executive Officer Tom Ryan’s strategy after the company disclosed $3.7 billion in contract losses and a probe by antitrust regulators into some business practices.

Abbott Faces U.S. Investigation of Possible Kickbacks in Depakote Payments Abbott Laboratories said it is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department over “sales and marketing activities” for Depakote, its third top-selling drug.

New York Official Defends Shipping Vaccine to Goldman, Citigroup Workers New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said his department sent 6 percent of the city’s limited doses of swine flu vaccine to Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other large employers because they traditionally distribute shots in flu seasons.

Roche, HSBC, Novartis Under Probe in Korea Over Large-Scale Tamiflu Sales Roche Holdings AG, maker of the Tamiflu antiviral treatment, is under investigation in South Korea for its alleged involvement in illegal sales of the drug as the number of swine flu cases jumped.