Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, August 10, 2017

Texas bill restricting insurance coverage for abortions nears approval

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas bill that would restrict insurance coverage for abortions was approved by the state's Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday, a move critics called cruel and damaging to women's health.

Marijuana use holds three-fold blood pressure death risk: study

LONDON (Reuters) - People who smoke marijuana have a three times greater risk of dying from hypertension, or high blood pressure, than those who have never used the drug, scientists said on Wednesday.

U.N. urges action to avert famine threatening 20 million people worldwide

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called on warring parties in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and northeastern Nigeria to allow humanitarian aid access and urged countries to donate more money to avert famines threatening 20 million people.

Can new tool make cervical biopsy more efficient, less painful?

Women undergoing cervical biopsies might have lower odds of repeat tests with a rotating fabric brush than a sharp instrument because the soft device may capture more cells for analysis, a recent study suggests.

Poor Medicare patients may spend more on hospital stays

Out-of-pocket spending for hospital care by people with Medicare may be higher for those with lower incomes, because they’re more likely than wealthier Medicare beneficiaries to be kept in the hospital without being officially admitted, a new study suggests.

Pediatricians offer strategies for talking to kids about bad news

Parents wondering how to talk to their children about tragedies such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks have a new resource to help them, published online in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Mexico watchdog finds big pharma faces no competition on some drugs

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Major drugmakers including GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Pfizer Inc face no competition in Mexico from generics that are readily available elsewhere, partly because of regulatory failings, Mexico's antitrust body said on Wednesday.

Mylan cuts forecasts on delays in new drugs, weak prices

(Reuters) - Mylan NV said on Wednesday that delays in launching key new drugs and eroding prices for generics in the United States will hurt its profitability this year and in 2018.

U.S. lawmakers seek missing information in review of Monsanto weedkiller

LONDON, (Reuters) - The chairman of a congressional committee has asked the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explain why its National Cancer Institute (NCI) failed to publish data that showed no links between glyphosate and cancer.

Belgian minister blames Dutch for delays in egg safety probe

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian officials waited a month for information from Dutch counterparts after finding traces of an insecticide in eggs, Belgium's farm minister said on Wednesday, adding that the Netherlands had known about contamination since last November.