Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, August 24, 2017

McDonald's to cut global antibiotic use in chickens

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp on Wednesday said that it would begin curbing the use of the high value human antibiotics in its global chicken supply in 2018, as the fast-food giant joins a broad effort to battle dangerous superbugs.

Roche says FDA grants priority review to hemophilia drug emicizumab

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss pharma group Roche said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted priority review to its emicizumab for hemophilia A with inhibitors.

Novartis receives EU approval for breast cancer drug Kisqali

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis AG said its drug Kisqali (ribociclib) received European Union approval as first-line treatment for a tough-to-treat breast cancer, bolstering the Swiss drugmaker's bid to challenge U.S. rival Pfizer's Ibrance.

New data boosts case for extended use of AstraZeneca heart drug

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's blood-thinner Brilinta cuts the risk of cardiovascular death by 29 percent in patients with a history of past heart attacks who keep taking it beyond the standard 12-month initial period, according to new clinical trial data.

Vision loss associated with cognitive decline, dementia

(Reuters Health) - Hearing impairment is already linked to a heightened risk of cognitive decline in old age, and a new study suggests that impaired vision may carry the same risk.

Brain activity tied to blood pressure during stress

(Reuters Health) - Brain scans obtained during psychological stress might someday help doctors identify people who are at higher risk for heart disease, a new study suggests.

Massive California verdict expands J&J's talc battlefield

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A massive California verdict in a lawsuit alleging Johnson & Johnson's talc-based products cause cancer has opened a new front in the litigation, upending the company's hopes that the cases were only gaining traction in Missouri, legal experts said.

Weak patient admissions to bug hospital operators through 2018

(Reuters) - Weak patient admissions that plagued U.S. hospital operators in the June quarter are likely to persist through 2018, as patients fret about soaring out-of-pocket costs and the future of Obamacare remains uncertain.

Blacks with prostate cancer less likely to get ideal treatment

(Reuters Health) - Black men with riskier prostate cancers may be less likely than their white counterparts to get aggressive treatment that can give them the best survival odds, a recent U.S. study suggests.

Many heart failure patients don’t recognize the risks of their illness

(Reuters Health) - Even though doctors think most people with heart failure have a high likelihood of requiring a heart transplant or dying from complications of their illness, a small U.S. study suggests that many patients see a much rosier picture of their future.