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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Obese diabetes patients could experience weight loss when taking Vivus' anti-obesity drug, according to an oral presentation at the International Diabetes Federation's World Diabetes Congress in Dubai.

BOSTON — Women who work a rotating schedule that includes three or more night shifts per month, in addition to day and evening working hours in that month, may have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when compared with women who only work days or evenings, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard's School of Public Health that was released Tuesday.

In addition, the researchers found that extended years of rotating night shift work was associated with weight gain, which may contribute to the increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

RYE, N.Y. — A drug in late-stage clinical trials appears to treat the symptoms of autism, the drug's developer said Wednesday.

Curemark announced results of the phase-3 trial of CM-AT in children ages 3 to 8 years. The company said the drug had a statistically significant effect on symptoms of autism compared with placebo. The Food and Drug Administration has granted the drug fast-track status, which it does for investigational drugs to treat serious or life-threatening conditions that may address unmet medical needs.

PRINCETON, N.J. — Days after its launch of a generic version of Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, Ranbaxy Labs has launched a related drug as an authorized generic.

Ranbaxy announced the launch of an authorized generic version of Caduet (atorvastatin and amlodipine besylate). The drug is used to treat patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Mylan launched a generic version of the drug on Thursday.

NEW YORK — A drug made by Pfizer appears to work in treating symptoms of overactive bladder in elderly patients, according to results of a clinical trial released Monday.

Pfizer said that results of study A0221049 of the drug Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) worked better than placebo in reducing the number of urgency urinary incontinence episodes. The 12-week study enrolled 562 elderly people in the United States. The drug already has Food and Drug Administration approval for treating overactive bladder.

MINNETONKA, Minn. — United Health Foundation’s "2011 America’s Heath Rankings," released Tuesday, found that increases in obesity, diabetes and children in poverty are offsetting improvements in smoking cessation, preventable hospitalizations and cardiovascular deaths. According to the report, the country’s overall health did not improve between 2010 and 2011 — a drop from the 0.5% average annual rate of improvement between 2000 and 2010, and the 1.6% average annual rate of improvement seen in the 1990s.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Gartner on Monday released the findings from its third annual "Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25," ranking Cardinal Health No. 1. The top 25 ranking for 2011 identifies organizations using their supply chains to improve the patient care experience.
 
"Value chain leadership in a range of foundational and collaborative capabilities has allowed these organizations to make great strides in enabling high-quality patient care at optimal economic cost," stated Barry Blake, research analyst at Gartner.
 

ATLANTA — As many as 111 million Americans had gotten a flu shot by mid-November, representing 36% of the 305 million Americans over the age of 6 months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a media telebriefing Monday afternoon. The number of people getting vaccinated is up slightly from last year, the CDC reported, most notably among children and seniors.