Abbott Labs will split into two companies (Morning Read)

Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about healthcare.

Abbott Labs split. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) announced this morning that it will divide the company into two separate business — one for its medical products (branded pharmaceutical, devices, diagnostic and nutritional businesses) and another for research-based medicines, including its pharmaceuticals and biologics.

Both companies will be publicly traded, and the medical products business will retain the Abbott name, with the research-based company still to be named. The company has made a series of acquisitions over the past few years and generates about $22 billion in annual revenue.

EU researchers can’t destroy embryos. A European court has ruled that stem cell research that involves the destruction of human embryos can’t be patented, giving an edge to embryotic stem cell research in the U.S. and other countries.

Questioning Da Vinci. The Da Vinci robotic surgery system is now used in more than 2,000 hospitals across the world, but some doctors are still questioning whether it’s all that helpful. Some are suggesting it’s just a marketing tool to attract and impress patients.

Tweeting VCs. A venture capitalist suggests nine of the best Twitter accounts for startup investors to follow.

Women in pharmacy. The gender gap in pharmacy ownership is shifting, according to Drug Topics, to the point where women may soon become more likely than men to be entrepreneurs in the independent pharmacy industry.