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Hamilton Spectator
28-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Minister says CFIA following due process in B.C. ostrich cull case
The federal agriculture minister says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is following 'due process' as it prepares for a cull of about 400 ostriches at a farm in British Columbia. Protesters have called for the ostriches at the farm in Edgewood, B.C., to be saved, drawing support from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Asked about U.S. interventions in the case, Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said he didn't think important decisions should be made by following social media. 'I think if we follow Twitter or that type of thing with any major decisions that we're making here in Canada, I'm not sure that that's the appropriate course of action,' MacDonald said. He said he felt sorry for the farmers but there was an obligation to protect Canada's industries. He said he hadn't been in contact with his U.S. counterpart on the issue. The owners of the Universal Ostrich farms filed a Federal Court appeal this week seeking a 'stay of the execution and enforcement' of the culling order, which was first issued last year during an outbreak of avian flu that killed 69 of the ostriches. They have claimed that the surviving ostriches have acquired herd immunity to avian flu and they should be spared because they are valuable to science, a position supported by Kennedy who suggested joint research on the birds. Kennedy wrote to the head of the CFIA last week seeking to avert the cull, while Oz has offered to rehouse the birds at his Florida ranch. Independent B.C. legislator Jordan Kealy, who has visited the farm, said Ottawa should listen to the U.S. officials and spare the birds. 'So if our main trading partner is looking to preserve these birds, especially for research, I would implore the federal government to take (this) seriously and pursue alternatives,' he said. Kealy said the family has sent letters to every MP asking for their support seeking an exemption to the cull order. Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, said they aren't interested in Oz's offer to rehouse the flock, although they're grateful for the support. Protesters have gathered at the farm to prevent the cull, which the CFIA has said will go ahead at an undisclosed time. — With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Dr. Oz Offers to Relocate BC Ostriches Facing Cull, but Owners Decline Help
The operators of an ostrich farm in southeastern British Columbia say United States health official and former television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz has offered to save the birds from an impending cull by relocating them to his ranch in Florida. But Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, said they aren't interested in moving the flock, although they're grateful for the support. Oz is the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is the second health official in the administration of President Donald Trump to try to prevent the cull, after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr intervened last week. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the cull last year after an avian flu outbreak at the farm, and a judge tossed out a challenge this month that sought to stop the order. Pasitney said she spoke with Oz on Monday, confirming a report in the New York Post quoting him as saying he offered to relocate the nearly 400 ostriches to his ranch. 'It's not like we're looking at transporting our ostriches anywhere, but I think what the message is (about) the growing support across the States,' she said. Related Stories 5/26/2025 5/24/2025 'Even people like Dr. Oz want to be involved and (want to) see these animals live -- even offering his 900 acre ranch in Florida.' She said New York billionaire businessman and radio host John Catsimatidis had connected her with both Oz and Kennedy. 'He's well connected and he's very passionate about this cause,' Pasitney said. Kennedy wrote a public letter to CFIA president Paul MacKinnon last week, saying the birds should be spared as there was 'significant value' in studying their immune response to avian flu. But the agency said Monday in response to a question about Kennedy's letter that the 'humane depopulation' of the flock would proceed. It said dates and plans will not be shared publicly, citing privacy protections for producers. Catsimatidis issued his own press release on Tuesday calling on MacKinnon to stop the planned cull. 'We're calling for a temporary halt and an independent review. Let the U.S. FDA and veterinary scientists evaluate these birds—don't destroy them before humane alternatives are considered,' he said in the release. 'Dr. Oz is standing by to assist. We're not asking for miracles, just common sense and compassion.' Protesters have also gathered at the farm in an attempt to prevent the cull and Universal Ostrich Farm filed an appeal seeking a 'stay of the execution and enforcement' of the culling order in Vancouver Monday. The appeal claims the Federal Court 'made multiple reversible errors' when it upheld the agency's decision to cull the ostrich herd earlier this month. The notice of appeal says the Federal Court's decision 'took an unduly narrow' view of the agency's mandate under the Health of Animals Act, wrongly concluded that expert reports weren't needed, didn't fully consider the consequences of the cull decision, and didn't properly determine if the agency's denial of further testing of the animals was reasonable. It also claims the farm's lawyers in the Federal Court judicial review proceedings provided 'ineffective assistance' that 'amounted to incompetence, and resulted in a miscarriage of justice.' It says 'prior counsel had a financial stake in the destruction of the appellant's ostriches, resulting in a blatant conflict of interest.' Lee Turner, one of the farm's former lawyers, said Monday he 'certainly did not' have a conflict of interest, and his co-counsel Michael Carter did a 'a remarkable job with the short window of time that he had.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Top Dividend Stock to Buy for a Lifetime of Passive Income
Johnson & Johnson faces challenges including legal and regulatory troubles, and slow top-line growth. The healthcare leader has a solid and diversified business that can overcome these headwinds. J&J has increased its dividend for 62 consecutive years. 10 stocks we like better than Johnson & Johnson › There are hundreds of dividend stocks on the market, but they don't all offer the same level of security. Some haven't increased their payouts in years. Others may provide irregular dividend hikes, which will likely stop if the economy tanks or company-specific issues hit. Still others have cut their payouts in recent years. These aren't the kind of stocks income seekers are looking for. Instead, dividend investors want corporations that consistently raise their payouts, preferably every year, and are unlikely to stop even when they face headwinds. One company that has what it takes to do that is Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). Here's why this longtime dividend payer is worth holding on to for good. Let's start with the bear case for Johnson & Johnson. Over the past few years, it has dealt with several issues. We'll consider three. First, it is still facing a litany of lawsuits related to talc-based products that allegedly gave consumers cancer. The company recently failed to put a lid on most of these lawsuits when a judge stopped its attempt to settle with most plaintiffs. So it looks like this headwind will continue. Second, recent regulatory changes in the U.S. could eventually hurt its revenue. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now has the authority to negotiate the prices of some of the drugs Medicare spends the most on. The first round of negotiations features three of J&J's medicines: Blood thinner Xarelto, immunosuppressant Stelara, and blood-cancer medicine Imbruvica. All will see significant price cuts for Medicare patients. Third, the company has dealt with relatively slow revenue growth. However, despite all that, Johnson & Johnson looks like an attractive long-term option for dividend-seekers. J&J didn't get to be one of the largest healthcare companies in the world by accident. The company has constantly developed newer and better products in its pharmaceutical and medical-technology businesses. It boasts a deep lineup of medicines across several therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. It has more than 10 drugs that each generate more than $1 billion in annual sales. Its med-tech unit is also diversified across several areas. Its pipeline features several dozen programs. And the drugmaker constantly earns brand-new approvals or label expansions. In other words, it has an incredibly robust underlying business that's well equipped to handle the challenges it faces. The price cuts for Xarelto, Stelara, and Imbruvica will only take effect next year. And even then, they will have a minimal impact on the company's results because none of these drugs feature in its long-term growth plans. Sales of Stelara and Imbruvica are already declining due to competitive pressure (from generics or otherwise). And while Xarelto's revenue moved in the right direction in the first quarter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first generic of this medicine. There will be more Medicare price negotiations, and nobody knows yet which drugs they will target. But in the long run, Johnson & Johnson should be able to handle this problem. It can avoid price negotiations by decreasing its exposure to therapies for which Medicare -- a program for the elderly -- spends the most. And that's just one possibility, which the company's deep pipeline and ability to generate consistent cash flow should allow it to do. J&J has been around for more than 100 years; it's had to deal with changes in regulatory regimes before. Although the company's revenue growth has been slow, its recent decision to spin off its consumer health unit to focus on its biopharma and med-tech segments was partly to address that problem. Expect stronger revenue growth as it focuses more on higher-growth opportunities within its two remaining units. Lastly, Johnson & Johnson has a higher credit rating than the U.S. government. Even the barrage of lawsuits has not changed that, which is strong evidence that it has the financial capabilities to handle these challenges. A previous judge shot down J&J's attempt to settle these lawsuits via a bankruptcy maneuver for one of its subsidiaries, partly because the company's robust financial position does not put it at risk of insolvency despite the lawsuits it faces. What about the dividend? Johnson & Johnson is a Dividend King with 62 years of consecutive payout increases under its belt. The healthcare leader should continue hiking its dividend, which now yields a market-beating 3.4% yield, for a long time. Before you buy stock in Johnson & Johnson, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Johnson & Johnson wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 1 Top Dividend Stock to Buy for a Lifetime of Passive Income was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US Medicare lays out timeline for third round of drug price negotiations
(Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Monday that it would announce a list of 15 drugs eligible for a third round of Medicare price negotiations by early February next year. For the first time, the list would include drugs payable under Medicare Part B - which covers medicines administered in a doctor's office or hospital - in addition to prescription drugs covered under Medicare Part D, CMS said. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The drug price negotiation process was established under President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The first round included drugs among the most expensive for Medicare insurance plans covering people aged 65 years and older or with disabilities. After facing criticism from the pharmaceuticals industry, President Donald Trump's administration had previously promised "greater transparency" in the process. CONTEXT CMS announced prices for ten drugs in August 2024, in its first round of cuts following a year of talks. The second round, which includes negotiations for 15 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes medicine Ozempic, is currently underway and a final decision on prices is due by November 30, 2025. Negotiated prices for the third round will take effect on January 1, 2028. Additionally, CMS said it was seeking public comment on various topics to enhance transparency and reduce the administrative burden for participating manufacturers. Earlier in the day, Trump signed a wide-reaching executive order directing drugmakers to lower their prices to align with what other countries pay, a measure that analysts and legal experts have cautioned will be difficult to implement.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US Medicare lays out timeline for third round of drug price negotiations
(Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Monday that it would announce a list of 15 drugs eligible for a third round of Medicare price negotiations by early February next year. For the first time, the list would include drugs payable under Medicare Part B - which covers medicines administered in a doctor's office or hospital - in addition to prescription drugs covered under Medicare Part D, CMS said. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The drug price negotiation process was established under President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The first round included drugs among the most expensive for Medicare insurance plans covering people aged 65 years and older or with disabilities. After facing criticism from the pharmaceuticals industry, President Donald Trump's administration had previously promised "greater transparency" in the process. CONTEXT CMS announced prices for ten drugs in August 2024, in its first round of cuts following a year of talks. The second round, which includes negotiations for 15 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes medicine Ozempic, is currently underway and a final decision on prices is due by November 30, 2025. Negotiated prices for the third round will take effect on January 1, 2028. Additionally, CMS said it was seeking public comment on various topics to enhance transparency and reduce the administrative burden for participating manufacturers. Earlier in the day, Trump signed a wide-reaching executive order directing drugmakers to lower their prices to align with what other countries pay, a measure that analysts and legal experts have cautioned will be difficult to implement. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
