By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization told governments on Thursday not to get involved in a foundation funded by tobacco firm Philip Morris International to look at ways of reducing the harm from smoking. The U.N. health body said there was a conflict of interest in a tobacco firm funding such […]
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By Michael Erman NEW YORK (Reuters) – Makers of fast-acting opioids will have to fund voluntary training for healthcare professionals who prescribe the drugs, including education on safe prescribing practices and non-opioid alternatives, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday. The FDA sent letters to 74 manufacturers of immediate-release opioids, notifying them […]
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By Bill Berkrot (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it approved an Eli Lilly and Co drug to treat advanced breast cancer that has progressed following prior treatment. The drug, abemaciclib, which will be sold under the brand name Verzenio, will carry a list price before any discounts or rebates […]
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By Toni Clarke (Reuters) – PTC Therapeutics Inc’s experimental drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a devastating degenerative disease that mostly affects young boys, may work but the company will need to do more work to prove it, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded on Thursday. The panel’s vote reduces […]
Read More By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – People with psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease, may be more likely than others to experience heart attacks and strokes at least in part because inflammation damages their vascular system, a recent study suggests. The longer people had lived with psoriasis, the more inflammation they had in their blood vessels, […]
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By Leah Schnurr OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada outlined its vision for its cultural and entertainment industries on Thursday, promising more money to foster Canadian content at home and abroad and striking a deal in which streaming service Netflix would invest C$500 million to create programming in the country. The announcement was part of a sweeping […]
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By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – Washington state on Thursday sued OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, becoming the latest state or local government to file a lawsuit seeking to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for a national opioid addiction epidemic. The city of Seattle also filed a separate lawsuit against Purdue as well as units of Teva […]
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. senators from both parties are close to finalizing a bipartisan deal to shore up the health insurance exchanges created under Obamacare, the chamber’s top Democrat said on Thursday. The move, which Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said was “on the verge” of completion, would stabilize the market for individuals who […]
Read More By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – Nearly two-thirds of children and teens with terminal cancer receive intense care at the end of life, often in hospitals and intensive care units, a U.S. study suggests. Certain patients, including kids under age 5 and teens aged 15 to 21 as well as ethnic minorities and patients with […]
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By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Abbott Laboratories has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy Alere Inc on condition that it sell two point-of-care medical testing businesses, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday. Canada also announced on Thursday that it had approved the proposed transaction on similar terms. Alere’s shares were up 3.5 percent […]
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By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – A single genetic change that occurred in 2013 may explain how Zika acquired the ability to attack fetal nerve cells, causing a severe birth defect in babies whose mothers were infected while pregnant, Chinese and U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. Scientists have posited many theories about why Zika, a […]
Read More By Carolyn Crist (Reuters Health) – YouTube videos that depict alcohol brands favored by youth draw millions of views, making them a form of promotion that could encourage underage drinkers, according to a U.S. study. The videos often resemble traditional ads but may escape public health notice or parental controls, the study authors write in […]
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