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January 22, 2010
Calif. court rejects limits on medical marijuana
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected limits on medical marijuana imposed by state lawmakers, finding that people with prescriptions for pot can have and grow all they need for personal use.
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January 21, 2010
US team finds potential path for hepatitis C drugs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. scientists have identified a new class of drugs that appear to block the hepatitis C virus from replicating in laboratory experiments, researchers said on Wednesday.
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January 13, 2010
Common chemical may affect liver at low levels
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study suggests that a synthetic chemical that is ubiquitous in the environment and in people's blood may affect the liver -- though the significance for human health remains unclear.
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January 5, 2010
Gaps in US kids' vaccine coverage shrinking
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More US kids are fully immunized against common childhood illnesses, and disparities in vaccine coverage among socioeconomic groups are shrinking, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
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December 21, 2009
Experts warn of cancer linked to certain herbs
HONG KONG (Reuters) - The consumption of popular Chinese herbal products containing aristolochic acid is associated with an increased risk of urinary tract cancer, a study in Taiwan has found.
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December 16, 2009
Walgreens to offer H1N1 shots nationwide in Dec.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Walgreen Co aims to offer the H1N1 vaccine shot in all 50 states by the end of December, a move that could help the largest U.S. drugstore chain bring more consumers into its stores and clinics.
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December 14, 2009
Milk thistle may limit liver damage from chemo
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An herb used since ancient times to treat liver ailments may help reduce the liver damage caused by some cancer drugs, a study published Monday suggests.
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December 9, 2009
Safety data from kid drug trials often unpublished
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When drugs approved for adults are studied in youngsters, the research yields important safety data that could guide the use of these medications in children, a report published this week indicates.
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December 3, 2009
Hepatitis C drug fights virus in new way
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A drug that targets hepatitis C in an entirely new way was highly effective at suppressing the virus in chimpanzees and kept working for several weeks after the treatment stopped, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
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December 1, 2009
Needle injuries often not reported by med students
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Medical students are commonly stuck by needles but often fail to report their injuries to employee health services, placing them at risk for hepatitis, HIV and other blood borne diseases, results of a survey show.
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November 11, 2009
Tainted food surprisingly deadly in adults - WHO
GENEVA (Reuters) - Millions of adults die every year from bugs and toxins in what they eat, according to new World Health Organisation data that shows food-borne diseases are far more deadly than the U.N. agency previously estimated.
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November 2, 2009
How long does hepatitis B vaccine protection last?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The hepatitis B vaccine - given to protect against infection by a virus that can cause severe liver damage and cancer - may protect for more than two decades, according to a new study.
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October 26, 2009
Coffee may slow liver damage from hepatitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A few cups of coffee everyday may help slow the progression of liver disease associated with long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus, a new study hints.
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October 16, 2009
Second test backs single dose of Glaxo H1N1 shot
LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline said on Friday a second clinical trial of its H1N1 swine flu vaccine Pandemrix had confirmed that a single dose could provide a strong immune response.
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October 16, 2009
Paracetamol dampens infant vaccine effect: study
LONDON (Reuters) - Giving paracetamol to babies to prevent fever after routine vaccinations may reduce the effect of the shots themselves, Czech scientists said on Friday.
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October 14, 2009
Kids younger than 10 may need two swine flu shots
LONDON (Reuters) - Children under 10 years of age may need two shots of swine flu vaccine to get optimal protection, French drugmaker and the world's biggest flu vaccine producer Sanofi-Aventis said on Wednesday.
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September 16, 2009
Men's sex lives may suffer on hepatitis C therapy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men taking the antiviral drugs peginterferon and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C virus infection often experience sexual dysfunction, results of a study indicate.
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September 11, 2009
Needle attacks and rumors spread in China
BEIJING (Reuters) - Mysterious needle attacks have spread to new cities in China's restive far-western region of Xinjiang, the China Daily newspaper said on Friday, although once again the assaults appear to be a mix of real and imagined.
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September 9, 2009
US FDA panel backs Glaxo cervical cancer vaccine
GAITHERSBURG, Md.(Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC's proposed cervical cancer vaccine is safe and effective for girls and young women ages 10 to 25, a U.S. advisory panel said on Wednesday.
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September 3, 2009
Study finds potential way to make an AIDS vaccine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The discovery of immune system particles that attack the AIDS virus may finally open a way to make a vaccine that could protect people against the deadly and incurable infection, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
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August 31, 2009
Race not a factor in liver transplantation
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Racial disparities exist in many areas of health care, from heart disease treatment to rates of surviving cancer. And studies have suggested that white patients do better than African Americans following liver transplants. But race may not play a role in survival after liver transplants for hepatitis B infection, nor while waiting for one, according to a new study.
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August 17, 2009
Gene predicts response to hepatitis C drugs: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A slight difference in a person's genetic code could determine whether they respond to a grueling round of treatment for hepatitis C infection or not, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.
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August 12, 2009
Protesters seek cheaper drugs at HIV/AIDS meeting
BALI, Indonesia (Reuters) - A small band of protesters holding aloft a banner disrupted a large HIV/AIDS conference in Indonesia on Wednesday to demand access to drugs to treat HIV patients dying from Hepatitis C.
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August 5, 2009
Jury out on benefit of infant vaccine combo
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It is unclear whether giving infants a combination vaccine for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (DTP-HBV-HIB) protects them as effectively as separate DTP-HBV and HIB vaccines, a review of published studies indicates.
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July 23, 2009
Typhoid vaccine protects younger children: study
BOSTON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline's Typherix vaccine shields children as young as 2 from typhoid fever, and widespread vaccination can even protect people who have not been given the shot, according to a study published on Wednesday.
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July 23, 2009
Vaccine struggle embodies U.S. health reform battle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The confusion surrounding adult vaccination help illustrates some of the big problems looming for Congress as it struggles with healthcare reform legislation, doctors and health officials said on Wednesday.
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June 17, 2009
Prior pregnancies may lessen liver cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While having hepatitis B increases the odds of developing liver cancer, the risk is reduced in women who've had several pregnancies, a study suggests.
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May 29, 2009
Pollution may contribute to rise in liver disease
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pollutants may be contributing to a sharp increase in the number of cases of liver disease, U.S. researchers said on Friday.
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May 15, 2009
Hepatitis C still contagious after infection clears
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) that persists after a sustained virological response to antiviral therapy can retain its infectivity i, according to a report in the May issue of Hepatology.
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May 14, 2009
Pandemic flu to dominate WHO assembly
GENEVA (Reuters) - H1N1 flu will dominate the World Health Organisation's annual assembly of 193 countries next week, eclipsing other issues like tuberculosis and food safety.
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May 11, 2009
Hypothyroidism linked to liver cancer in women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with long-standing hypothyroidism, commonly referred to as an "underactive thyroid," are at increased risk of liver cancer, the results of a new study suggest. By contrast, hypothyroidism is not significantly associated with this malignancy in men.
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May 4, 2009
WHO says HIV patients at higher risk from flu
GENEVA (Reuters) - People with HIV are at high risk from the new flu strain that the World Health Organization said is on the verge of a pandemic, the WHO said on Saturday.
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April 20, 2009
China drug scams challenge pharmaceutical firms
BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - When Pang Jianli walked into a Beijing pharmacy to buy medicine for his flu-stricken son, he was greeted by an overwhelming display of boxes and bottles emblazoned with promises of miraculous cures.
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April 20, 2009
Malaysia tackles disease spread among drug users
KAMPONG PASIR PUTIH, Malaysia (Reuters Life!) - The drug addicts emerge quietly from a jungle in Malaysia's southernmost state of Johor, smiling shyly as they drop their bloodstained syringes into a pail and wait for new ones.
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March 30, 2009
Many women with HIV report hazardous drinking
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hazardous alcohol use is common among HIV-positive women, for whom excessive drinking poses special health risks, according to a new study out in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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March 5, 2009
Hepatitis C cases seen at New York dialysis center
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - From 1999 through 2008, nine patients treated at a hemodialysis unit in New York City were found to be infected with hepatitis C virus, according to a report published Thursday.
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January 6, 2009
Dutch study sheds light on virus that causes SARS
LONDON (Reuters) - Dutch researchers have built a three-dimensional model of a type of virus that causes SARS in a step that could one day help in the battle against the deadly disease.
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December 23, 2008
Study may predict if hepatitis C drugs will work
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Doctors hope to be able to better predict which patients will respond to traditional treatment for the hepatitis C virus using a new method for identifying slight variances in the virus' genetic makeup.
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December 8, 2008
Malaria vaccine protects babies, children
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An experimental malaria vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline is the most promising yet, protecting up to 65 percent of infants from infection in two studies conducted in Africa, researchers reported on Monday.
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December 4, 2008
No benefit of extended hepatitis C therapy for some
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C infection who have not responded to prior therapy with the standard combination drug treatment -- peginterferon and ribavirin -- prolonged low-dose, or "maintenance" therapy does not reduce the rate of disease progression, new research shows.
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December 3, 2008
South African dies of suspected deadly virus in Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian health officials were monitoring people in Rio de Janeiro for possible infections on Wednesday, after a South African man on a business trip died of a suspected hemorrhagic virus.
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November 28, 2008
Africa vaccine trial new push against malaria
BAGAMOYO, Tanzania (Reuters) - Billionaire Bill Gates and thousands of babies are helping Africa prepare its largest medical experiment ever, in the search for a new vaccine against malaria.
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November 24, 2008
Crisis forces Russians to cut back vodka drinking
MOSCOW (Reuters Life!) - The global financial crisis has grown so bad that Russians are cutting back on vodka.
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November 24, 2008
Peginterferon-induced depression is reversible
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression related to peginterferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C increases with duration of use, but reverses following treatment cessation, according to members of the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis trial.
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November 24, 2008
Inside-out cells offer target for antiviral drugs
CHICAGO (Reuters) - An experimental drug cured guinea pigs infected with a fatal hemorrhagic fever virus, raising hope for its use in a broad range of viral diseases including influenza, hepatitis C, HIV, Ebola and others, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.
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November 19, 2008
Working in health care can be risky, study hints
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that health care workers are more likely to die from bloodborne infections and related illnesses than people working in other occupations.
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November 4, 2008
New drug shows promise for hepatitis C
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Health) - The investigational drug boceprevir (Schering-Plough) appears to be a useful treatment for chronic infection with hepatitis C virus, new research suggests. In patients who have never been treated before, the drug provides response rates that are nearly double that seen with currently used treatments.
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November 4, 2008
Extended therapy may benefit opioid-addicted youth
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that extended treatment with buprenorphine and naloxone may be superior to short-term detox with these drugs in reducing opioid use in addicted teenagers and young adults. With either approach, however, relapse during long-term follow-up is common.
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November 1, 2008
Impressive Vertex hepatitis C drug data unveiled
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In patients with treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, the investigational protease inhibitor boceprevir (Schering-Plough) produces sustained viral response rates that are nearly twice that seen with the standard of care.
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October 27, 2008
Obtaining kidney transplants abroad carries risks
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients who go outside their country of residence to have organ transplantation -- so-called transplant "tourists" -- are more likely to experience complications than patients treated within their own country, research suggests.