Health Care

 
Cardinal Health profit growth exceeds expectations
 Profit growth comes in well ahead of expectations for the drug distributor's third quarter thanks to repricing of large retail accounts and the renewal of anti-diversion efforts, and the Dublin, Ohio-based company holds fast on full-year earnings projection.

• CVS Caremark's first-quarter profit jumps 83%
 
Vital Signs
Confronting inequities
 As health-care costs rise, middle-
class Americans are grappling with a growing sense of unfairness about the share they pay for what they get..
  
How to stay ahead
of your doctor
 Make a list of your symptoms and questions before your doctor's visit to get he most out of your physician's expertise.
Merck setback on cholesterol drug
 FDA turns down Cordaptive, but blue-chip drugmaker vows to submit additional data to secure approval. Merck affirms 2008 financial outlook, but shares take a beating.

Bristol-Myers Squibb holds firm on 2008
 Lower quarterly profit comes amid restructuring charges, but Plavix rebound bolsters top-line performance. Management affirms confidence in ability to hit full-year earnings target. 

• AstraZeneca plays defense over generics
 • Key drugs Avonex and Rituxan shine for Biogen Idec
• Signs of life at Schering-Plough
• GlaxoSmithKline fends with growing threat of generic competition
• Wyeth shows precious little evidence of growth in March quarter
• Genzyme's profit can't keep pace with 25% revenue growth
• Eli Lilly's first-quarter profit doubles
 • Novartis profit tops forecasts

Stocks in focus for Tuesday
BY MARKETWATCH
Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Tuesday's session are Global Payments, Wells Fargo, Cigna and LDK Solar.

The new year's financial horizon
BY JOSEPH CLARK
Corporate bonds, China, Brazil and Japan are worth exploring in January.

January's thaw could come from agriculture, midcaps, nat gas
BY JIM LOWELL
WATERTOWN, Mass. (MarketWatch) -- While the same economy and resultant market conditions won't likely make for easy sledding anytime soon, our seasonality index reflects a fairly optimistic view of January's historical trend line.

MarketWatch's top stories of the week, Dec. 29-Jan. 2
BY MARKETWATCH
Would that it were as simple as turning a page, laying aside with 2008's calendar all the year's tribulations and placing faith in our personal and collective prospects for a more prosperous new year.

Seven trends to watch in kids' health in 2009
BY KRISTEN GERENCHER
For children and adolescents, 2008 offered a mixed bag of health trends and developments that are poised to carry over into next year. Many of the changes focused on preventing serious diseases and disability later in life.

Ten investment ideas that will make you money in 2009
BY JONATHAN BURTON
Here are 10 ways -- combining defensive and proactive strategies -- to position your portfolio for the next 12 months:

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