Today's Reuters Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Two governors petition for medical marijuana
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:12 PM PST
Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The governors of Washington state and Rhode Island filed a petition with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday that would allow doctors to legally prescribe marijuana as a medical treatment. Democrat Christine Gregoire of Washington and independent Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island are asking the DEA to reclassify marijuana as a schedule 2 drug from schedule 1 - where it is listed alongside heroin and ecstasy - which would make it legal for doctors to recommend its use and pharmacists to supply it. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama administration appeals cigarette warning ruling
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:14 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Tuesday appealed a U.S. judge's ruling and injunction that blocked tobacco companies from having to display graphic images on cigarette packs and advertising, such as a man exhaling smoke through a hole in his throat. The appeal had been widely expected after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon earlier this month sided with tobacco companies and granted a temporary injunction blocking the requirement. ... Full Story | Top |
Pfizer aims to keep one-third of Lipitor pie
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:13 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - As cholesterol fighter Lipitor goes generic, its maker Pfizer Inc is hoping to hold onto perhaps a third of the 3 million Americans who take the biggest-selling drug of all time. Lipitor, which became available in 1997 and generated annual sales of $13 billion at its peak, reduces "bad" LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart attack and stroke. It loses U.S. patent protection on Wednesday. ...
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FDA confirms nod for Ranbaxy's generic Lipitor
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:01 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed on Wednesday that it had given approval to Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd to make the first generic version of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor. The FDA said in a statement late on Wednesday that the company would make generic atorvastatin calcium in 10, 20, 40 and 80 milligram tablets. Lipitor is made by Pfizer In. The agency said the generic drug would be manufactured by Ohm Laboratories in New Brunswick, N.J. Earlier on Wednesday, the FDA withdrew a press statement on the approval, saying it had been issued in error. ... Full Story | Top |
Senate Republicans offer tax-cut renewal plan
Wed,30 Nov 2011 05:01 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A pay freeze for federal workers would be extended for another three years as part of a Senate Republican plan offered on Wednesday to cover the cost of President Barack Obama's call to extend a popular payroll tax cut. The Republican proposal, deemed unacceptable by Democrats who control the Senate, would also achieve savings by reducing the size of the federal workforce. Smaller savings would be gained by tightening eligibility requirements for jobless benefits, food stamps and the Medicare healthcare program for the elderly. ... Full Story | Top |
Americans mixed on adequacy of cancer screenings
Wed,30 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Many Americans are satisfied with how often they are screened for cancer but some say they are not screened often enough, while a growing body of evidence suggests too much screening for certain types of cancer may do more harm than good, a Gallup poll showed. According to the poll released on Wednesday, 58 percent of 1,012 adults surveyed thought standard cancer screenings, such as Pap smears, mammograms or blood tests to detect prostate cancer, were performed often enough. ... Full Story | Top |
NICE spurns Novartis MS pill despite new price cut
Wed,30 Nov 2011 04:08 PM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Novartis's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, one of its top new drug hopes, has again been rejected by the health cost watchdog NICE, despite the offer of a price discount from the Swiss drugmaker. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said on Thursday it still believed the medicine was not cost effective, compared with other existing treatments. Gilenya, licensed in Europe in March, represents a significant change in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, since existing drugs, such as beta interferons and Elan and Biogen Idec's Tysabri, must be injected. ... Full Story | Top |
UK spurns Novartis MS pill despite new price cut
Wed,30 Nov 2011 04:08 PM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Novartis's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, one of its top new drug hopes, has again been rejected by Britain's health cost watchdog NICE, despite the offer of a price discount from the Swiss drugmaker. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said on Thursday it still believed the medicine was not cost effective, compared with other existing treatments. Gilenya, licensed in Europe in March, represents a significant change in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, since existing drugs, such as beta interferons and Elan and Biogen Idec's Tysabri, must be ... Full Story | Top |
Financial strain, trauma for Olympus ex-CEO
Wed,30 Nov 2011 03:46 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A six-week-long fight with Olympus Corp in one of Japan's biggest corporate scandals ever is taking its toll on the whistleblower -- former CEO Michael Woodford. Woodford, 51, who said he had been getting only a few hours of sleep a night since the Olympus scandal broke last month, told Reuters the fight proved to be emotionally traumatizing for him and his family, and had significantly strained his finances. ...
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Most insurers met spending limits under law: GAO
Wed,30 Nov 2011 03:45 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Most U.S. health insurers last year would have satisfied the much-disputed spending rules under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform, according to a new report by a congressional watchdog agency. The rules require insurers such as Aetna and UnitedHealth to spend most of customers' premium payments on medical care, not administrative costs or profit, or risk paying patients a rebate. ... Full Story | Top |
Senate Republicans offer tax-cut renewal plan
Wed,30 Nov 2011 03:16 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A pay freeze for federal workers would be extended for another three years as part of a Senate Republican plan offered on Wednesday to cover the cost of President Barack Obama's call to extend a popular payroll tax cut. The Republican proposal, deemed unacceptable by Democrats who control the Senate, would also achieve savings by reducing the size of the federal workforce and tightening eligibility requirements for jobless benefits, food stamps and the Medicare healthcare program for the elderly. ... Full Story | Top |
Two US governors petition for medical marijuana
Wed,30 Nov 2011 03:01 PM PST
Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The governors of Washington state and Rhode Island have filed a petition with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that would allow doctors to legally prescribe marijuana as a medical treatment. Christine Gregoire of Washington and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island are asking for the DEA to reclassify marijuana as a schedule 2 drug from schedule 1 - where it is listed alongside heroin and ecstasy - which would make it legal for doctors to recommend its use and pharmacists to supply it. ... Full Story | Top |
China says HIV/AIDS cases are soaring
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:23 PM PST
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. Nearly 82 percent of those new cases were transmitted through sexual intercourse, Xinhua said, up from 11.6 percent between 1985 and 2005. ... Full Story | Top |
Medicare to cover obesity counseling, screening
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:22 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - The U.S. Medicare program for the elderly will cover counseling for obesity in an effort to reduce the condition that has reached epidemic proportions and leads to serious health problems. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Tuesday obesity counseling and screening has been added to its portfolio of preventive services. "Prevention is crucial for the management and elimination of obesity in our country," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
New report highlights metal hip implant problems
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:21 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Modern, all-metal hip implants appear no more effective than traditional implants and may be less safe, according to a new report, a finding that could hurt the device makers and accelerate lawsuits. The report, published on Tuesday in the British Medical Journal, found that patients who received so-called metal-on-metal implants were more likely to require repeat surgery than those who received traditional implants. Every year, more than 700,000 joint replacements are performed in the United States, of which some 270,000 are hip replacements, according to the report. ... Full Story | Top |
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