Reuters - Health Report

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Texas floodwaters pose unique health risks, U.S. experts say

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey increases the risk of ills ranging from skin rashes to bacterial and viral infections and mosquito-borne disease, U.S. public health officials warned on Monday.

FDA steps up scrutiny of stem cell therapies

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping up efforts to better regulate an emerging field of medicine that holds significant promise for curing some of the most troubling diseases by using the body's own cells.

AstraZeneca strikes $400 million Parkinson's drug deal with Takeda

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca is to receive up to $400 million from Takeda Pharmaceutical after striking a deal for the Japanese company to co-develop an early-stage medicine for Parkinson's disease.

AstraZeneca taps AI for drug discovery in deal with Berg

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has forged a research collaboration with Boston-based Berg, a specialist in artificial intelligence for drug hunting, in the latest sign of big pharma's interest in using supercomputers for drug discovery.

Merck cholesterol drug cuts heart risk by 9 percent in study

(Reuters) - A large study of Merck & Co Inc's experimental cholesterol drug anacetrapib found that it cut the risk of heart attack and death by a modest 9 percent, which could be due to its affect on bad LDL cholesterol, researchers said on Tuesday.

Newborns' hospital care quality may be tied to race

(Reuters Health) - The quality of care provided to critically ill newborns is linked with multiple factors, including - in some hospitals - the infants' race, according to a study from California.

Bristol-Myers, Daiichi Sankyo to test Opdivo combo for cancers

(Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Daiichi Sankyo said they were evaluating a combination of Bristol-Myers' immuno-oncology drug, Opdivo, with the Japanese company's experimental drug in patients with breast and bladder cancers.

Newborns' hospital care quality may be tied to race

(Reuters Health) - The quality of care provided to critically ill newborns is linked with multiple factors, including - in some hospitals - the infants' race, according to a study from California.

Cutting U.S. foreign aid for HIV would cost lives, without much savings

(Reuters Health) - Reducing U.S. foreign aid for HIV prevention and treatment might not save that much money in the long run, and it could lead to a surge in new infections and fatalities, a new study suggests.

Red powder used in Hindu ceremonies could have unsafe lead levels

(Reuters Health) - Sindoor powder sold in the United States and India could have unsafe levels of lead, researchers warn.