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| Insight: "Fiscal cliff" fracas: From smiles to distrust to rancor Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 10:10 PM PST  (Note: includes graphic language) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It began so optimistically. On November 16, after their first "fiscal cliff" session with President Barack Obama, the four leaders of Congress had stood in the driveway of the White House shoulder-to-shoulder for what is a rare photo these days, Republicans and Democrats together, smiling. There they were at the microphone, talking about a "framework" for tax reform and deficit reduction. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Alimta patent seen as Lilly's "wild card" Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 09:04 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eli Lilly & Co may have a $15 billion wild card up its sleeve as it waits for desperately needed new drugs to bear fruit. Should an obscure patent on Lilly lung cancer drug Alimta survive a court challenge this year, the company would be able to wring more than five additional years of peak sales out of the fast-growing product that it would otherwise lose to cheaper generics. Annual sales of Alimta are expected by Wall Street to climb to $3.5 billion by 2016, when its basic patent lapses. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ecuador ranked top nation for U.S., Canadian retirees Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 08:16 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - With its low cost of living, balmy climate and cheap property prices, Ecuador has been ranked the top foreign retirement destination for North Americans for the fifth consecutive year. The South American nation bordered by Colombia and Peru scored the highest marks in InternationalLiving.com's annual ranking of the best places to retire. With monthly estimated living expenses ranging from $900 to $1,400, Ecuador surpassed Panama, Malaysia, Mexico and Costa Rica, which rounded out the top five countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chavez still has "severe" respiratory problem Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 06:48 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is still suffering a "severe" respiratory infection that has hindered his breathing as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery in Cuba, the government said on Thursday. The 58-year-old socialist leader has not been seen in public nor heard from in more than three weeks. Officials say he is in delicate condition after his fourth operation in just 18 months for an undisclosed form of cancer in his pelvic area. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chavez still has "severe" respiratory problem: Venezuela government Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 06:26 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is still suffering from a lung infection that has hindered his breathing as he battles to recover from December 11 cancer surgery, the government said on Thursday. "Commander Chavez has faced complications as a result of a severe lung infection," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said, reading the latest official update on the president's condition in a hospital in Cuba. ... Full Story | Top |
| Email reminders encourage end-of-life talks Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 05:57 PM PST (Reuters) - Email alerts may encourage cancer doctors to talk with terminally ill patients about their end-of-life wishes and to record those preferences in their medical records, according to a U.S. study. Oncologists who were reminded each time one of their patients started a new chemotherapy regimen were more than twice as likely to note patients' wishes before they became very sick, said researchers in a report published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK cost body backs Lucentis after Novartis cuts price Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 05:51 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's healthcare costs watchdog has given its backing to eye drug Lucentis after Swiss drugmaker Novartis offered it at a discount to the country's National Health Service. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, in a reversal of an earlier decision, said on Friday Lucentis should now be available for patients with diabetic macular oedema (DMO) which can cause sight loss in people with diabetes. In November 2011, NICE said it could not recommend the drug, known generically as ranibizumab, as an effective use of NHS resources. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fracking can be done safely in New York state: dept report Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:42 PM PST  (Reuters) - The natural gas drilling process known as fracking would not be a danger to public health in New York state so long as proper safeguards were put into place, according to a health department report that environmentalists fear could help lift a moratorium on the controversial technique. Governor Andrew Cuomo is weighing the economic benefits of hydraulic fracturing - commonly known as fracking - against the environmental risks from a technology that could unlock a vast domestic energy supply but also one that environmentalists say pollutes groundwater and the air. ... Full Story | Top |
| Annual Pap tests? For some in U.S., old habits die hard Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 01:53 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - An increasing number of younger women in the United States are delaying their first Pap test for cervical cancer until after they reach 21, reflecting new U.S. guidelines, health officials said on Thursday. But 60 percent of U.S. women who have had a total hysterectomy and no longer have a cervix are still getting the tests, a sign that old habits may die hard, experts said. Although an annual Pap test was once the standard of care, most professional groups including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Top-selling drugs for ultra-rare diseases Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 01:47 PM PST (Reuters) - Rare diseases are a growing focus for drug companies, with prices for some treatments for ultra-rare conditions running into hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. The following are among the top-selling treatments for extremely rare disorders: Soliris, Alexion Pharmaceuticals - Treatment for a progressive disease that destroys red blood cells and a second condition that damages the kidney and other vital organs. Forecast 2012 sales: $1.1 billion. ... Full Story | Top |
| Many people unaware of radiation risk from CT scans Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 01:32 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One-third of people getting a CT scan didn't know the test exposed their body to radiation, in a new study from a single U.S. medical center. Researchers found the majority of patients also underestimated the amount of radiation delivered by a CT scan, and just one in 20 believed the scan would increase their chance of ever getting cancer. The study's lead researcher, Janet Busey, said doctors need to do a better job of talking to patients about the risks and benefits of the tests, including about radiation exposure. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. approves health exchanges in four Republican-governed states Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 01:32 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials on Thursday gave four states currently governed by Republicans the green light to set up their own health insurance exchanges under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, an initiative largely opposed by Republicans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah joined a list totaling 17 states and the District of Columbia that have all won conditional approval to establish their own state exchanges, with operations set to begin on January 1, 2014. ... Full Story | Top |
| Walking linked to fewer strokes in women Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 12:40 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who walk at least three hours every week are less likely to suffer a stroke than women who walk less or not at all, according to new research from Spain. "The message for the general population remains similar: regularly engaging in moderate recreational activity is good for your health," lead author José MarÃa Huerta of the Murcia Regional Health Authority in Spain told Reuters Health. Past studies have also linked physical activity to fewer strokes, which can be caused by built-up plaque in arteries or ruptured blood vessels in the brain. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton resting, plans to return to the office next week Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 12:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is resting at home in New York after being treated for a blood clot and plans to return to her office next week, the State Department said on Thursday. Clinton, 65, has suffered a series of ailments over the last month including a stomach virus, a concussion and a blood clot in a vein behind her right ear. She was released from New York Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday after a stay of several days during which she was given blood thinners to treat the clot. Her doctors have said they expect her to make a full recovery. ... Full Story | Top |
| Video games fail to stoke kids' appetite for fruit Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 09:41 AM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Healthy food advertising in the form of online games doesn't make kids crave more wholesome snacks, according to a new study from the Netherlands. Researchers expected children to choose to eat fruit after playing games promoting fruit, given that previous research has shown so-called "advergames" to be effective marketing tools. In fact, kids in the experiment did eat more snacks after playing, but no more fruit than their peers. ... Full Story | Top |
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