AP Interview: US troops to get mandatory swine flu shots soon; Deploying forces get priority

WASHINGTON — U.S. military troops will begin getting required swine flu shots in the next week to 10 days, with active duty forces deploying to war zones and other critical areas going to the front of the vaccine line, a top military commander said Tuesday.

Senate Finance Committee votes down creation of public insurance plan

WASHINGTON — The Senate Finance Committee has voted against creating a new government health insurance plan to compete with the private market. The 15-to-8 vote could forecast the fate of the public option in the Senate as a whole. The outcome was expected but still a defeat for liberals who view government-sponsored insurance for the middle class as a key component of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

Xerox joins race to boost tech offerings with $6 billion deal for Affiliated Computer Services

NEW YORK — Xerox Corp. said Monday it will buy Affiliated Computer Services Inc. for about $6.4 billion in cash and stock, joining the expensive race among technology companies to broaden their offerings.

National network for sharing e-health records still in infancy, will get boost from stimulus

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dr. James E. Sanders is a big believer of switching patient records from old paper files to sophisticated computer databases.

Pfizer’s $68 billion buyout of Wyeth gets clearance in China, still awaiting US clearance

NEW YORK — Drug developer Pfizer Inc. said Tuesday China’s ministry of commerce approved the company’s $68 billion buyout of rival Wyeth.

FACT CHECK: In health debate, Obama’s stories of hardship don’t always hold up to scrutiny

WASHINGTON — One of President Barack Obama’s health care “horror stories” is about a woman who, he says, lost her health insurance on the verge of breast cancer surgery because she didn’t disclose a case of acne to the insurer. That’s not what happened.

Abbott Labs buying Solvay’s drug business for $6.6B bln in an overseas deal to boost portfolio

NEW YORK — Abbott Laboratories is buying the pharmaceutical business of Belgian chemicals maker Solvay for $6.6 billion in a move to further expand internationally and add to its product portfolio.

EU warns drug makers to look out for new antitrust investigations

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top antitrust official warned drug makers Tuesday to “look out” for new investigations in coming months.

Belgium’s Solvay sells its pharmaceutical business to Abbott Laboratories of US for $7.6 bln

BRUSSELS — Solvay, the Belgian chemical and pharmaceutical group, said Monday it has agreed to sell its entire pharmaceutical business to Abbott Laboratories of Abbott Park, Illinois, for euro5.2 billion ($7.6 billion).

British health authorities investigate as girl dies after receiving cervical cancer vaccine

LONDON — British health officials temporarily suspended a vaccination program in an English city Tuesday after a 14-year-old girl died a few hours after being vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer.

FDIC plan for insurance fund is no long-term fix, but it won’t likely inhibit banks’ lending

WASHINGTON — A plan that regulators proposed Tuesday to have banks prepay $45 billion in insurance premiums won’t provide a long-term fix for the shrinking fund that insures bank deposits.

Newspaper finds many US dialysis patients not told about kidney transplant option first

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh newspaper says it has found that thousands of kidney patients in the United States start dialysis without first being told of kidney transplants that would be cheaper and lead to longer lives.

Maxygen CEO and CFO to leave Wednesday as part of expanded partnership with Astellas Pharma

NEW YORK — Maxygen Inc. said Monday its CEO and chief financial officer will leave the company on Wednesday, in keeping with a collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc.

Johnson & Johnson takes 18 pct stake in Crucell, boosting vaccine, infectious disease position

TRENTON, N.J. — Health care giant Johnson & Johnson is jumping into the increasingly hot vaccine business by taking an 18 percent stake in Dutch biotechnology company Crucell NV and focusing more on preventive medicine.

Congress looks at supplements with steroids; baseball players union wants products tested

WASHINGTON — An influential senator is looking into whether Congress should re-regulate dietary supplements because steroids and other banned substances are finding their way into over-the-counter bodybuilding products.

High costs force some people to roll the dice on health care coverage, opt out of insurance

NEW YORK — Call it a health care gamble: the decision by some people to opt out of health insurance, paying cash for routine care while playing the odds that an accident or catastrophic illness won’t plunge them into financial ruin.

Get older, pay higher health premiums: Congress tries to figure out a fair equation

WASHINGTON — Old people get sick more than young people, and in most states that adds up to them paying a lot more for their health insurance premiums.

FDA finds bungled approval of knee repair device followed ‘extreme’ political pressure

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration has taken the unprecedented step of acknowledging that it buckled to “extreme” pressure from Capitol Hill in its approval of a knee repair device last year. While FDA officials call the situation an anomaly, experts said Friday there is nothing to stop similar political lobbying from influencing future decisions.

Thousands opposed to G-20 policies march in Pittsburgh, shout at summit site from afar

PITTSBURGH — A vociferous but peaceful group of several thousand people marched for miles through the downtown area on Friday, united by opposition to the Group of 20 summit but expressing a diversity of mostly liberal causes as an army of stone-faced riot police watched their every move.

Thousands opposed to G-20 policies march toward downtown Pittsburgh, near summit site

PITTSBURGH — A few thousand demonstrators pledging nonviolence banged drums, danced and held signs advocating everything from human rights to ending war during a march through the city where Group of 20 world leaders were meeting.

Pelosi says House will consider Senate funding scheme for health care

WASHINGTON — House Democrats are considering a tax on high-cost insurance plans to help pay for health care overhaul that tops President Barack Obama’s domestic agenda.

PTSD, depression, alcohol land more veterans in UK criminal justice system than Afghanistan

LONDON — Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse are behind an alarming rise in the number of former British soldiers ending up in prison, a report says — and more veterans have had tangles with the law than there are British troops in Afghanistan.

Biovail shares gain ground as J.P. Morgan analyst issues ‘Overweight’ rating on outlook

NEW YORK — Shares of Canadian drug developer Biovail Corp. rose Friday after a J.P. Morgan analyst started coverage on the stock with an “Overweight” rating and $19 price target.

European Medicines Agency recommends 2 swine flu vaccines be licensed

LONDON — The European Union’s drug regulator recommended Friday that two swine flu vaccines be licensed in the 27-nation bloc to ensure their availability before the start of the normal flu season.

Government-sponsored health insurance plan to face crucial Senate committee votes

WASHINGTON — Advocates for a public insurance plan — the idea that has generated the most passion in the high-decibel health care debate — are pressing for a crucial test vote in the Senate Finance Committee.

Ark. Rep. Ross, Blue Dog’s leader on health care, sold pharmacy for more than apparent value

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — By all indications, the Holly’s Health Mart drugstore owned by Rep. Mike Ross and his wife appeared to be worth no more than $300,000.

Finance committee senators to offer proposals Friday to create gov’t option

WASHINGTON — Two top Democrats say they’ll offer proposals to create a government-sponsored health insurance plan to the Senate Finance Committee on Friday.

Fed jurors reject family’s claim that FEMA trailer exposed hurricane victims to fumes

NEW ORLEANS — A federal jury on Thursday rejected a New Orleans family’s assertions that the government-issued trailer they lived in after Hurricane Katrina exposed them to dangerous fumes, in the first of several trials that could lead to hundreds of similar claims being resolved.

Democrats try to win support from seniors for overhaul without alienating drug companies

WASHINGTON — For the moment, the health care fight is all about older folks.

Republicans to block health nominees until Obama’s team lifts ‘gag order’ on Medicare insurers

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s top Republicans said Thursday they wouldn’t allow President Barack Obama to fill health posts until his administration stops barring insurers from telling the elderly how Democrats’ health overhaul could affect their benefits.