Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, May 11, 2017

GSK dodges bullet as second generic Advair bid fails

LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline looks unlikely to face competition from a substitutable copy of its blockbuster lung drug Advair in the United States this year, after a second generic application was turned down by U.S. regulators.

Roche's star cancer drug stumbles in study, raising doubts about future

ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche's Tecentriq immuno-oncology drug failed a late-stage follow-up trial against advanced bladder cancer, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday, raising questions about whether regulators could scale back their approval of the medicine.

AstraZeneca asthma drug fails, after similar setback at Roche

(Reuters) - An experimental biotech drug for severe asthma from AstraZeneca failed to meet its goal of significantly reducing attacks in a late-stage study, dealing a blow to an approach that had already run into problems at Roche .

In Europe, U.S., modern AIDS drugs add extra 10 years of life expectancy

LONDON (Reuters) - Life expectancy for young HIV-positive adults has risen by 10 years in the United States and Europe thanks to improvements in AIDS drugs known as antiretroviral therapy, researchers said on Thursday.

Pfizer strikes deal with Sangamo, broadening hemophilia pipeline

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday it reached an agreement with Sangamo Therapeutics Inc for rights to its gene therapy programs to treat the rare blood-clotting disorder hemophilia A, under which Pfizer will pay $70 million upfront.

Illinois bill expands abortion coverage, faces governor's veto

CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Illinois bill that expands state-funded coverage of abortions for low-income residents and state employees passed the Democratic-controlled Senate on Wednesday but faces a likely veto by the state's Republican governor.

Vermont legislature approves marijuana legalization bill

BOSTON (Reuters) - Vermont lawmakers on Wednesday approved a measure to legalize recreational use of marijuana, which if not vetoed by the governor would make the state the ninth to legalize the drug and the first to do so by legislation rather than ballot initiative.

Looking to cut back on salt? Study says don't start with the shaker

(Reuters Health) - Americans need to do more than stop reaching for the salt shaker if they want to cut back on the amount of sodium in their diets, according to a new study.

U.S. FDA approves Merck immunotherapy/chemo combo for lung cancer

(Reuters) - Merck & Co said on Wednesday U.S. health regulators approved its Keytruda in combination with chemotherapy for previously untreated advanced lung cancer, solidifying the drugmaker's lead position in the field of medicines that help the immune system fight cancer.

Chilean pharmacies begin marijuana medicine sales in first for Latam

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Pharmacies in Chile's capital Santiago will start selling cannabis-based medicines this week, the first time such treatments have been offered by drug stores in Latin America, the companies behind the launch said on Wednesday.