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Johnson & Johnson Completes Initial Tender Offer For Cougar Biotechnology
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) announced that the initial offering period of its tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CGRB) expired at midnight (Eastern time) on July 2, 2009. The offer was conducted through a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson named Kite Merger Sub, Inc.

Antiabortion-Rights Group Operation Rescue Considering Purchase Of Tiller's Clinic
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman on Wednesday said that his group is considering trying to purchase murdered abortion provider George Tiller"s Wichita, Kan., clinic, which Tiller"s family permanently closed on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. The clinic is owned by Tiller"s family. The family"s lawyer, Dan Monnat, called Operation Rescue"s proposal "just another irreverent, extremist publicity stunt." He declined to comment further on the situation. The family has not announced its plans for the building and land, which are worth $734,100, according to Sedgwick County, Kan., property records. The clinic has long been a focal point for the antiabortion-rights movement because it was one of the few in the U.S. that offered abortion later in pregnancy. Newman said that he has discussed the possible purchase with only a few members of Operation Rescue"s board but is certain that the funds could be raised if they decide to attempt to buy the clinic. Newman also said that one possibility for the location would be to turn it into a memorial museum to serve as "a tribute to the babies." He denied the claim that his comments are a publicity stunt.According to the Times, the closing of Tiller"s clinic has set off a "flurry of concerns" from abortion-rights advocates that it will be more difficult for women to access abortion services in situations when catastrophic health issues are identified late in pregnancy (Davey, New York Times, 6/11). LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider who worked with Tiller at the clinic, said that he will continue to perform third-trimester abortions in Kansas but did not provide information on where he will practice, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. Although he did not provide details, Carhart said that "there will be a place in Kansas for the later second- and the medically indicated third-trimester patients very soon." He said he has seen an increase in patients at his Nebraska clinic since Tiller"s murder. Carhart traveled to Tiller"s clinic to perform second- and third-trimester abortions because Kansas has less restrictive abortion laws than Nebraska. Carhart said he has not performed any procedures at his clinic after 22 weeks" gestation because his staff is not trained to do them. According to the AP/Yahoo! News, Nebraska law prohibits abortion when a fetus is considered viable. Kansas law, however, allows abortion after 21 weeks" gestation if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the woman"s life or cause "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function, which courts have interpreted to include mental health (Gibbs, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/11).Broadcast CoverageThree media outlets on Wednesday reported on issues related to Tiller"s murder. Summaries appear below.~ MSNBC"s "The Rachel Maddow Show": The program included a discussion with Jennifer Boulanger, executive director for the Allentown Women"s Center, about threats to the center since Tiller"s murder (Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 6/10).~ NPR"s "All Things Considered": The program included a discussion with NPR health policy correspondent Julie Rovner about the correct terminology for referring to abortion later in pregnancy and why the phrase "late-term abortion" is inaccurate (Block, "All Things Considered," NPR, 6/10).~ WBUR"s "On Point": The program included a discussion with the Rev. Katherine Ragsdale -- a board member of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the incoming dean and president of Episcopal Divinity School -- and Jim Wallis -- founder and editor of the progressive evangelical group Sojourners -- about abortion-rights supporters" reaction to violence in the antiabortion-rights movement (Ashbrook, "On Point," WBUR, 6/10).
News of the day
Foreign Aid Donors Should Prioritize Maternal Mortality In Developing Countries, NYT Opinion Piece Says
One of the "most lethal forms of sex discrimination" is the "systematic inattention to reproductive health care, from family planning to childbirth" in developing countries, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes. According to Kristof, a woman dies every minute somewhere in the world from pregnancy or childbirth complications, and 20 times that number suffer childbirth injuries. Providers of foreign aid, including the U.S., "have never shown much interest in maternal mortality, and impoverished women are typically the most voiceless, neglected people in their own countries -- so they die at astonishing rates," Kristof writes.Kristof highlights the childbirth experience of a 19-year-old Pakistani woman named Shazia Allahdita whose infant died in childbirth after her relatives refused to take her to the hospital because they did not want to pay for the taxi fare. Kristof writes that "[i]f men had uteruses, "paternity wards" would get res, ambulances would transport pregnant men to hospitals free of charge, deliveries would be free, and the Group of Eight industrialized nations would make paternal mortality a top priority." Kristof notes that there is "the dawn of a global movement against maternal mortality," with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon working with the U.S. and other countries to plan a "landmark global health session" on Sept. 23. The session will focus, in part, on maternal health, which Kristof terms a "milestone." He concludes, "My dream is that Barack and Michelle Obama will leap forward and adopt this cause -- and transform the prospects for so many young women like Shazia" (Kristof, New York Times, 7/29).
Sexual Health

Obama Says He Is 'Absolutely Committed' To Health Reform

During a C-SPAN interview on Saturday, President Obama said he remains "absolutely committed" to overhauling the U.S. health care system despite obstacles that might surface during reform efforts, the Los Angeles Times reports (Dorning, Los Angeles Times, 5/24). He said he would work to keep "this process moving, ... focusing on how we reduce costs, how do we make sure families have some confidence that they can get health care when they need it and they won"t go bankrupt because their child gets sick" (Adams Otis, New York Post, 5/24).Obama said that his health care plan would provide "basic coverage" to all U.S. residents and retain patient choice of physicians and coverage. In addition, he said his plan would "invest more in prevention and wellness programs," as well as increase the use of electronic health records (Rushing, The Hill, 5/23).Obama also said that refusing to address the rising costs of Medicaid and Medicare now means the U.S. will face a bigger financial crisis in the future. He said overhauling health care would reduce costs and free up additional funding over the long term. This would make it easier to pay down the $11 trillion national debt and manage other financial issues, Obama said (New York Post, 5/24).Because such rising costs have shifted the political climate, Obama said that he believes "the stars may be aligned" for reform and that he can succeed where former President Clinton failed. Obama said, "The biggest change politically ... is that businesses now recognize that if we don"t get a handle on this stuff that they are going to continue to be operating at a competitive disadvantage with other countries." He added, "And so they anxiously seek serious reform" (Los Angeles Times, 5/24). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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