Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Canada’s Supreme Court strips Viagra patent from Pfizer
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s Supreme Court struck down the
patent on global pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer Inc’s
Viagra erectile dysfunction drug on Thursday and opened the
door to generic competition. The court backed an appeal by
Israeli-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd –
the world’s largest generic drug maker – which argued Pfizer
had been too vague when filing its patent, which runs out in
2014 in Canada.
Cancer trials can lack clear information on biopsies
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People participating in cancer
drug trials aren’t always given the most straightforward
explanation of possible risks and benefits from invasive
procedures that may be involved, according to a new study.
Biopsies of tumor tissue can help researchers figure out how
well a test drug is working – but the invasive, sometimes
painful procedures are typically of little benefit to study
participants themselves.
Hospital guidelines not linked to readmissions: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Procedural guidelines designed
to ensure patients get quality care while in the hospital are
also thought to reduce the chances a patient will need to be
readmitted down the line, but a new study suggests there’s
little connection between the two. “The idea was, increasing
the quality of care provided by these hospitals would improve
the outcomes,” said the report’s lead author Dr. Michaela S.
Stefan, an academic hospitalist at Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield, Mass.
Home blood pressure monitors show mixed results: study
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UK’s NICE rejects Novartis asthma drug in change of tack
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s health cost-effectiveness
watchdog NICE plans to recommend against the use of Novartis’s
severe asthma drug Xolair, or omalizumab, after
earlier endorsing it for adults only. The National Institute
for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which decides if
medicines should be given on the state health service, said on
Friday it had changed its mind in the light of evolving
clinical evidence.
FDA panel recommends approval of Novo degludec insulin
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Judge says Texas cannot ban family planning group from
health program
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A Texas judge ruled on Thursday
that the state cannot ban Planned Parenthood, for now, from
offering health care to low-income women through a state-run
program even though some of the group’s family planning and
health clinics perform abortions. “This is another victory for
the women in Texas,” Pete Schenkkan, a lawyer representing the
group, told reporters after state District Judge Stephen
Yelenosky said he would halt enforcement of the Texas law while
Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit contesting the state ban proceeds.
Tate & Lyle says aflatoxin in U.S. corn complicates grain
sourcing
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Tate & Lyle , a British maker
of sweeteners and starches, on Thursday said quality problems
with the U.S. corn harvest, primarily due to aflatoxin, the
byproduct of a grain fungus, were raising costs and forcing
changes to the firm’s buying program. Aflatoxin is associated
with a mold that thrives in hot and dry conditions, and it
emerged in unusually high levels in the heart of the U.S. Corn
Belt this autumn after the worst drought in half a century
decimated the corn harvest.
7UP maker sued over antioxidant claims
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Boston Scientific buys Vessix for blood pressure device
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