BEIJING (Reuters) – A strain of bird flu that has been found in humans for the first time in eastern China is no cause for panic, the World Health Organization said on Monday, as the number of people infected rose to 24, with seven deaths. WHO praised China fo... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Shrinking the size of kids’ plates and bowls and encouraging them to eat more frequently throughout the day might help them eat less and keep off extra weight, new research suggests. In one study, researchers found first graders ser... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is confident it can control an outbreak of a new strain of bird flu, a senior Chinese health official said on Sunday as the World Health Organization (WHO) said there had now been 21 human cases of the H7N9 flu with six deaths. China ... More »
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chinese authorities slaughtered over 20,000 birds at a poultry market in Shanghai on Friday as the death toll from a new strain of bird flu mounted to six, spreading concern overseas and sparking a sell-off in airline shares in E... More »
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said on Friday there was no sign of “sustained human-to-human transmission” of the H7N9 virus in China, but it was important to check on 400 people who had been in close contact with the 14 confirmed cases. “We ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis pill fostamatinib met only one of two goals in a late-stage clinical trial, leaving the future of one of the group’s few advanced pipeline products uncertain. Fostamatinib is a potential compet... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – The death toll from a new strain of bird flu rose to five in China on Thursday as Beijing said it was mobilizing resources nationwide to combat the virus, Japan and Hong Kong stepped up vigilance and Vietnam banned imports of Chinese poultr... More »
BEIJING/LONDON (Reuters) – China has found two more cases of a new strain of bird flu and one of the victims has died, state media said on Wednesday, bringing to nine the number of confirmed human infections from the previously unknown flu type. A 38-year-old ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Genetic sequence data on a deadly strain of bird flu previously unknown in people show the virus has already acquired some mutations that might make it more likely to cause a human pandemic, scientists say. But there is no evidence so far th... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – A unit of U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co sued India’s Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday for infringing its patent on two diabetes drugs. The action comes a day after Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG lost a landmark court ruling over patent protectio... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China reported four new cases on Tuesday of a strain of bird flu that was previously unknown in humans but has already killed two people, raising the total of known cases to seven. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday there wa... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Cut fruit and vegetable prices in half and people will load up on them, according to a new study that suggests price regulation may play an important role in future public policy. “Many people argue that we should educate the popula... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca has suffered a fresh patent setback with a U.S. court decision that a patent protecting its Pulmicort Repsules asthma treatment is invalid, clearing the way for a generic copy from Actavis. The ruling comes as AstraZeneca is alre... More »
NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law on Monday banning children under 17 from using commercial tanning beds, a move stemming from the case of a local woman accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tan... More »
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Texas Governor Rick Perry on Monday firmly reiterated that the state will not expand its Medicaid program, saying it is a broken system that needs to be reformed by allowing states more flexibility. Perry, who notified the Obama admin... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss specialty chemicals and life sciences group Lonza is reviewing whether it is still worth investing in its joint venture with Teva in “biosimilar” drugs, its Chief Executive said. The expiry of patents on expensive biotech medicines to ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British scientists have developed a new vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease that is safer and easier to manufacture, an advance they believe should greatly increase production capacity and reduce costs. The technology behind the livestock... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Pfizer suffered a second rejection in two days from Britain’s health cost watchdog NICE as its new kidney cancer drug Inlyta was turned down for use on the state health service. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved a new multiple sclerosis drug made by Biogen Idec Inc that is widely expected to become the No. 1 oral treatment for the disease, with annual sales topping $3 billion. The drug, Tecfidera, activates ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – A one-room shack with a single, bare light bulb on a non-descript Beijing side street is 29-year-old Chinese migrant worker Zhang Xuefang’s best recourse to medical care. Not recognized as a Beijing resident, she does not qualify for cheape... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – Millions of Americans will be priced out of health insurance under President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul because of a glitch in the law that adversely affects people with modest incomes who cannot afford family coverage offered by thei... More »
LANSING, Mich (Reuters) – Michigan’s attorney general on Tuesday asked state courts to authorize a grand jury to investigate whether a company linked to a deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis and other infections broke any state laws. The outbreak, linked to t... More »
(Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration has added Pfizer Inc’s tuberculosis treatment rifampin to its list of drugs in short supply, the latest in a growing number of spottily available TB medications. The FDA noted in a post on its website on Monday that... More »
(Reuters) – Biotechnology company United Therapeutics Corp said the oral version of its drug to treat hypertension was rejected for the second time by health regulators, sending its shares down as much as 7 percent in morning trade on the Nasdaq. The drugmaker... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Regulators have delayed approval of an H5N1 bird flu vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, designed to be used in a pandemic. A spokesman for Britain’s biggest drugmaker said the delay was not related to recent controversy over links between a simil... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Delays in developing copies of Roche’s top-selling biotech drug are justifying the Swiss company’s decision to stay out of biotech generics to focus on improved, patented versions of its medicines. Roche faces its first big test at the end o... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Roche Holding AG’s Japanese subsidiary Chugai said on Monday that Japanese health regulators have approved a new formulation of its rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra. Japanese regulators have approved a subcutaneous formulation of Actemra wh... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday over whether big drug companies can settle patent litigation with generic rivals by making deals to keep cheaper products off the market. U.S. and state regulators say the practice cos... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency said on Friday it was recommending restricting the use of medicines containing cilostazol, sold by Otsuka under the brand name Pletal, following concerns over side effects. A review of evidence found the drug’s ... More »
(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said its plans for regulating certain healthcare apps used on smartphones and tablets will not impose undue burdens on developers or stifle the growing mobile health industry. Christy Foreman, director of the F... More »
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Gay and lesbian couples should be able to get married for the health and well-being of their children and families, the nation’s leading group for pediatricians said on Thursday in a policy statement that also backs adoption rig... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca’s new chief executive announced another 2,300 job cuts in sales and administration on Thursday as he set out his stall for turning round the struggling drugmaker and returning it to growth. The latest cutbacks mean the group will... More »
LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The effectiveness of an experimental malaria vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline wanes over time, with the shot protecting only 16.8 percent of children over four years, according to trial data. The disappointing results for RTS,S ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Supreme Court justices weighed on Tuesday whether makers of generic drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration can be held liable under state law for claims of design defects. During a one-hour oral argument justices ques... More »
(Reuters) – Biogen Idec Inc said on Tuesday it has been granted a new patent that will help protect the market exclusivity of its multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera until 2028. The new patent covers the dosing regimen for Tecfidera of 480 milligrams a day. Tecf... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The symptoms people come to the emergency room with may not predict the actual diagnosis they’re given when they’re released from the hospital, according to a new study. Researchers found about 6 percent of 35,000 patients who visit... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Republican state senators from Arkansas may soon accomplish what seasoned Washington politicians couldn’t: make the main provisions of President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul palatable to hard-core conservatives. Jonathan Disman... More »
(Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration has named Dr. Kathleen Uhl acting director of its Office of Generic Drugs as it initiates a nationwide search for a full-time replacement for Dr. Gregory Geba, who resigned last week. The announcement was made on Tu... More »
(Reuters) – Staff reviewers for the Food and Drug Administration did not recommend the approval of Abbott Laboratories’ implantable heart device MitraClip, citing a lack of “valid scientific evidence” of safety and effectiveness. FDA reviewers said in briefing... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca is to cut around 1,600 jobs as it overhauls research operations and consolidates drug development work in three major centers in Britain, the United States and Sweden. The move will see the end of drug development at AstraZeneca’... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Thirty years ago, when the world faced the terrifying prospect of an untreatable disease known as AIDS, big drugmakers scented an opportunity and raced to develop new medicines. Today, as the world confronts another crisis, this time one of ... More »
LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) – Deadly strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to multiple drugs are spreading around the world, and authorities urgently need another $1.6 billion a year to tackle them, global health officials said on Monday. Donors should step u... More »
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Overweight and obese diabetes patients given high doses of Novo Nordisk’s drug liraglutide achieved 6 percent weight loss in a clinical trial, only slightly above the loss seen in those on a lower dose. The Danish group, the world’s bigg... More »
(Reuters) – The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in a case that could decide whether generic drugmakers can be held liable for alleged flaws in the designs of their medications, even though federal law requires generic manufacturers to copy the bra... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Novartis said its Alcon unit got a green light from the European Commission for Jetrea, a drug that treats an eye condition that can lead to blindness. Jetrea is the first eye drug to treat vitreomacular traction (VMT) associated with macula... More »
More and more women hurry to freeze their eggs in order to delay pregnancy for a more appropriate period. Oocyte cryopreservation technology is very popular today all over the world in particular in Spain. Fertility specialists frequently use frozen eggs in re... More »
(Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration will not complete its review of Merck & Co’s experimental medicine to reverse the effects of anesthesia until the second half of 2013, representing a three-month delay, the drugmaker said. Merck acquired the product... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Treating people with HIV rapidly after they have become infected with the virus that causes AIDS may be enough to achieve a “functional cure” in a small proportion of patients diagnosed early, according to new research. Scientists in France ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan – particularly young men and those who have seen active combat – are more likely to commit violent crimes than their civilian counterparts, according to research published on Friday. T... More »
(Reuters) – More U.S. drivers chatted on the phone or used email and text messaging while behind the wheel in 2011 than did their counterparts in several Western European countries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The data... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Women who have ever had breast cancer might want to walk away from the brie, the butter and the black cherry (and every other flavor) ice cream. According to a study of 1,893 women, breast cancer survivors who average as little as one serv... More »
(Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration is studying unconfirmed reports that a widely used class of diabetes drugs, which includes Merck & Co’s Januvia, may cause inflammation of the pancreas and pre-cancerous changes to the pancreas. The agency, in a not... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed on Monday to appeal a judge’s ruling that struck down his pioneering ban on large sugary drinks sold by the city’s restaurants, movie theaters and other food service businesses just a day before ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday that a state judge was “totally in error” when he overturned a planned ban on large sugary drinks one day before it was scheduled to take effect and predicted the city would win the case... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The National Football League and General Electric Co are teaming up to improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries amid growing concerns about sports-related concussions in youth and professional sports. On Monday they announced ... More »
(Reuters) – Walgreen Co has been sued by a California woman who accused the largest U.S. drugstore chain of deceiving customers into believing its Vitamin E dietary supplement contributes to cardiovascular health. The complaint, filed on Friday in federal cour... More »
Day after day, more and more articles about BioTexCom fertility center can be seen in the international mass media. And these writings are not only positive but critical ones as well. Well, this condition cannot be dispensed with. Using the World Wide Web one ... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Unexpected serious side effects arose in a huge study of a Merck & Co long-acting niacin drug aimed at raising good HDL cholesterol, according to data released on Saturday, possibly adding another nail to the coffin of niacin therapy ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Stentys said on Saturday that a study has shown its self-expanding stents for keeping blood vessels open have lower mortality rates than other conventional devices. The French medical technology firm said the study paves the way to new market... More »
(Reuters) – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said on Friday that 108 people fell sick with a gastrointestinal illness believed to be a norovirus on its Vision of the Seas ship, which docked in Port Everglades, Florida, at the end of an 11-day trip. The outbreak was... More »
(Reuters) – Merck & Co will bring back one of its veterans to head research and development, replacing retiring Peter Kim, who leaves behind a mixed record over the past decade at the drugmaker’s highly respected laboratories. Merck, after recent setbacks for ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children whose families are on food stamps are just as likely to be overweight and obese as other low-income youth, a new study suggests. Researchers found poor children tend to have diets high in processed meats, saturated fat and ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Poorer people have a harder time getting a doctor’s appointment in Canada, a new study suggests – even though the country’s universal health insurance pays doctors the same amount regardless of the type of patient they see. Research... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A dentist’s office may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect holiday destination. But a growing number of Europeans are travelling abroad for medical treatment to save money, or maybe to combine a visit to the doctor with some sightseeing, ... More »
(Reuters) – Most large employers don’t expect to send their full-time employees to government health exchanges for insurance during the next five years, but some retirees and part-time workers will end up there, a new survey has found. The outlook for corporat... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s biggest drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said on Thursday it had filed for European approval of its new once-weekly diabetes drug albiglutide, as tries to gain a foothold in a crowded market. Albiglutide, used to treat type 2 diabetes, be... More »
JACKSON, Mississippi/CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) – The doctor who cured an HIV infected baby for the first time is happier talking to children than to adults and is finding all the attention since the news came out a little overwhelming. Dr. Hannah Gay and col... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Eli Lilly and Co will maintain its dividend despite the erosion of its earnings by generic copies of blockbuster drugs and should be well placed by the end of 2013 to assess the potential of its future medicines, its chief executive said. ... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Roche said on Tuesday it clinched European approval for its breast cancer drug Perjeta, fuelling the company’s hopes that the drug will become the standard of care for an aggressive, incurable form of the disease. Roche aims to combine Perje... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The remarkable case of a baby being cured of HIV infection in the United States using readily available drugs has raised new hope for eradicating the infection in infants worldwide, but scientists say it will take a lot more research and mu... More »
(Reuters) – Monster Beverage Corp, defending its Monster Energy drinks from mounting criticism about potential health risks, said on Monday its medical investigators found no evidence that the drinks caused the death of a 14-year-old girl. The family of Maryla... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Can crunches create six-pack abdominal muscles? Do weight-lifting women risk bulging biceps? Is stretching always a good idea? Experts say disentangling folklore from fact is not easy in fitness, where misconceptions are as pervasive as pu... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The proportion of patients who have blocked arteries show up during a stress test has dropped “enormously” over the past two decades, according to a new study. However, researchers disagreed about why that might be the case – whethe... More »
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Trying to prevent HIV infection through vaginal gels or daily tablets has proven ineffective in the southern African region ravaged by the disease because people did not use the medicines properly, a study released on Monday said. A gr... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A baby girl in Mississippi who was born with HIV has been cured after very early treatment with standard HIV drugs, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday, in a potentially ground-breaking case that could offer insights on how to eradicate HIV... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – The European Commission has approved Novartis’ drug Ilaris for patients with an often painful form of inflammatory arthritis, the drugmaker said on Friday. Novartis said the EU had approved the drug also known as ACZ885 for patients with acu... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists from a British cancer charity are teaming up with technology gurus from the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Google to design and develop a mobile game aimed at speeding the search for new cancer drugs. The project, led by the charit... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration kicked off a series of public meetings on Thursday to explain its proposed new rules for improving the safety of the nation’s food supply – and gain feedback on the potential regulations. The rules offer ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A calculation based on results from a large lung cancer screening trial projects that 12,000 deaths a year among the highest-risk smokers and ex-smokers in the U.S. could be avoided with a national screening program. The National Lu... More »
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court made it easier on Wednesday for shareholders to bring class-action lawsuits, breaking a recent line of decisions that had made it harder to sue corporate defendants collectively and perhaps obtain greater ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline’s HIV/AIDS drugs business is to share intellectual property rights on children’s medicine in a patent pool designed to make treatments more widely available in poor countries. ViiV Healthcare, majority-owned by GSK, is the se... More »
(Reuters) – Tenet Healthcare Corp (THC.N ) said on Tuesday it expects the U.S. healthcare reform law to have a positive impact on its earnings in 2014 as uninsured patients start to obtain coverage through the new health insurance exchanges. Tenet, the No. 3 f... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For heavy drinkers in treatment for domestic violence problems, an extra therapy session targeting alcohol abuse may help to speed overall improvement in violent behavior, according to a new study. Alcohol can lower inhibitions and ... More »
(Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it has stopped all pediatric clinical trials of Amgen Inc’s Sensipar after the death of a 14-year-old patient taking part in a study of the drug. Sensipar, which is approved for adults, is used to lo... More »
* Says will give third-party researchers access to trial data * Follows GSK decision to publish reports and data * Drugmakers under pressure to increase transparency ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding has agreed to expand access to its clinical t... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Nestle has agreed to buy U.S. medical foods company Pamlab, the latest in a string of recent acquisitions as the world’s biggest food group expands in health and nutrition. Nestle Health Science, which was set up in 2011 as the Swiss-based f... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Michael Weitz was out of options. The Californian had endured chemotherapy, radiation and surgery but his lung cancer still spread to his bones and brain. With time running out, the emergency room physician entered a Phase I study – the ea... More »
(Reuters) – Diversified healthcare company Johnson & Johnson, which makes consumer products like the Neutrogena-brand line, said on Monday that Venezuela’s February 13 devaluation of its currency would cut first quarter profit by 4 cents per share. The company... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German authorities are investigating possible large-scale fraud by organic egg producers amid increased concern over food industry practices following Europe’s horse meat scandal. The northern state of Lower Saxony, a major agricultural hub,... More »
(Reuters) – On any given day in the United States, 18 percent of men and 11 percent of women drink more alcohol than federal guidelines recommend, according to a study that also found that 8 percent of men and 3 percent of women are full-fledged “heavy drinker... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Less than half of adults received health insurance through their employer in 2012, but the market showed signs of stabilizing after three years of decline, according to a poll released on Friday. The Gallup survey said employer-sponsored... More »
(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it has notified healthcare professionals of a Class I recall, the most serious type, of an orthopedic device made by Johnson & Johnson. The device, called LPS Diaphyseal Sleeve, is used in recons... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency recommended approval of Hexyon, a new 6-in-1 pediatric vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur MSD, a joint venture between Merck and Sanofi, the companies said on Friday. The new vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanu... More »
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish drugmaker Elan will return $1 billion to shareholders, giving them an immediate boost from the sale of its stake in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Tysabri to partner Biogen Idec. Elan shares climbed over 4 percent following the anno... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A U.S. government analysis of this season’s flu vaccine suggests it was effective in only 56 percent of people who got the shot, and it largely failed to protect the elderly against an especially deadly strain circulating during flu season.... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Men are more likely to strain a hamstring playing college soccer than women, according to a new analysis of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) injury records. The findings also suggest that games – as compared to practi... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – American adults have made a little progress in recent years in cutting back on calories from fast food, but children are still consuming too much fat, U.S. health researchers say. French fries, pizza and similar items accounted for about... More »
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) – Florida Governor Rick Scott backed a limited expansion of healthcare coverage for the poor on Wednesday, joining six other Republican governors who have agreed to the measure under President Barack Obama’s landmark reform law. ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. aluminum can sales are set to slow in 2013 for a third straight year as more consumers ditch sodas for healthier options such as water and iced teas, traditionally bottled in plastic or glass. The loss of market share in the fizzy dri... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is expected to get the top safety rating for mad cow disease in spring, under a recommendation from international livestock health experts that was greeted on Wednesday as a sure-fire boost to U.S. beef exports. Agricul... More »
