Reuters Health News Summary

08/25/2016 16:59

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Exposure to 9/11 disaster tied to low birthweight, preterm delivery

For years following the events of September 11, 2001 in lower Manhattan, the disaster and its aftermath may have affected women and their babies who were not even conceived yet, according to a new study. Researchers found that among women who were rescue or recovery workers responding to the events of 9/11, or women who resided below Canal Street in the World Trade Center's neighborhood, those with the most intense exposures to the disaster had doubled rates of preterm delivery and low birthweight babies over the next few years.

Costa Rica registers first microcephaly birth linked to Zika

Costa Rica has registered its first case of a baby born with microcephaly linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country's health ministry said on Wednesday. The health ministry described the case as "imported" in a statement, as the mother of the child is Nicaraguan and was thought to have contracted the virus in the neighboring Central American country.

How much should we tell kids about their own health?

When it comes to deciding whether and how to talk to children about their own health, there's no one-size-fits-all formula, some doctors argue. Over the years, the pendulum has swung from a "protective" approach of telling kids little or nothing to avoid worrying them about bad news to an "open" approach of giving children all the facts and empowering them to make their own treatment choices.

U.S. pharmacies sell cigarettes for less than other stores

Cigarettes are often cheaper at the very place that people shop for health supplies and fill medicine prescriptions, according to a new study in California. "Compared to other types of stores, pharmacies charged customers less for cigarettes, more for bottled water," said lead author Lisa Henriksen of the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto.

Hong Kong confirms first case of Zika virus

Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of Zika, putting the Asian financial center on high alert for any spread of the mosquito-borne virus that has wreaked havoc in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. At a media conference late on Thursday, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Leung Ting-hung, said relevant measures had been taken to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Cash may convince some smokers to quit

Paying smokers to quit and giving them more money the longer they avoid cigarettes might help get more people to kick the habit than cessation advice on its own, a recent study suggests. To test the power of money to combat addiction, researchers in Switzerland offered about 800 low-income smokers pamphlets and online cessation guides. Half of them were also eligible to receive as much as $1,650 if a series of six lab tests verified that they stopped smoking.

Mylan offers discounts on EpiPen amid wave of criticism

Mylan NV said on Thursday it would reduce the out-of-pocket costs of its emergency EpiPen allergy injection for some patients amid a wave of criticism from lawmakers and the public over the product's rapidly escalating price. The list price of the drug will remain the same, but the company said it would increase the maximum copay assistance program to $300 from $100 for patients who pay for the 2-pak in cash or who are covered by a commercial health insurer.

Novartis announces positive phase III results for MS drug siponimod

Novartis AG said a late-stage study showed its oral, once-daily BAF312, or siponimod, reduced the risk of disability progression in a severe form of multiple sclerosis. The Phase III EXPAND study, the largest randomized, controlled study in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) to date, met its primary endpoint, compared with placebo, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement on Thursday.

Florida governor complains U.S. not doing enough to fight Zika

Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Wednesday the federal government had so far not delivered all the Zika antibody tests and laboratory support he had requested as the state battles the spread of the virus. The complaint came as Zika cases mounted in some of the state's most popular tourist destinations and some residents pushed for more information.

Clinton calls for lower price on allergy drug EpiPen

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called on pharmaceutical company Mylan NV to voluntarily drop the price of its severe allergy treatment drug EpiPen, which has increased in price by more than 400 percent in the past decade. "That's outrageous - and it's just the latest troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers," Clinton said in a statement. "It's wrong when drug companies put profits ahead of patients, raising prices without justifying the value behind them."

08/25/2016 16:59