The European Union Council of Ministers has adopted the Nutrition & Health Claims Regulation, which aims to harmonize regulation of health claims across the EU, according to an announcement by the council Oct 12. The adopted provisions would establish a positive list of approved health claims within three years of the regulation's publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Once the list is established, claims based on new scientific data will need approval from the European Food Safety Authority. The regulation would apply to product claims made on packaging or websites, and would ban all claims related to rates or amounts of weight loss. The regulation was adopted by the EU Parliament in May (1"The Tan Sheet" May 22, 2006, p. 9)...

Hillrom is reconsidering its planned $375m acquisition of Bardy Diagnostics because of Novitas' plan to cut Medicare reimbursement for extended cardiac monitoring. Bardy is suing to complete the deal.

Lumenis’ surgical business includes the MOSES laser system for minimally invasive urology surgery which will complement Boston Scientific’s LithoVue ureteroscope.