Reuters: Health News

Exclusive: 'Workplace wellness' fails bottom line, waistlines - RAND

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:39:55 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A long-awaited report on workplace wellness programs, which has still not been publicly released, delivers a blow to the increasingly popular efforts, Reuters has learned, casting doubt on a pillar of the Affordable Care Act and a favorite of the business community.

Certain chronic pain may raise suicide risk

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:28:15 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Back pain, migraine and other types of chronic pain without a known physical cause - and therefore little prospect for relief - were associated with an increased risk of suicide in a new study of U.S. veterans.

Some with defibrillators may safely play sports

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:41:34 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite expert guidelines advising against intense sports activity for people with implanted heart defibrillators, a new study suggests that some can compete without serious consequences.

New U.S. fears emerge over tainted compounded steroids

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:26:40 GMT

(Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has received seven reports of illnesses in patients who took steroid injections compounded by a pharmacy in Tennessee.

Valeant near deal to acquire Bausch & Lomb: source

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:16:33 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals International is nearing a deal to acquire eye care company Bausch & Lomb Holdings Inc from Warburg Pincus LLC for about $9 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

New bird flu may be capable of human to human spread - study

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:09:54 GMT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The new H7N9 bird flu virus can be transmitted between mammals not only via direct contact but also in airborne droplets, and may be capable of spreading from person to person, Chinese and American researchers have found.

C-sections tied to child obesity

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:09:20 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More babies born via cesarean section grow up to be heavy kids and teens than those delivered vaginally, according to a new study of more than 10,000 UK infants.

WHO to help Saudi Arabia investigate coronavirus before haj

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:46:21 GMT

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that it would help Saudi Arabia dig deeper into deadly outbreaks of a new SARS-like virus to draw up advice ahead of the annual haj pilgrimage, which attracts millions of Muslims.

Novo obesity drug could launch in U.S. end 2014

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:50:41 GMT

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk said it could launch obesity treatment liraglutide in the United States by the end of next year and rejected some analysts' doubts over the medicine's commercial potential.

Aveo says partner Astellas will not seek EU nod for kidney cancer drug

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:49:25 GMT

(Reuters) - Aveo Pharmaceuticals Inc said it was informed by its partner Astellas Pharma Inc that the Japanese company would not be seeking marketing approval for their experimental kidney cancer drug in Europe.

California reveals prices for health insurance under Obamacare

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:13:10 GMT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California unveiled prices on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under the Affordable Care Act, providing a glimpse into how health care reform may look as it is rolled out across the nation.

Lawmaker would give FDA more oversight of drug compounding

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:07:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, on Thursday became the latest lawmaker to propose legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration greater regulatory authority over drug compounding.

New J&J anti-depressant related to 'Special K' party drug

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:12:12 GMT

NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson said it plans to seek approvals for 11 new drugs by 2017, including a treatment for patients with depression who have failed to benefit from standard medications.

Sugar water injections may help ease knee pain

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:00:09 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Knee pain appears to decrease up to one year after "prolotherapy," a series of sugar water injections at the site of the pain, according to a new study.

Online tool reduces inappropriate medical tests

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:28:34 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A web-based decision-making tool that alerts heart doctors when diagnostic tests would not be useful for a specific patient can curb wasteful procedures, according to a new study.

Marijuana tied to better blood sugar control

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:44:08 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor - than those who never tried the drug, in a new study.

Labs reject dramatic findings on cancer drug in Alzheimer's mice

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:05:08 GMT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. scientists say a dramatic result last year suggesting that a cancer drug already approved by U.S. regulators could quickly clear out Alzheimer's plaques in mice was too good to be true.

WHO warns countries not to hoard secrets of coronavirus

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:04:20 GMT

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries with possible cases of the SARS-like novel coronavirus on Thursday that they must share information and not allow commercial labs to profit from the virus, which has killed 22 people worldwide.

New advice didn't change breast screening rates

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:02:37 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women in their 40s didn't cut back on mammograms during 2010, the year after a government-backed panel said annual breast cancer screening should be optional for them, says a new study.

Schools should make exercise 'core' subject, U.S. panel urges

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:31:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. schools need to boost efforts to get students moving, and make gym class as critical as other core subjects if they want to increase test scores as well as students' general well-being, a leading group of health advisers said on Thursday.

Novo Nordisk says obesity drug trial confirms weight loss

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:58:57 GMT

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's Novo Nordisk, the world's biggest insulin producer, said Phase III study results had shown people treated with its liraglutide drug had an 8 percent weight loss.

Saudi Arabia confirms another death from SARS-like virus

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:56:38 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has announced another death from the SARS-like novel coronavirus (nCoV) in its central al-Qassim region, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 17.

BTG says interventional medicine buys could boost sales to $1 bln

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:07:11 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British pharmaceutical company BTG announced two deals on Thursday that it said could create an interventional medicine business with potential sales of $1 billion.

GSK flu shot may raise adult narcolepsy risk: Finnish scientists

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:13:34 GMT

HELSINKI/LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc's H1N1 pandemic flu shot may put adults at higher risk of developing narcolepsy, not only children as previous studies found, Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare said on Thursday.

Pfizer takes its shot at a vaccine for evasive superbug

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:28:38 GMT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kathrin Jansen is a microbiologist with at least two breakthrough vaccines to her name: she brought the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to market for Merck and helped develop the $4 billion a year pneumonia and meningitis vaccine Prevnar 13 for Pfizer.