Reuters - Health Report

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Friday, December 1, 2017

Exclusive: U.S. health regulator Verma eyes new methods for drug pricing

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government is considering setting new payment methods aimed at curbing costs for Medicare and Medicaid coverage of breakthrough medical treatments with very high prices, particularly novel gene-based therapies for cancer and other diseases, a top health official said on Thursday.

Indivior drug to fight opioid addiction approved by U.S. FDA

(Reuters) - Indivior's experimental drug to help fight America's growing opioid addiction crisis was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration late on Thursday, boosting its sales prospects as competitors threaten revenues from an older product.

Lawsuit seeks to block Illinois abortion coverage expansion

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Abortion opponents in Illinois filed a lawsuit on Thursday to block a recently approved law expanding state-funded coverage of abortions for low-income Medicaid recipients and state workers.

Cancer drug prompts 'drastic' HIV decrease in lung cancer patient

LONDON, (Reuters) - Doctors in France have found the first evidence that a drug normally used to treat lung, kidney or skin cancer may be able to eradicate HIV-infected cells in people with the AIDS virus.

FDA clears first medical device accessory for Apple Watch

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday cleared a device embedded in an Apple Inc watch band that monitors a user's heart rate, detects when something is amiss and prompts the user to take an electrocardiogram.

Foundation's cancer gene test gets U.S. FDA and Medicare nod

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A test from Foundation Medicine Inc that can detect cancer-causing mutations in 324 genes has won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agencies said.

Genmab and Johnson & Johnson 'love' partnership as some ponder takeover

LONDON (Reuters) - Genmab was Europe's second biggest biotech company, until its partner Johnson & Johnson bought Switzerland's Actelion for $30 billion this year and propelled the Danish antibody specialist to the top spot.

GSK starts big African study of injectable drug to prevent HIV

(Reuters) - ViiV Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline Plc's HIV unit, said on Thursday it started an African study to evaluate long-acting injectable drug for the prevention of HIV infection in sexually active women.

Farmers harder hit by opioid crisis than rest of rural U.S.: survey

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The opioid crisis in the United States is impacting farm and ranch families more acutely than their rural neighbors, according to a survey published by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the National Farmers Union on Thursday.

Marriage linked to lower dementia risk

(Reuters Health) - Being married, or ever having been married, comes with a much lower risk of developing dementia compared to being a lifelong bachelor or bachelorette, a new analysis of previous studies suggests.