Reuters - Health

UK wants GSK's Avandia pulled as EU reviews safety

LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia should be pulled from sale because of concerns about heart risks, British drug regulators said on Monday ahead of a special European meeting on the drug's safety.
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:10:38 +0000

Bangladesh issues red alert over spread of anthrax

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh issued a red alert on Sunday over an outbreak of anthrax which has infected nearly 300 people and killed about 150 cattle in the north of the country in the past two weeks.
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:48:25 +0000

Sanofi ready to raise bid if Genzyme talks: report

PARIS (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis would be prepared to moderately raise its $69 per share offer for Genzyme if the U.S. biotech agreed to negotiate, Dow Jones reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:41:10 +0000

Special Report: Outgunned FDA tries to get tough with drug ads

Corrects spelling of Gleevec in 12th paragraph By Susan Heavey and Lisa Richwine SILVER SPRING, Maryland (Reuters) - It wasn't what you would call a casual get-together.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:18:14 +0000

Experimental Novartis drug shows malaria promise

LONDON (Reuters) - An experimental Novartis drug can clear malaria infection in mice with a single dose and scientists say it shows promise as a possible future treatment for one of the world's major killer diseases.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:54:42 +0000

Early day care may promote eczema development

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids who spend their earliest years in day care may be at higher risk of eczema than kids cared for at home, according to a new study from Germany.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:19:54 +0000

U.S. medical programs missing millions of kids: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An estimated five million uninsured children in the United States were eligible for Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) but were not enrolled in either plan, according to a new report.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:01:50 +0000

Antidepressant patch doesn't help smokers quit

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An antidepressant drug delivered through a patch on the skin is no better than placebo for helping smokers kick the habit, new research shows.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:20:35 +0000

Timer may help kids' bladder control problems

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Wearing a programmable wristwatch could help children manage their daytime bladder control problems, a new study suggests.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:24:26 +0000

Colonoscopy repeats greater with non-specialists

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who have a colonoscopy performed by a family doctor, internist or general surgeon are somewhat more likely to need another one within a year compared with those who have the procedure done by a gastroenterologist, a new report finds.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:07:19 +0000

Biotech salmon safe for eating: FDA

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A biotechnology company's genetically engineered salmon are as safe to eat as other Atlantic salmon, U.S. regulators said as they weighed approval of the first DNA-altered animal for Americans' dinner plates.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:22:40 +0000

Odds of getting new kidney uneven

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with kidney disease are more likely to be added to the waiting list for a kidney transplant if they've had a previous heart, lung or liver transplant, a new study suggests.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:13:24 +0000

Protein test ups diabetes diagnoses in some races

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Efforts to adopt a more accurate test for diagnosing diabetes may have hit a snag. Comparing the age-old oral glucose tolerance test to the newer hemoglobin A1c test confirms earlier evidence that race may influence test results, Danish researchers report.
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:23:17 +0000

Common bone drugs linked to esophageal cancer risk

LONDON (Reuters) - People who take a commonly used class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates for more than five years may be doubling their risk of developing cancer of the gullet or esophagus, a British study found on Friday.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:09:41 +0000

Safety groups find no Pampers link to rash cases

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two agencies investigating claims that Procter & Gamble Co's Pampers Dry Max gave children severe diaper rash reported Thursday that they have found no specific cause linking the diapers to rashes.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:17:02 +0000

Women, children most vulnerable in Pakistan crisis

NOWSHERA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's displaced flood victims say a lack of clean water and high temperatures are causing illnesses sweeping through relief camps with children most at risk.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:38:17 +0000

Text messages little help in remembering the Pill

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A cell phone text message -- and the buzz or beep that signals its arrival -- may not help a woman remember to pop her birth control pill, a new study suggests.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:33:16 +0000

Abbott diet drug study renews calls for U.S. ban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A study funded by Abbott Laboratories offered more detailed evidence that its weight-loss drug Meridia increases heart risks, prompting renewed calls by consumer advocates and others to pull the drug from the market.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:30:53 +0000

Groups of friends key to changing health behaviors

CHICAGO (Reuters) - When it comes to changing health behaviors, it takes more than a far-flung network of friends on Facebook egging you on. It takes a jostling herd, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:46:11 +0000

Starting periods early tied to greater asthma risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who start menstruating early may be at increased risk of asthma and poor lung function, new research shows.
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:19:32 +0000