Former S.African president Mandela 'much better': Zuma

Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is looking much better after more than two weeks in hospital, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.
Zuma, who visited Mandela on Christmas Day, said in a statement that doctors were happy with the progress the elder statesman was making.
"We found him in good spirits. He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better. The doctors are happy with the progress that he is making," said Zuma.
The 94-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been in hospital in Pretoria for more than two weeks after being admitted for routine tests. He then underwent surgery to remove gallstones.
Mandela, who came to power in historic elections in 1994 after decades struggling against apartheid, remains a symbol of resistance to racism and injustice at home and around the world.
He has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis while in jail as a political prisoner. But this is his longest stay in hospital since he was released from prison in 1990.
He spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains though he was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious.
Zuma, who has just been re-elected as president of the ruling African National Congress party, last week described Mandela's condition as serious.
"The Mandela family truly appreciates all the support they are receiving from the public. That is what keeps them going at this difficult time," said Zuma.
Periodic statements from the presidency continue to stress that the veteran politician is responding to treatment. No date has been given for his release from hospital.
Mandela spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.
After his release, he used his popularity to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks. This reconciliation is the bedrock of the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation".
Sworn in as South Africa's first black president in 1994, Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term in office and has largely been absent from public life for the last decade.
His fragile health has prevented him from making any public appearances in South Africa, though he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton in July.

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Former South African president Mandela "much better": Zuma

Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is looking much better after more than two weeks in hospital, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.
Zuma, who visited Mandela on Christmas Day, said in a statement that doctors were happy with the progress the elder statesman was making.
"We found him in good spirits. He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better. The doctors are happy with the progress that he is making," said Zuma.
The 94-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been in hospital in Pretoria for more than two weeks after being admitted for routine tests. He then underwent surgery to remove gallstones.
Mandela, who came to power in historic elections in 1994 after decades struggling against apartheid, remains a symbol of resistance to racism and injustice at home and around the world.
He has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis while in jail as a political prisoner. But this is his longest stay in hospital since he was released from prison in 1990.
He spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains though he was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious.
Zuma, who has just been re-elected as president of the ruling African National Congress party, last week described Mandela's condition as serious.
"The Mandela family truly appreciates all the support they are receiving from the public. That is what keeps them going at this difficult time," said Zuma.
Periodic statements from the presidency continue to stress that the veteran politician is responding to treatment. No date has been given for his release from hospital.
Mandela spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.
After his release, he used his popularity to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks. This reconciliation is the bedrock of the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation".
Sworn in as South Africa's first black president in 1994, Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term in office and has largely been absent from public life for the last decade.
His fragile health has prevented him from making any public appearances in South Africa, though he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton in July.

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‘Bumping’ Your Way to Safer Sex With a Smartphone App

Let’s face it.  Teens have sex.  Parents may choose to ignore it, and teens may choose to deny it, but almost 50 percent of American high school students are having sex, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And each year, millions of those sexually active teens contract sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and HIV.
Now one doctor hopes to curb the spread of STDs in this tech savvy group with a smartphone app that lets users “bump” their STD status.
It’s called ‘safe bumping,’” said Dr. Michael Nusbaum, the New Jersey developer of MedXSafe, a feature of the new app called MedXCom.  “If you happen to be out at a bar or a fraternity house or wherever, and you meet someone, you can then bump phones and exchange contact information and STD status.”
The app’s special feature, according to Nussbaum, encourages dating singles to go to the doctor for regular STD checks.  Those who screen negative can ask their doctors to document their STD-free status on the app, allowing users to share the information with whomever they choose.
An alarming 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, and rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea are on the rise, according to a new report released this month by the CDC.  More than 1.4 million chlamydia infections were reported in 2011, up 8 percent from the previous year.  Cases of gonorrhea were up by 4 percent, marking the second consecutive year of increases.
Nearly half of all infections occur in young people, between the ages of 15 to 24, a group that can be particularly devastated by the associated health effects.
“[Some] undetected and untreated STDs can increase a person’s risk for HIV and cause other serious health consequences, such as infertility,” said Mary McFarlane, an acting chief in the Division of STD Prevention at the CDC.  Harnessing modern social networking technology to prevent these infections may appeal to a younger tech-savvy generation.
MedXSafe is just one of several Internet-based programs devoted to easing confidential STD-status sharing between sexual partners.  Services like Qpid.me, whose slogan is Spread the Love, Nothing Else and U Should Know, designed by a former college student and his girlfriend, also allow their users to check on a partner’s STD status.
But could these services offer a false sense of security to teens who believe that, with a simple phone bump, they have the green light to have unprotected sex?
“It can take months for HIV to show up on a test,” said Renee Williams, executive director of SAFE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to abstinence education.  “So you can test negative today, go out on Friday night and have sex, and then get retested later and find out that you had HIV all along.”
The app does nothing to prevent unplanned pregnancy, and may even encourage high-risk behaviors that young people might otherwise not have been tempted to try, said Williams.
Nor is the app likely to be completely reliable, said Dr. J. Joseph Speidel, director of communication at the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health.
“Does it come with a condom?” asked Dr. Richard Besser, ABC’s chief health and medical editor, who’s also a pediatrician and former acting director at the CDC.
But the app’s creator said it does promote regular STD testing and encourages potential partners to openly discuss safe sex practices.
“We’re recognizing that this behavior is going to take place no matter what we do or what we say,” said Nusbaum.  “I have friends that are nuns and I’ve run this by them, and they also agree that it’s promoting safer behaviors.”
Although each program promises to keep health information strictly confidential, none are immune from cyber attacks.
But such attacks would not expose any users who have an STD, according to Nusbaum.  MedXSafe does not allow doctors to upload information about any tests that come back positive, including HIV.  A user with an infection is simply treated for the STD and then retested.  And that user is only confirmed STD-free via the app once subsequent test results come back negative.
Still, it is too early to tell whether these services will become popular with teens.  Lingering social stigma surrounding STDs might make potential partners reluctant to mention such an app when out at a party.
“It’s a big personal step to bring up using such an app,” said Noah Bloom, creator of a smartphone app called Jiber, which uses the same “bump” technology to electronically connect new friends.  “Who really wants anything in the way of getting lucky?

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The Medical Guide to Holiday Movies

Anna Karenina lies febrile on her post-partum bed, her husband, Karenin, and lover, Vronsky, flanking her in sorrow. She repents to each, anticipating her end, and just when the romance soars to its peak, you wonder aloud -- why does she have a fever? And, could this really happen?

Luckily, we've got Hollywood's holiday ailments covered. Our unofficial disease guide takes a shot at unraveling the medical mysteries you'll see woven throughout the biggest hits of the season.

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Cardiologist Used Ethanol Shot to the Heart to Save British Man's Life

A cardiologist in England gained international attention when he used an unconventional procedure -- a shot of basic alcohol to the heart -- to stop an unusual cardio rhythm in an elderly patient.

Dr. Tom Johnson, who carried out the procedure at the Bristol Heart Institute Hospital in Bristol, England, said Ronald Aldom, 77, was doing "fantastically well" after Johnson and his team used pure ethanol to treat Aldom's rapid heartbeat, a condition called ventricular tachycardia, or VT, about six weeks ago. VT, which starts in the lower two chambers of the heart -- the ventricles -- can be life-threatening if it goes untreated.

"He's got a lot of life to live," Johnson said.

It may seem like a story lifted out of "Pulp Fiction," but treating VT with ethanol, though rare, is an accepted method that has been used for years. What was noteworthy about Johnson's procedure was that he had never used ethanol to treat VT before, nor had it ever been done in that part of the United Kingdom.

"[Aldom] was at a point where he felt he had no other option and was kind of facing death," Johnson said. "While it sounds like a very barbaric treatment, it was a very rewarding one, [but] very high risk."

Typically, a radio frequency catheter ablation is the treatment choice for someone with VT. A radio frequency catheter is an electrical probe that is threaded into the heart and uses low-voltage electricity to kill the heart tissue around the area causing the arrhythmia. This prevents the tissue from continuing to produce the abnormal rhythm.


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But Johnson said his colleagues had already tried that technique on Aldom, who had also previously endured heart attacks, without success -- scar tissue that forms after heart attacks can reject the electrical treatment.

"It was complicated by the fact that [Aldom] had severe damage to his heart already," Johnson said. "It got to the point where this poor man was like, 'please shut it off and let me die.'"

Ethanol ablation works in the same way in that it also selectively destroys heart tissue, but it is more commonly used to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle is thick or "bulky," Johnson said. While he had used ethanol to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy before, to use it on Aldom was a last resort.

"This guy had no other option, which is why we were able to do something we had never done before," Johnson said.

The first step, Johnson said, was for him and his team to electronically map the heart to find and isolate the tissue that was causing the abnormal rhythm. Once the problem artery was located, Johnson's team fed a wire into the vein graph and inflated a balloon to block the artery. Through that balloon, Johnson said they injected the ethanol while the patient was under anesthetic, killing off the problem tissue.

Destroying the tissue creates a controlled, "selective" heart attack, which can be painful, Johnson said, but it allows the heartbeat to return to normal.

Using ethanol can have risky complications, Johnson said, because not only does it kill tissue, it can also kill some of the electrical function of the heart -- Aldom was already using a pace maker. Another risk, Johnson said, was that the balloon could shift, killing more tissue than intended. But his procedure came through successfully.

Dr. Richard Page, the chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a past-president of the Heart Rhythm Society in the United States, agreed that using ethanol to treat VT was "not a routine procedure at all.

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'Hobbit' extends No. 1 journey with $36.7 million

Tiny hobbit Bilbo Baggins is running circles around some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" took in $36.7 million to remain No. 1 at the box office for the second-straight weekend, easily beating a rush of top-name holiday newcomers. Part one of Jackson's prelude to the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the Warner Bros. release raised its domestic total to $149.9 million after 10 days. The film added $91 million overseas to bring its international total to $284 million and its worldwide haul to $434 million. "The Hobbit" took a steep 57 percent drop from its domestic $84.6 million opening weekend, but business was soft in general as many people skipped movies in favor of last-minute Christmas preparations. "The real winner this weekend might be holiday shopping," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. Tom Cruise's action thriller "Jack Reacher" debuted in second-place with a modest $15.6 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. Based on the Lee Child best-seller "One Shot," the Paramount Pictures release stars Cruise as a lone-wolf ex-military investigator tracking a sniper conspiracy. Opening at No. 3 with $12 million was Judd Apatow's marital comedy "This Is 40," a Universal Pictures film featuring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprising their roles from the director's 2007 hit "Knocked Up." Paramount's road-trip romp "The Guilt Trip," featuring "Knocked Up" star Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand, debuted weakly at No. 6 with $5.4 million over the weekend and $7.4 million since it opened Wednesday. Playing in narrower release, Paramount's acrobatic fantasy "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away" debuted at No. 11 with $2.1 million. A 3-D version of Disney's 2001 animated blockbuster "Monsters, Inc." also had a modest start at No. 7 with $5 million over the weekend and $6.5 million since opening Wednesday. Domestic business was off for the first time in nearly two months. Overall revenues totaled $112 million, down 12.6 percent from the same weekend last year, when Cruise's "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" debuted with $29.6 million, according to Hollywood.com. Cruise's "Jack Reacher" opened at barely half the level as "Ghost Protocol," but with a $60 million budget, the new flick cost about $100 million less to make. Starting on Christmas, Hollywood expects a big week of movie-going with schools out through New Year's Day and many adults taking time off. So Paramount and other studios are counting on strong business for films that started slowly this weekend. "'Jack Reacher' will end up in a very good place. The movie will be profitable for Paramount," said Don Harris, the studio's head of distribution. "The first time I saw the movie I saw dollar signs. It certainly wasn't intended to be compared to a 'Mission: Impossible,' though." Likewise, Warner Bros. is looking for steady crowds for "The Hobbit" over the next week, despite the debut of two huge newcomers — the musical "Les Miserables" and the action movie "Django Unchained" — on Christmas Day. "We haven't reached the key holiday play time yet," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner. "It explodes on Tuesday and goes right through the end of the year." In limited release, Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden manhunt saga "Zero Dark Thirty" played to packed houses with $410,000 in just five theaters, averaging a huge $82,000 a cinema. That compares to a $4,654 average in 3,352 theaters for "Jack Reacher" and a $4,130 average in 2,913 cinemas for "This Is 40." ''The Guilt Trip" averaged $2,217 in 2,431 locations, and "Monsters, Inc." averaged $1,925 in 2,618 cinemas. Playing just one matinee and one evening show a day at 840 theaters, "Cirque du Soleil" averaged $2,542. Since opening Wednesday, "Zero Dark Thirty" has taken in $639,000. Distributor Sony plans to expand the acclaimed film to nationwide release Jan. 11, amid film honors and nominations leading up to the Feb. 24 Academy Awards. Opening in 15 theaters from Lionsgate banner Summit Entertainment, Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor's tsunami-survival drama "The Impossible" took in $138,750 for an average of $9,250. A fourth new release from Paramount, "The Sopranos" creator David Chase's 1960s rock 'n' roll tale "Not Fade Away," debuted with $19,000 in three theaters, averaging $6,333. Universal's "Les Miserables" got a head-start on its domestic release with a $4.2 million debut in Japan. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $36.7 million ($91 million international). 2. "Jack Reacher," $15.6 million ($2.5 million international). 3. "This Is 40," $12 million. 4. "Rise of the Guardians," $5.9 million ($13.7 million international). 5. "Lincoln," $5.6 million. 6. "The Guilt Trip," $5.4 million. 7. "Monsters, Inc." in 3-D, $5 million. 8. "Skyfall," $4.7 million ($9 million international), 9. "Life of Pi," $3.8 million ($23.2 million international). 10. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," $2.6 million ($6.6 million international). ___ Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak: 1. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $91 million. 2. "Life of Pi," $23.2 million. 3. "Rise of the Guardians," $13.7 million. 4. "Skyfall," $9 million. 5. "Wreck-It Ralph," $7.3 million. 6. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," $6.6 million. 7. "Pitch Perfect," $6 million. 8. "Les Miserables," $4.2 million. 9. "Love 911," $3.2 million. 10. "De L'autre Cote du Periph," $3.1 million.

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Lawmakers see 'fiscal cliff' deal as elusive

With anxiety rising as the country lurches towards a "fiscal cliff," lawmakers are increasingly skeptical about a possible deal and some predict the best possibility would be a small-scale patch because time is running out before the yearend deadline. Sen. Joe Lieberman predicted Sunday: "We're going to spend New Year's Eve here, I believe." Even those who see the possibility of a deal don't expect a lot. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she expects "it is going to be a patch because in four days we can't solve everything." With the collapse Thursday of House Speaker John Boehner's plan to allow tax rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes, Lieberman said: "It's the first time that I feel it's more likely we'll go over the cliff than not," meaning that higher taxes for most Americans and painful federal agency budget cuts would be in line to go ahead. "If we allow that to happen it will be the most colossal consequential act of congressional irresponsibility in a long time, maybe ever in American history because of the impact it'll have on almost every American," said Lieberman, a Connecticut independent. Wyoming Sen. Jon Barrasso, a member of the GOP leadership, predicted the new year would come without an agreement, and he faulted the White House. "I believe the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes. He senses a victory at the bottom of the cliff," he said. Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, was incredulous at Barrasso's assertion that 'there is only one person that can provide the leadership" on such a matter vital to the nation's interests. "There are 535 of us that can provide leadership. There are 435 in the House, 100 in the Senate and there is the president, all of us have a responsibility here," he said. "And, you know what is happening? What is happening is the same old tired blame game. He said/she said. I think the American people are tired of it. What they want to hear is 'What is the solution?'" President Barack Obama and Congress are on a short holiday break. Congress is expected to be back at work Thursday and Obama will be back in the White House after a few days in Hawaii. "It is time to get back to the table," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., "And I hope if anyone sees these representatives from the House in line shopping or getting their Christmas turkey, they wish them a merry Christmas, they're civil, and then say 'go back to the table, not your own table, the table in Washington.'" Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he expects something will be passed, but nothing that will solve the nation's growing financial problems. "I think there's unfortunately only going to be a small deal," he said, but added "it's critical we get to the big deal." Obama already has scaled back his ambitions for a sweeping budget bargain. Before leaving the capital on Friday, he called for a limited measure that extends George W. Bush-era tax cuts for most people and stave off federal spending cuts. The president also urged Congress to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed that would otherwise be cut off for 2 million people at the end of the year. The failure of Boehner's option in the House has shifted the focus. "The ball is now clearly with the Senate," said Lieberman. He said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky "have the ability to put this together again and pass something. It won't be a big, grand bargain to take care of the total debt, but they can do some things that will avoid the worst consequences going over the fiscal cliff." It was only a week ago when news emerged that Obama and Boehner had significantly narrowed their differences. Both were offering a cut in taxes for most Americans, an increase for a relative few and cuts of roughly $1 trillion in spending over a year. Also included was a scaling back of future cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients — a concession on the president's part as much as agreeing to higher tax rates was for the speaker. Lieberman was on CNN's "State of the Union," while Barrasso, Klobuchar and Conrad appeared on "Fox News Sunday." Hutchison and Warner were on CBS' "Face the Nation."

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Greece not doing enough against rich tax dodgers, say EU/IMF

Greece's drive to crack down on flagrant tax evaders such as doctors and lawyers is flagging and must be reinvigorated, a report by the European Union and International Monetary Fund said on Monday. Athens has collected just half the tax debts and conducted less than half the audits it was supposed to under the targets set by its lenders, according to a survey by the country's international lenders which was compiled in November. "The mission expresses concern that authorities are falling idle and that the drive to fight tax evasion by the very wealthy and the free professions is at risk of weakening," it said. By the end of September authorities had conducted 440 checks on suspected wealthy tax evaders, compared with a full-year target of 1,300. About 1.1 billion euros in overdue taxes have been collected so far, less than the 2 billion euros targeted. The lenders urged Greece to improve tax collection and focus on the cases most likely to produce results. "Doctors and lawyers are a good place to start," they said. Tax evasion is endemic in Greece, making it more difficult for the government to shore up its finances under its 240-billion-euro international bailout. With revenues falling short and the austerity-hit country obliged to meet its fiscal targets when its economy is shrinking for a fifth year, Athens is hiking taxes on middle-class wage earners who can't hide their income. After a Christmas recess, parliament is expected to pass a new tax law which aims to raise about 2.5 billion euros over the next two years as part of a 13.5 billion euro austerity package. A second piece of long-delayed legislation to crack down on tax evasion will follow later in the year, the government said. Perceived tax injustice has dented the popularity of Greece's pro-bailout ruling coalition. The radical leftist Syriza party, which opposes austerity and advocates a big and immediate debt writedown, has taken the lead in almost all the opinion polls published since a June election. Improving Greece's slow tax administration and justice is a key objective of the bailout. According to the report, individuals and companies have racked up 53 billion euros of tax debts to the government, a figure that corresponds to about a quarter of the country's gross domestic product. But just 15-20 percent of that amount can be collected, the EU/IMF said, given that a large number of these tax cases are old and the debtors have already defaulted. According to a list of tax sinners published last year, Greece's biggest tax debtor was state-run railway company OSE.

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China to crack down on "malicious" trademark registrations

China plans to change the law to crackdown on "malicious" trademark registrations, state media said on Monday, after a series of cases in which well-know international brands and individuals have had their names or copyright misused. Foreign governments, including the United States, have for years urged China to take a stronger stand against intellectual property rights violations on products ranging from medicines to software to DVD movies. Basketball legend Michael Jordan is one of the latest to accuse a company of using his name without permission, and French luxury group Hermes International SCA and Apple Inc have faced trademark problems too. The proposed amendment will offer protection to major international brands, giving copyright owners the right to ban others from registering their trademarks or from using similar ones, even if such trademarks are not registered, the official Xinhua news agency reported. "The draft is intended to curb the malicious registration of trademarks," Xinhua said. The country's legislature - which performs a largely rubber stamp role - will discuss the amendment this week, it said, without saying when the new rules could be put in place or providing other details. The move comes after basketball star Michael Jordan filed a lawsuit in China in February against a Chinese sportswear company, accusing the firm of unauthorized use of his name. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recipient and former Chicago Bulls star said that Qiaodan Sports, a company located in the southern Fujian province, had built its business around his Chinese name "Qiaodan" and jersey number without his permission. The lawsuit has yet to go to trial, Chinese media have reported. France's Hermes International SCA has also had problems in China with its trademark, and in July Apple Inc agreed to pay $60 million to Proview Technology (Shenzhen) to end a protracted legal dispute over the iPad trademark in China. China has insisted it is serious about tackling intellectual property violations.

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FDA warns doctors of counterfeit Botox

Federal regulators have warned more than 350 medical practices that Botox they may have received from a Canadian supplier is unapproved and could be counterfeit or unsafe. The Food and Drug Administration said in a letter sent last month, a letter released publicly last week, that batches of the wrinkle treatment shipped by suppliers owned by pharmacy Canada Drugs have not been approved by the FDA and that the agency cannot assure their effectiveness or their safety. The FDA said Canada Drugs was previously tied to shipping unapproved and counterfeit cancer drugs. The agency warned doctors about buying drugs from sources other than licensed U.S. pharmacies. It is the fifth warning the agency has made this year about foreign suppliers providing unapproved drugs. In February, the agency warned 19 medical practices that they had received a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin. On three more occasions the FDA issued similar warnings about counterfeit Avastin and Altuzan, another brand name for the same drug. The alerts were also primarily targeted at drugs distributed by Canada Drugs. A request for comment from the drug distributor was not immediately returned. Drug shortages increased the financial incentives for some pharmacies to provide counterfeit or illegally imported drugs. The drugs subject to warnings have all been injectable treatments typically distributed through medical practices and not directly to patients. In October, the FDA ordered operators of about 4,100 websites to immediately stop selling unapproved medications to U.S. consumers. The vast majority of those sites were operated by Canada Drugs. The site was still operating Friday. Genuine Botox is made by Allergan Inc., based in Irvine, Calif. Avastin is made by Roche Holding AG's Genentech unit.

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