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LONDON (AP) - AstraZeneca PLC announced it will slash 3,000 jobs over the next three years despite reporting its third successive year of earnings growth Thursday, stressing that it still needs to improve its weak pipeline of future drugs. The drug maker, which is facing patent challenges and escalating generic competition, revealed the job cuts as part of a US$500 million (euro384.02 million) three-year revamp of its supply chain as it said that sales growth would continue at a slower pace this year. Net profit for the three months to Dec. 31 rose 17 per cent to US$1.4 billion (euro1.08 billion), from US$1.2 billion a year earlier, AstraZeneca said. Revenue rose 14 per cent to US$7.2 billion (euro5.56 billion). For the full year, profits rose 28.5 per cent to US$6.04 billion (euro4.66 billion), while revenue lifted 11 per cent to US$26.8 billion (euro20.69 billion), marking the third year of growth since the expiration of a number of key patents in 2003.
Women struggle with heart disease, too
In the United States, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, claiming the lives of more females than males. More women die from heart disease than breast cancer. In fact, heart attack and stroke claim more lives than the next seven leading causes of death. If you're like most women, you may not identify yourself as a candidate for heart disease. You're busy worrying about the health needs of your husband, children and, in some cases, elderly parents. It's easy to minimize the signs that something is wrong with your health. It's also easy to mistake the symptoms of a heart attack because, for women, they're often different from what we've heard about. Women are more likely to experience fatigue, indigestion, abdominal pain, shortness of breath and heart palpitations.
Stomach this: Health and beauty tips for that troublesome gut
That cheese- and sauce-laden pizza sitting in the office lunchroom looks splendid. Too bad you can't even look at it without getting heartburn. However tempting, you pass up the fried chicken, too. We've all struggled with the difficult choice between satisfying our taste buds and preventing a long night of digestive discomfort. The stomach and digestive system are hard to ignore. Whether there's bloating and pain because of something you ate or emotional distress because of width, your belly demands attention. "Having a fit and attractive core - waistline, tummy - helps us to feel confident and good about ourselves," said Rayna McInturf, co-owner of Hoopnotica Inc. in Marina del Rey, Calif., which offers Hoopdance classes. "Having a strong core helps us maintain good posture and helps prevent back pain and injury." Heather Villarreal, clinical dietitian at Saddleback Memorial Center in Laguna Hills, Calif., said that carrying weight around the abdomen increases the risk of developing diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Women & Heart Disease
Friday is the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women Day." They want everyone to wear red to raise awareness that heart disease is not just for men. It's the number one killer of both men and women. Jacksonville native Angela Jones is finally getting the pieces of her life right. But a few years ago, her body was telling her something was wrong. "I started having pains in my chest here, my wrists hurt- oddly enough I had pain in my wrists and had pain in my back shoulder blades," she said. Doctors diagnosed Jones with anxiety. And it wasn't until six months, and a mild stroke later that she found out it wasn't stress.. it was heart disease. Jones said,"I was pretty much on my back unable to take care of myself because it had progressed." Doctors say many times heart disease in women is missed- either because the doctor or the women herself underestimates her symptoms.
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