News aggregator

Democrats say health bill to cut deficit by $130 billion

Latest Medical Headlines - 2 hours 3 min ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday predicted weekend passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul they said would cut the U.S. deficit over the next two decades and dramatically expand insurance coverage.

Healthcare overhaul to cut deficit: Hoyer

Latest Medical Headlines - 2 hours 45 min ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Thursday that sweeping healthcare overhaul legislation was on track for passage by the U.S. House of Representatives and would cut the deficit by more than $100 billion in the first 10 years.

May need wider eczema caution for kids: FDA

Latest Medical Headlines - 2 hours 58 min ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Novartis AG and Astellas Pharma eczema drugs may need their warning labels expanded after dozens of new reported cases of cancer and infection in children, U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff said in documents released on Thursday.

New attack on cancer forces cells to grow old and die

Latest Medical Headlines - 3 hours 22 min ago
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Instead of killing off cancer cells with toxic drugs, scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that forces them to grow old and die, they said on Wednesday.

Roche aiming to launch 6 new products by end 2014

Latest Medical Headlines - 5 hours 29 min ago
ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG is aiming to launch at least six new products by the end of 2014 and is seeking to further boost its position in areas outside oncology, the Swiss drugmaker said ahead of its investor day.

UK, Spain close to approving GW's cannabis drug

Latest Medical Headlines - 6 hours 58 min ago
LONDON (Reuters) - A pioneering -- but much delayed -- cannabis-based medicine for multiple sclerosis is now on track to win regulatory approval in Britain and Spain in the second quarter of 2010, its maker said on Thursday.

China says probing report on deadly faulty vaccines

Latest Medical Headlines - 12 hours 41 min ago
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Health Ministry is probing a report in a domestic newspaper that faulty vaccines in northern Shanxi province were responsible for killing four children and making dozens of others sick.

New attack on cancer forces cells to grow old and die

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 5:56pm
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Instead of killing off cancer cells with toxic drugs, scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that forces them to grow old and die, they said on Wednesday.

Senator asks drugmakers to explain prices

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 5:54pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate Democrat asked top drugmakers on Wednesday to explain why Americans pay higher prices for prescription drugs than patients do in other developed nations.

Diphyllobothrium latum during Colonoscopy

NEJM Image of the Week - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 4:00pm

A 46-year-old woman presented with a history of 3 days of pruritus in the anal area and 1 day of excretion of tapelike materials. During the year before presentation, she had reported intermittent colicky abdominal . . .

Tests for genes don't predict breast cancer better

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 3:39pm
BOSTON (Reuters) - Studying genes linked to breast cancer may someday lead to better treatments, but they do little to improve a doctor's ability to predict who is likely to develop a tumor, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Public defibrillators boost cardiac arrest survival

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 3:38pm
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Wider dissemination of portable defibrillators in Japan's schools, workplaces and other public venues has increased the number of people who survive cardiac arrest, researchers reported Wednesday.

Delauro sees U.S. food safety law in 2010

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 3:35pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress will pass a new law to overhaul the antiquated U.S. food safety system by the end of the year, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, an influential House lawmaker, said on Wednesday.

Obama wins first convert in healthcare push

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:44pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama picked up his first convert in the push for healthcare reform on Wednesday as Democrats in the House of Representatives prepared for a close weekend vote on final passage.

Evidence that soy eases hot flashes inconclusive

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:14pm
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite supplement makers' claims and popular perceptions, the benefits of soy in fighting hot flashes in women going through menopause remain unproven, according to a new analysis of 19 studies.

Rheumatoid arthritis tied to pregnancy complications

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 1:13pm
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis may have increased risks of high blood pressure, having an underweight baby or needing a cesarean section, a new study suggests.

Light, flat shoes may be best for arthritic knees

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 12:58pm
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When it comes to easing the pain of arthritic knees, footwear choice matters, new research shows.

Moms post-birth bleeding tied to early radiation

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 12:55pm
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who had radiation to the abdomen in childhood to treat cancer may experience excessive bleeding after giving birth, new study findings suggest.

Breast cancer study aims to speed drugs, cooperation

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 11:49am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers launched a unique collaboration on Wednesday aimed at getting cancer drugs to the market more quickly in which three companies will cooperate with the U.S. government and non-profit groups to test five experimental breast cancer drugs.

Insurer targeted HIV patients to drop coverage

Latest Medical Headlines - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 11:40am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In May, 2002, Jerome Mitchell, a 17-year old college freshman from rural South Carolina, learned he had contracted HIV. The news, of course, was devastating, but Mitchell believed that he had one thing going for him: On his own initiative, in anticipation of his first year in college, he had purchased his own health insurance.