Republican lawmakers to push $1.1 billion in new Zika funds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate agreed on Wednesday to $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus, a House Republican lawmaker said, shortchanging President Barack Obama's funding request and angering Democrats by making other cuts to pay for it.

U.S. completes 'takedown' of Medicare fraud: officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement officials have charged 301 suspects with trying to defraud Medicare and other federal insurance programs in 2016, marking the "largest takedown" involving health care fraud allegations, the Justice Department said on Wednesday.

House Speaker Ryan unveils Republican alternative to Obamacare

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled a Republican healthcare agenda on Wednesday that would repeal Obamacare but keep some of its more popular provisions.

U.S. to help fund technology to eliminate Zika in blood supply

(Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Monday it has agreed to help fund two pathogen reduction technologies to help reduce the risk of Zika virus and other infections from being transmitted through the blood supply.

Novartis aims to nearly triple biosimilar drugs on market by 2020

KUFSTEIN, Austria (Reuters) - Switzerland's Novartis pledged to nearly triple its number of biosimilar drugs on the market by 2020, raising its bet that cheaper versions of blockbuster cancer and immune system medicines will snatch billions in rivals' profits.

Hologic wins emergency U.S. authorization for Zika test

(Reuters) - Hologic Inc won emergency U.S. authorization to sell its Zika test, expanding the number of public and private labs that can test for the virus as health officials brace for a rise this summer in the number of infections.

Health agency reports U.S. babies with Zika-related birth defects

(Reuters) - Three babies have been born in the United States with birth defects linked to likely Zika virus infections in the mothers during pregnancy, along with three cases of lost pregnancies linked to Zika, federal health officials said on Thursday.