NEW YORK, May 21- An activist investor in Alere Inc wants the health diagnostics and services company to explore a sale of its drug testing business, which it believes could fetch as much as $2.5 billion and help Alere pay down debt, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
MADISON, N.J.-- Health insurer Humana is selling a toxicology and clinical lab business, a division of its Concentra health care provider, to Quest Diagnostics Inc.. The Madison, N.J., company's first-quarter net income fell 15 percent as people cut back on medical spending and more Medicare reimbursements cut into revenue.
*Sees weak first half in Europe, United States. AMSTERDAM, April 22- Philips forecast a slow first half of the year due to the weak European economy and a tough outlook for healthcare spending in the United States, sending its shares to a four-month low.
In the U.S. volumes at hospitals, in-patient and out-patient are soft, "said David Heupel, senior healthcare analyst at Thrivent Investment Management.
*UnitedHealth lowers 2013 revenue outlook. April 18- Lower government payments for private Medicare services and prescriptions for older people dragged down UnitedHealth Group Inc's first-quarter profits, the company said on Thursday.
*Shares gain 25 cents early. March 14- Laboratory tests provider Quest Diagnostics on Thursday said its Chief Financial Officer Robert Hagemann will leave at the end of May as the company continues a restructuring aimed at returning to revenue growth.
Feb 8- Diagnostics testing company Laboratory Corp of America Holdings reported a drop in fourth-quarter profit on Friday and said bad weather, particularly Superstorm Sandy, was partly to blame. LabCorp said it experienced promising volume growth during the quarter that lead it to forecast a 2 to 3 percent higher revenue in 2013..
The company reported net income of $120.2 million, or $1.26 per share, down from $135.4 million, or $1.34 per share, a year earlier. As use of medical services has fallen during the past few years with the economic downturn, Lab Corp and competitors have also been hurt.