Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, July 6, 2017

FDA puts hold on Merck multiple myeloma trials after deaths

(Reuters) - Merck & Co said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had placed a clinical hold on three multiple myeloma studies testing its Keytruda in combination with other medicines for the blood cancer after more deaths were reported in patients receiving the Merck immunotherapy.

Oxford BioMedica wins big contract for Novartis cell therapy

LONDON (Reuters) - Novartis has signed a major contract with Oxford BioMedica that could earn the British company more than $100 million over three years for supplying the Swiss drugmaker with material for its novel cell therapy CTL019.

Celgene to buy BeiGene stake, to develop tumor cancer treatment

(Reuters) - Biopharmaceutical company Celgene Corp will buy a stake in BeiGene Ltd and help develop and commercialize BeiGene's investigational treatment for tumor cancers, the companies said on Wednesday.

Novartis receives EU approval for Cosentyx label update

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis said that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has approved a label update for Cosentyx (secukinumab), the first interleukin-17A (IL-17A) approved to treat psoriasis.

Body contouring tied to better quality of life after weight-loss surgery

(Reuters Health) - After weight-loss surgery, people who get cosmetic procedures to remove excess tissue may have a better quality of life than those who don't get this additional work done, a recent study suggests.

'Stem-cell tourism' needs tighter controls, say medical experts

LONDON (Reuters) - Stem-cell tourism involving patients who travel to developing countries for treatment with unproven and potentially risky therapies should be more tightly regulated, international health experts said on Wednesday.

Effectiveness of fire-safe cigarette laws still unclear

(Reuters Health) - Laws requiring cigarettes to be made with a fire-retarding design may have reduced deaths from cigarette-related fires in the U.S. but the evidence is weak and inconsistent, researchers say.

Heartburn drugs tied to greater mortality

(Reuters Health) - Widely used heartburn drugs are associated with increased risk of death, and the longer a person uses the drugs, the greater the risk, new research suggests.

Can less invasive uterine fibroid treatment improve fertility?

(Reuters Health) - Women who are unable to conceive because of uterine fibroids may have an easier time getting pregnant after minimally invasive procedures to destroy the fibroids, a recent study suggests.

Personalized vaccines hold cancer at bay in two early trials

A novel class of personalized cancer vaccines, tailored to the tumors of individual patients, kept disease in check in two early-stage clinical trials, pointing to a new way to help the immune system fight back.