Health Canada should delay approval of generic OxyContin, health ministers say

HALIFAX - Provincial health ministers are calling on Ottawa to delay the approval of a generic form of OxyContin....More

Former Saskatchewan lieutenant-governor Sylvia Fedoruk was medical pioneer

REGINA - Former Saskatchewan lieutenant-governor Sylvia Fedoruk has died. The Saskatchewan government says she died Wednesday night, but gave no immediate cause of death....More

Fees going up for long-term care homes in Alberta by five per cent

EDMONTON - The Alberta government is raising accommodation charges for residents of long-term care facilities by five per cent beginning Jan. 1....More

Doctors group calls on Ottawa to rethink cuts to refugee health program

TORONTO - Pregnant women and their babies are among those experiencing the worst fallout from Ottawa's decision to scale back funding for refugee health care, says a group of doctors protesting changes to the program....More

'Sex selection abortion' played a role in supporting pro-life motion: Ambrose

OTTAWA - Facing calls for her job and accused by the NDP of betraying the women she represents at the federal cabinet table, a defiant Rona Ambrose stood in the House of Commons to explain why she voted in support of a pro-life motion. Sort of....More

Bats, camels or goats? Animals under suspicion in hunt for source of new virus related to SARS

LONDON - Britain's Health Protection Agency has published an early genetic sequence of the new respiratory virus related to SARS that shows it is most closely linked to bat viruses, and scientists say camels, sheep or goats might end up being implicated too....More

Bats, camels or goats? Animals under suspicion in hunt for source of new virus related to SARS

LONDON - Britain's Health Protection Agency says an early genetic sequence of the new respiratory virus related to SARS shows it is most closely related to bat viruses....More

4,000 German children sickened in outbreak of suspected food-borne vomiting virus

BERLIN - German health authorities say at least 4,000 children have fallen ill with vomiting and diarrhea after eating food from school canteens and daycare centres....More

Key ingredient in "bath salts" to be treated like cocaine, heroin

OTTAWA - The federal government is banning a key ingredient found in the street drug known as bath salts. The compound, called MDPV, will now be treated the same as cocaine or heroin....More

Finance minister admits Ontario risks courts striking down wage freeze bill

TORONTO - Ontario's Liberal government is confident legislation to impose a wage freeze on nearly 500,000 public sector workers will withstand court challenges, but there is a "very real risk" it could be struck down, admitted Finance Minister Dwight Duncan....More

Doctors' warnings that patient unfit to drive cuts risk of injury from crash: study

TORONTO - Patients warned by their doctors to avoid getting behind the wheel due to medical conditions that could make them unfit to drive appear to have a reduced risk of serious road crashes, a study suggests....More

Bizarre case involving man with many tumours could lead to customized treatments

It's a medical nightmare: a 24-year-old man endures 350 surgeries since childhood to remove growths that keep coming back in his throat and have spread to his lungs, threatening his life....More

B.C. reaches contract with nurses, includes wage increase

VICTORIA - British Columbia's nurses have reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government that includes a small wage increase, a smooth spot in an otherwise rocky set of public sector negotiations that have already seen several one-day strikes and other job action....More

AP-GfK Poll: Most say Obama's health care law will be implemented; but 7 in 10 expect changes

WASHINGTON - They may not like it, but they don't see it going away. About 7 in 10 Americans think President Barack Obama's health care law will go fully into effect with some changes, ranging from minor to major alterations, an Associated Press-GfK poll finds....More

WHO advises doctors worldwide to be on alert for new virus related to SARS

LONDON - Global health officials have alerted doctors to be on the lookout for new cases of a virus related to SARS but said there was no sign the disease was behaving like the killer respiratory syndrome that killed hundreds in 2003....More

Should older drivers quit? Families key in wrenching decision, need docs, better tests to help

WASHINGTON - Families may have to watch for dings in the car and plead with an older driver to give up the keys — but there's new evidence that doctors could have more of an influence on one of the most wrenching decisions facing a rapidly aging population....More

Meat, tofu among recommended iron-rich foods for Canadian babies

TORONTO - Meat and tofu are joining the list of recommended first foods for Canadian babies. The recommendations are part of a joint statement from the Infant Feeding Joint Working Group....More

Knee replacement operations soar among older folks; joint-damaging obesity among reasons

CHICAGO - Just like age-defying baby boomers, older folks have seen a surge in knee replacement surgeries, driven partly by a desire to stay active and by joint-damaging obesity....More

Ex-convict, HIV/AIDS advocacy groups ask court for prison needle exchanges

OTTAWA - A former prisoner infected with hepatitis C is suing the federal government over its refusal to allow clean-needle exchanges inside prisons....More

Danone to settle lawsuit over Activia yogurt, DanActive health claims

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. - The Canadian division of yogurt-maker Danone has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit that challenged health claims made about two of its leading products. The suit, launched in October 2009, questioned the way Danone Inc....More