Reuters - Health Report

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Friday, January 5, 2018

Trump administration drops Obama-era easing of marijuana prosecutions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday rescinded an Obama administration policy that had eased enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that legalized the drug, instead giving federal prosecutors wide latitude to pursue criminal charges.

Trump administration rule would let more Americans drop Obamacare

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Thursday proposed a rule to allow Americans who are self-employed or work for small businesses to buy health insurance that does not comply with all Obamacare requirements in an effort to unwind the 2010 healthcare law.

Doctors and teachers could team up to reduce stress in schools

(Reuters Health) - - Partnerships between teachers and doctors could help students and school staffers better deal with “toxic stress,” suggests a former teacher turned doctor.

Use of non-cigarette tobacco products tied to teen smoking

(Reuters Health) - - Teens who try e-cigarettes, hookah pipes and other non-cigarette tobacco products are more likely to take up cigarette smoking than their peers who never sample these products, a U.S. study suggests.

Fewer black, Hispanic patients get kidney transplants from live donors

(Reuters Health) - - Black and Hispanic patients who need kidney transplants are less likely than white people to receive organs from live donors and this disparity has worsened over time, a U.S. study suggests.

Neurontin prescriptions surge amid opioid crisis

(Reuters Health) - - Prescriptions for nerve pain medicines like Neurontin and Lyrica have more than tripled in recent years, driven by increased use among chronically ill older adults and patients already taking opioids, a U.S. study suggests.

Married heart patients more likely than singles to survive

(Reuters Health) - People with heart disease have better long-term survival odds when they are married, a recent U.S. study suggests.

CMS to cover Abbott's glucose monitoring device

(Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories said on Thursday its newly launched glucose monitoring device would be covered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, expanding its usage to millions of diabetes patients in the United States.

British PM May apologizes as overwhelmed hospitals cancel non-emergency operations

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May apologized on Thursday to tens of thousands of patients whose operations were canceled to free up staff and beds to deal with emergency patients.

Philippines fines Sanofi, suspends clearance for Dengvaxia

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines has suspended clearance for Sanofi's dengue vaccine Dengvaxia and fined the French drugmaker a symbolic $2,000 citing violations on product registration and marketing, the health secretary said on Thursday.