Former Senator Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has withdrawn from consideration for the post over his belated payment of $128,000 in federal taxes.

Invatec, a provider of interventional products, has entered a global distribution agreement with Lumen Biomedical to distribute the FiberNet Embolic Protection System (EPS), which is indicated for the treatment of patients receiving endovascular intervention for carotid artery disease.

A variant of the gene for the inflammatory modulator interleukin (IL)-18 has been found to be associated with a prolonged ICU stay after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. The study, published online in January in BioMed Central's journal Critical Care, links the TT genotype of the IL-18 9545 T/G polymorphism with a larger pro-inflammatory response.

Patients taking clopidogrel following a heart attack are at a significantly higher risk of a recurrence if they are also taking acid-lowering medications such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), according to a study published online in January in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Forest Laboratories has reported that its fiscal third quarter of 2009 net income was $187.98 million,a downturn compared with the $301.8 million reported in the third quarter of the prior fiscal year.

Baxter International has reported 2008 fourth quarter net income of $569 million, an increase of 19 percent from the $478 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Novartis has reported a decline in net income for its 2008 year-end financial results, despite a 70 percent increase in net income for the 2008 fiscal fourth quarter.

Medtronic has expanded its CURE-AF [atrial fibrillation] SM clinical program with a post-market study in Europe and Canada.