Reuters: Health News

Pfizer to spin off Zoetis stake to shareholders

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:57:30 GMT

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday it will spin off its majority stake in animal health business Zoetis Inc to shareholders by allowing them to swap Pfizer stock for Zoetis shares at a 7 percent discount.

When it comes to deadly viruses, what's in a name?

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:58:20 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - For a pathogen with such a short history, the mysterious new virus killing people in the Middle East and Europe has already had an amazing array of names.

Swiss billionaires buy Merck Serono HQ for biotech campus

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:53:57 GMT

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli has bought back the Geneva headquarters of his former biotech firm Serono, hoping to establish a biotech research campus.

Oncolytics cancer drug meets mid-stage trial goal, shares rise

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:46:31 GMT

(Reuters) - Oncolytics Biotech Inc said preliminary data from a mid-stage trial showed that its cancer drug, Reolysin, met the main goal of reducing the size of tumors in patients with metastatic melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for new antibiotics

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:49 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has signed an antibiotics development deal worth up to $200 million with GlaxoSmithKline to tackle the dual threats of drug resistance and bioterrorism.

Los Angeles voters OK move to curtail medical marijuana outlets

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:54:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Voters strongly supported a ballot measure to sharply curtail the number of medical marijuana dispensaries permitted to operate in Los Angeles while boosting taxes on the sale of pot for health reasons, election returns early on Wednesday showed.

Immune system cancer drugs tipped to be a $35 billion market

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:48:42 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - A new wave of medicines that tap the power of the immune system to fight cancer could become the biggest drug class in history, with potential sales of $35 billion a year.

Merck signs $5 billion share buyback agreement with Goldman Sachs

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:07:32 GMT

(Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc said it has entered into a $5 billion share repurchase agreement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc, as the drug giant looks to prop up shareholder value in face of stiff competition from makers of less-costly generics.

Amag investigates anemia drug after report of death in Switzerland

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:43:19 GMT

(Reuters) - Amag Pharmaceuticals Inc said its marketing partner in Switzerland, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, is recalling a batch of Amag's anemia drug, Rienso, because of a death and several cases of hypersensitivity.

Amag says anemia drug caused fatal reaction in Switzerland

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:04:34 GMT

China's bird flu outbreak cost $6.5 billion

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:14:12 GMT

GENEVA (Reuters) - The H7N9 virus appears to have been brought under control in China largely due to restrictions at bird markets, but caused some $6.5 billion in losses to the economy, U.N. experts said on Tuesday.

Drowsy young drivers have increased crash risk

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:44:17 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young adult drivers who usually get less than six hours of sleep per night are more likely to crash than those who sleep in, according to a new study from Australia.

Regeneron, Sanofi asthma drug seen as potential game changer

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:37:49 GMT

(Reuters) - A new type of asthma drug meant to attack the underlying causes of the respiratory disease slashed episodes by 87 percent in a mid-stage trial, making it a potential game changer for patients with moderate to severe disease, researchers said on Tuesday.

People choose larger portions of ‘healthy' foods

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:13:42 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People will choose larger portions of food if they are labeled as being "healthier," even if they have the same number of calories, according to a new study.

Surgery offers mixed benefits for kids' sleep apnea

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:18:40 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study has confirmed that removing the tonsils and adenoids of children with obstructive sleep apnea can reduce sleepiness and improve the quality of life, but putting off the surgery might not hurt either.

Tunisia announces first death from new coronavirus

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:24:05 GMT

Tunis (Reuters) - A 66-year-old Tunisian man has died from new coronavirus, a strain of a virus that emerged in the Middle East last year, after a visit to Saudi Arabia, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Schoolmates of suicide victims at higher risk

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:12:57 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens who have a classmate die of suicide are more likely to consider taking, or attempt to take, their own lives, according to a new study.

Health sites too complex, full of cliches: study

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:37:42 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The importance of health literacy hit home for Lisa Gualtieri when a Cambodian refugee diagnosed with cancer asked her to act as a patient advocate.

AcelRX post-op pain treatment meets late-stage study goal

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:17:23 GMT

(Reuters) - AcelRX Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental treatment for post-operative pain met its main goal in a late-stage trial of patients who had undergone knee or hip replacement surgery, sending its shares up 15 percent.

Analysis: Some Republicans see new scandal in Sebelius fundraising

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:06:13 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With the White House already reeling from three major controversies, some Republican lawmakers are zeroing in on what they perceive is another possible scandal tied to President Barack Obama's landmark health reform law just as it nears implementation.

Intercell vaccine gets U.S. pediatric approval

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:47:06 GMT

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's Intercell said on Tuesday it has won U.S. regulatory approval for pediatric use of its Ixiaro vaccine to protect against Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a step it had achieved in Europe in February.

Healthcare workers set to strike California public hospitals

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:11:29 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nearly 13,000 healthcare employees at five University of California medical centers plan to strike on Tuesday in a move that threatens to back up emergency rooms and already has forced the postponement of elective surgeries.

UK first in EU to get Merck's new Schmallenberg vaccine

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:05:41 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British farmers will be the first in Europe to get a vaccine against Schmallenberg virus, a new livestock disease that hit the continent in 2011.

Pfizer halts study of lymphoma drug unlikely to help survival

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:57:41 GMT

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc, which has been on a hot streak with three recent approvals of cancer drugs, stumbled on Monday, saying it was halting a late-stage trial of a drug for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma after independent monitors found it was not likely to improve survival.

Swine virus confirmed in Iowa, Indiana hog herds

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:33:12 GMT

(Reuters) - Farms in two of the nation's leading pork producing states have tested positive for the potentially fatal porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), U.S. pork industry veterinarian official said Monday.