Reuters Health News Summary

09/16/2016 0:57

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Study confirms Zika causes brain birth defects, questions remain

Early results from a crucial case-control study in Brazil have confirmed a direct causal link between Zika virus infection in pregnant women and the brain damaging birth defect microcephaly in their babies, scientists said on Thursday. But while preliminary findings from the first 32 cases involved in the study confirm causality, the researchers said, the true size of the effect will become clear only after full analysis of all 200 cases and 400 controls.

Early menopause tied to heart risk and early death

Women who enter menopause before age 45 are more likely to have cardiovascular problems and to die younger than women who enter menopause later in life, according to a new analysis. The findings suggest that age at menopause may help predict women's risk for future health problems, said lead author Dr. Taulant Muka, of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

U.S. approves Aralez pill for heart patients; stock jumps

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a pill that combines aspirin and the acid-fighting drug omeprazole to guard against gastric ulcers in patients who require daily aspirin. The pill, Yosprala, was developed by Canada-based Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc , whose shares rose nearly 10 percent on the news.

Brain cancer now deadliest for U.S. children: study

Brain cancer is now the deadliest form of childhood cancer in the United States, surpassing leukemia as treatment advances have allowed doctors to cure many blood-related cancers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. In 1999, nearly one in three children who died of cancer had leukemia, while brain cancer caused the deaths of one in four.

Too soon to tell if 9/11 firefighters face increased cancer risk

Fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks, the jury is still out on whether firefighters who worked at the World Trade Center site have increased odds of developing cancer, a U.S. study suggests. Some previous research has linked working at the site with higher rates of certain cancers than are seen among people who weren't at the World Trade Center during that time.

AcelRx's opioid painkiller succeeds in key study

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental opioid painkiller was well tolerated in post-operative patients, including those with organ impairment and the elderly, in a late-stage study. The Redwood City, California-based drugmaker's stock was up about 23 percent at $4.04 in premarket trading.

Novavax vaccine for respiratory disease fails in late stage trial

Novavax Inc said on Thursday that its experimental vaccine for a serious infectious respiratory disease failed at the final stage of human testing, sending its stock plunging more than 80 percent. The drug failed to meet the main or secondary efficacy goals of a Phase III trial of nearly 12,000 older adults, the company said in a news release.

Euthanasia rising in Belgium, including more who are not terminally ill

In the decade after Belgium legalized doctor-assisted death, the number of patients using it to end their lives rose nearly eight-fold, according to records of the national euthanasia control committee. Most patients choosing this way to die between 2003 and 2013 were younger than 80 and had cancer. But the largest increases in euthanasia cases over that period was among people older than 80, those without cancer and those not expected to die in the near future, researchers report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Poll shows 66 percent of California voters favor drug price initiative

An initiative on California's November ballot aimed at reining in prescription drug prices is favored by 66 percent of state voters, according to a new poll released on Thursday. The California Drug Price Relief Act, also known as Proposition 61, seeks to restrict state-run health programs from paying more for medications than prices paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which is billed about 25 percent less for drugs than other government agencies.

How much video game time should kids get?

Kids who play video games much more than an hour a day may experience behavior problems, a Spanish study suggests. Children who limit gaming time to an hour or two a week, however, may experience cognitive benefits such as faster responses to visual cues.

09/16/2016 0:57