Wal-Mart exec who led health care expansion steps down

News emerged Monday in an internal staff memo that John Agwunobi would leave his post running the retailer's health and wellness division.

The Wall Street Journal: Executive Who Led Wal-Mart Expansion Into Health Care Steps Down
The executive who led Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s expansion into providing health services has left the company, as the retailer plans to make another push at providing care through its stores. John Agwunobi stepped down from his job running the retailer's health and wellness division after seven years at Wal-Mart, according to an internal memo sent to staff earlier this month. He will be replaced by Labeed Diab, who most recently led Wal-Mart's U.S. Midwest division (Banjo, 4/14).

Also in the news, Medtronic is dealt an unexpected ruling by a federal court --

The Wall Street Journal: Medtronic Prevented From Selling Heart Valve In U.S.
In what doctors called a surprise ruling, a federal court has barred Medtronic Inc. from selling its new artificial heart valve to most patients in the U.S., despite finding that the device is "safer" and has "a lower risk of death" than a competing device. The ruling, issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet of Delaware, would give Edwards Lifesciences Corp. a near-monopoly on the sale of a new type of aortic heart valve that is implanted via a minimally invasive procedure, instead of through open-heart surgery. Medtronic is appealing the ruling, but for now has stopped training new doctors in how to use the devices, and told surgeons already using the valves not to schedule any new procedures, the company said (Walker, 4/14).