Health & Healthcare

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company, today announced it has signed a shipbuilding contract for a third next-generation cruise ship for its rapidly growing AIDA Cruises brand, the leading cruise line in Germany, which is the largest and fastest-growing cruise market in Europe.

From the young girl who gets to attend a science camp for free, to the family stranded in a shelter after a hurricane, to the sick child and his family aboard a Miracle Flight, on their way to receive specialized medical care. These are just some of the people Astellas USA Foundation helped in 2017 through partnerships and grants – and there are many more. Behind every grant, volunteer activity or funded event are people, all of whom were helped by Astellas USA Foundation.

March is National Nutrition Month! Throughout the month, Aramark and the American Heart Association will present a series of videos highlighting the work of their breakthrough health impact initiative, Healthy for Life 20 By 20. Experts from Aramark and the American Heart Association, as well as community members, will talk about the multi-year collaboration, and how we are working together to help millions lead healthier lives.

While there are thousands of experimental drugs currently in development, with the potential to ease symptoms or even cure various diseases, none of these treatments will become available to patients without clinical trials and clinical trial volunteers. In a global study conducted by The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) a non-profit-organization, in 2017, close to 70% of the public has never or rarely considered clinical trials as an option when discussing treatment options with their doctor or health provider. And only 6% of people who suffer from severe and chronic diseases participate in clinical trials each year. Low participation rates delay and limit the development of new medical therapies.

The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation has released a new educational video. Sponsored by Sanofi US, the digital public service announcement is designed to increase awareness of the important role that clinical research participants and clinical trials play in advancing public health.

Today, CITGO Petroleum Corporation celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Bronx Social Program by announcing the 2017-2018 grant recipients. The 21 chosen programs were selected because of their efforts to serve the Bronx community through five focus areas, including arts and culture, education, empowering communities, environment and healthy living. CITGO and its charitable organization the Simón Bolívar Foundation created the Bronx Social Program in 2007 to provide grant opportunities to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to ensuring a brighter future for the South Bronx.

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through its Merck for Mothers initiative, today announced the completion of CHAMPION (Carbetocin Haemorrhage Prevention), a global clinical trial conducted by the Human Reproduction Program (HRP) at the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a recent New York Times op-ed piece entitled, “Corporations Will Inherit the Earth,” Frank Bruni muses about the role of corporations in society at a time that the federal government is -- to use his phrase -- “a bumbling klutz.” Bruni asserts, “It can’t manage health care. It can’t master infrastructure. It can’t fund itself for more than tiny increments of time. It can barely stay open.” In contrast, he says, America’s corporations are operating “with an innovation and can-do ambition solely absent in Washington.”

The Well Living Lab today announced an extensive three-year scientific research plan to identify how indoor environments effect five significant facets of people’s lives: health, performance, stress and resiliency, sleep and comfort. Studies will examine these factors for homes, workplaces and independent living communities. A critical component of the research is the interplay of elements such as sound, lighting, temperature and air quality, all of which can be altered in various combinations to uncover positive, neutral and negative effects on people.

A ground-breaking study called EarlyBird was set up to explore the biology of growing children, how metabolic disorders develop in childhood and their consequences in adulthood. I lead the Nestlé team that is involved in this research.

Our research shows that by monitoring children during crucial stages of their development, we can accurately identify those at risk of developing metabolic disorders, better understand how these diseases develop and hopefully, eventually intervene nutritionally to prevent the onset of these conditions.