Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc posted a lower-than-expected first-quarter profit on Tuesday, hurt by weakness in its business serving employers, and slashed its full-year earnings forecast, sending its shares down as much as 11.5 percent. Reuters Health Information
Medco Health Solutions Inc said on Tuesday that it had obtained an extension of its contract to provide pharmacy benefit services to insurer UnitedHealth Group through 2012, sending its shares up more than 7 percent. Reuters Health Information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned Zila Pharmaceuticals Inc about promoting its Peridex oral rinse without including information about possible risks, according to a letter released on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information
U.S. health regulators have warned Philips Medical Systems Inc about a host of problems with its manufacturing procedures at an Ohio plant, including a failure to oversee proper device design, according to a letter released on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information
Simply sending inspectors to China and other countries will not be enough to make sure food and drugs are safe and independent certification may be the best solution, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said on Monday. Reuters Health Information
U.S. authorities increased inspections of foreign drug plants last year but still checked only a fraction of sites that supply medicine ingredients to the U.S. market, a government watchdog is set to tell Congress on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information
