Category: Health

MUNICH (Reuters) – Roche’s entrectinib cancer pill was shown to shrink tumors in 57 percent of patients within a group that can only be identified via genetic profiling, as the Swiss drugmaker challenges an alliance of Bayer and Loxo Oncology in a new targeted treatment area. The trial results on patients with a gene anomaly…

ZURICH/MUNICH (Reuters) – An immunotherapy cocktail from Roche helped slow an aggressive type of breast cancer where new treatments have proven elusive, offering positive news for the Swiss drugmaker as it chases medicines produced by its rivals. Trial data released on Saturday shed light on the treatment of triple-negative tumors, which affect 15 percent of…

ZURICH (Reuters) – An experimental cancer drug that Novartis hopes will raise the profile of its oncology portfolio cut the risk of death or disease progression by more than a third in breast cancer patients with a hard-to-target gene mutation. The Swiss drugmaker’s BYL719, a so-called PI3K inhibitor also known as alpelisib, combined with hormone…

(Reuters) – France’s Sanofi SA said on Friday eczema drug Dupixent was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an additional maintenance therapy in patients with two types of asthma. Dupixent, co-developed with U.S.-based Regeneron, received approval to treat patients with eosinophilic asthma and those dependent on anti-inflammatory steroids. The drug acts by…

(Reuters Health) – While symptoms like chest or belly pain might reasonably drive you to the emergency room with worries about a heart attack or appendicitis, your insurance company might decide not to pay if it turns out your fears were unfounded, a new study suggests. With the price of emergency room care going up,…

(Reuters Health) – Playing golf is associated with better strength and balance, a sharper mind, a lower risk of heart disease and a longer life, according to public health experts who say more people should take up the sport. While an estimated 60 million people play golf at least twice a year, golfers are primarily…

(Reuters Health) – Hispanics in the U.S. have lower rates of death from heart disease overall than non-Hispanic whites, except in communities where Hispanics make up most of the population, a recent study finds. Overall, counties with higher Hispanic populations also face more economic disadvantages, a lack of access to quality healthcare, and language barriers,…

KINSHASA (Reuters) – The leading Ebola expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday he believed an outbreak in Congo can be brought under control quickly and that the high rate of new cases is due largely to improved detection. The haemorrhagic fever’s outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of…

(Reuters Health) – Elite female athletes have no greater risk of childbirth complications than women who don’t exercise, a small study suggests. Doctors generally encourage women to stay active during pregnancy as long as they are healthy and able to exercise. But whether intense workouts are safe for women who participate in sports at elite…

(Reuters) – A European Medicines Agency (EMA) panel on Friday recommended approving a potential blockbuster drug from Shire Plc to treat patients aged 12 and older with a rare hereditary disease that causes swelling in different parts of the body. The drug, Takhzyro, which Shire acquired through its $5.9 billion buyout of Dyax in 2016,…