HEALTH News, Jul 03, 2011 (2)

Medicare proposes change in anemia drug usage Fri,1 Jul 2011 09:41 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Medicare federal health insurance program has proposed removing its requirement that kidney dialysis providers keep patient hemoglobin levels above a set minimum, which could lead to lower use of Epogen, the anemia drug sold by Amgen. Full Story1

Evidence "increasingly against" phone cancer risk Fri,1 Jul 2011 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Despite a recent move to classify mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic, the scientific evidence increasingly points away from a link between their use and brain tumors, according to a new study on Saturday. Full Story1

FDA chides Novartis on meningitis vaccine promotion Fri,1 Jul 2011 01:24 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Novartis AG falsely implied that its Menveo meningitis vaccine was approved in a manner consistent with guidelines from an influential U.S. advisory group, health regulators said in a letter to the Swiss drugmaker. Full Story1

Menu labels don't influence students' food choices Fri,1 Jul 2011 12:51 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Menu labels on cafeteria food -- highlighting the good and the bad of various meal options -- make no difference in college students' meal choices, a new study concludes. Full Story1

Special infant formula may not prevent allergies Fri,1 Jul 2011 12:50 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite pediatric guidelines endorsing "allergy-friendly" whey-based infant formulas, a new study finds the products don't ward off allergies in babies at high risk for sensitivities. Full Story1

Safety group sets kids' drawstring safety rules Fri,1 Jul 2011 12:32 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Friday set a new federal safety rule, saying drawstrings in certain children's clothing are now considered substantial product hazards. Full Story1

Russia says abortion ads must carry health warning Fri,1 Jul 2011 12:23 PM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian lawmakers, worried about a falling birth rate, passed a law on Friday that abortion advertisements must carry a health warning. Full Story1

More people struggling with bladder control: study Fri,1 Jul 2011 10:37 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An increasing number of people say they are dealing with incontinence, according to a new survey of nearly 20,000 U.S. adults. Full Story1

Fertility treatment less successful in obese women Fri,1 Jul 2011 09:52 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be half as likely as their normal-weight counterparts to have a baby, a study at one U.S. medical center suggests. Full Story1

Arsenic linked to kidney cancer Fri,1 Jul 2011 08:34 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with moderately elevated levels of arsenic in their urine may have an increased risk of kidney cancer -- particularly if they have high blood pressure and kidney disease, a new study suggests. Full Story1

Lundbeck acts to stop misuse of drug in executions Fri,1 Jul 2011 08:33 AM PDT Reuters - COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish pharmaceutical group Lundbeck on Friday said it was changing the distribution of its epilepsy drug Nembutal to avoid the drug being used in executions in U.S. prisons. Full Story1

Copper kills 97 percent of hospital ICU bacteria: study Fri,1 Jul 2011 07:51 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Antimicrobial copper surfaces in intensive care units (ICU) kill 97 percent of bacteria that can cause hospital-acquired infections, according to preliminary results of a multisite clinical trial in the United States. Full Story1

Who should get screened for lung cancer? Fri,1 Jul 2011 07:47 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using chest scans to screen for lung cancer in people who've never smoked and have no symptoms might help catch cancers early and decrease the disease's death toll, suggests a new study from Japan. Full Story1

Medicare will keep covering Roche's Avastin Thu,30 Jun 2011 04:31 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medicare will continue paying for Roche Holding's drug Avastin for breast cancer, regardless of what health regulators decide about the medicine's future, a spokesman said on Thursday. Full Story1

Medicare to cover Dendreon's prostate drug Thu,30 Jun 2011 03:12 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Medicare and Medicaid federal health insurance programs will fully cover Provenge, Dendreon Corp's expensive treatment for advanced prostate cancer, U.S. regulators said, sending company shares 3 percent higher. Full Story1

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