Revival for Health Care, Biotech

It was a big week for the health care and biotech industries.

With a change in power in Congress, the Democrats have launched their "100-hour plan," which includes a focus on Medicare drug pricing and reversing the ban on stem-cell research. Also, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a plan for universal health care insurance for the country's most populous state.

On Thursday, a bill to reverse the ban on federal funding on research on new lines of embryonic stem cells passed the House by a margin of 253 to 174. While this may not immediately include enough Republican votes to override the president's veto threat, that may change after the U.S. Senate passes a more moderate bill and negotiates, in conference committee, enough compromises to capture a veto-proof majority of both chambers. ...