Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, October 26, 2017

Trump to issue emergency declaration next week on opioids

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would declare next week a national emergency on opioid abuse, a move that could give states access to federal funds to fight the drug crisis.

U.S. to promote use of opioid alternatives to treat addiction

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to encourage widespread use among opioid addicts of less harmful opioid drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine, a radical shift in policy that could draw opposition from those in the addiction field who believe abstinence is the only effective treatment.

High cholesterol levels among U.S. adults declining: CDC report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The prevalence of U.S. adults with high cholesterol declined significantly between 1999-2000 and 2015-2016, achieving a long-term public health goal, according to data released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

Rhode Island doctor pleads guilty to opioid kickback scheme related to Insys

BOSTON (Reuters) - A Rhode Island doctor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges he participated in a scheme to obtain kickbacks in exchange for writing prescriptions for an addictive fentanyl-based cancer pain drug produced by Insys Therapeutics Inc.

Opioid drugmaker Purdue Pharma faces U.S. investigation

(Reuters) - Purdue Pharma LP confirmed on Wednesday that it has become the subject of a U.S. investigation related to its painkiller OxyContin as the drugmaker battles a series lawsuits seeking to hold it responsible for its role in the nation's opioid epidemic.

Pharmacist guilty of fraud, not murder, over U.S. meningitis outbreak

BOSTON (Reuters) - A Massachusetts pharmacist was convicted of racketeering and fraud charges but was cleared of murder on Wednesday for his role in a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 76 people and sickened hundreds more across the United States.

FDA declines to approve PTC's Duchenne drug

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to approve PTC Therapeutics Inc's experimental drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, saying an additional clinical trial would be needed to prove the drug works.

FDA approves intravenous version of Tesaro drug for chemotherapy nausea

(Reuters) - Tesaro Inc said on Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an intravenous version of its drug to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in adults.

Conjoined twins posed ethical dilemma for Massachusetts hospital

BOSTON (Reuters) - Doctors at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children faced an ethical challenge when a pair of conjoined twins born in Africa arrived last year seeking surgery that could save only one of them, according to a medical journal article due out Thursday.

U.S. insurer Anthem says Obamacare business improving; stock jumps

(Reuters) - Anthem Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings as its Obamacare individual insurance business broke even and forecast a slight 2018 profit for the government plans despite uncertainty about the market's future.