Science

Researchers Backing Glaxo's Diabetes Drug Had Financial Ties to Drugmaker Most scientists who published articles supporting GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s diabetes drug Avandia after it was linked to heart disease in 2007 had financial ties to the company, according to a Mayo Clinic report.

Extreme Obesity Increasing, Found in 6.4% of Children, Kaiser Study Says Extreme obesity affects about 6.4 percent of children, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that suggests overweight kids are getting even heavier.

J&J, Sanofi, Pfizer To Speed Up Testing for New Tuberculosis Treatments The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is changing rules for testing tuberculosis drugs to enable Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis SA and Pfizer Inc. to speed up approval of new combination treatments by decades.

Alzheimer's Drug Test Result From J&J May Be Pushed Back to 2012 From 2010 One of the most eagerly anticipated studies of a drug for Alzheimer’s disease may not yield results until 2012, two years later than had been forecast.

Gene Tests Don't Improve Assessment for Breast Cancer Risk, Research Says Gene tests made by DeCode Genetics Inc., 23andMe Inc. and Navigenics Inc. add little that’s useful to what women learn about their risk for breast cancer from a family-history evaluation used for 20 years, a study found.

Cancer Cost More Than Doubled in 40-Year War as Deaths Declined 16 Percent The rising cost of cancer research and care, which helped reduce death rates by 16 percent over 40 years, is straining the U.S. health system and needs to be restrained, commentators said in a special edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Skin Cancer Rising in U.S. Epidemic of Non-Melanoma Malignancy, Study Says Skin cancer types more common and less deadly than melanoma are rising in the U.S., leading to an “epidemic” of the malignancy that requires treatment, researchers said.

Abbott MitraClip Valve Clamp Offers Safe Alternative to Open-Heart Surgery Abbott Laboratories’ MitraClip cardiac clamp safely repaired leaking heart valves in a study, potentially providing a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery.

Plump Lips Make Sex Symbols From Facelift Leftovers, Researchers Report Angelina Jolie-esque lips may be closer than you think; as close as your own neck.

Medtronic Freezing Catheter Works Better Than Drug for Heart Disorder Medtronic Inc.’s Arctic Front catheter worked better than medicine to control irregular heartbeats in people who didn’t respond to prior drug treatments, a study found.