Reuters Health News Summary

09/15/2016 16:59

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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.

Program employs a handyman to upgrade low-income seniors' health

Assistance from a nurse, an occupational therapist and - in a novel approach, a handyman - made it easier for low-income seniors to perform tasks, like dressing, that are essential for independent living, a new study shows. Moreover, the study found the innovative program for homebound elderly lifted depression in more than half of participants, researchers reported in Health Affairs.

Invest more to defeat killer diseases, Kenyan president tells African nations

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Thursday that ending diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa was within reach if countries spent more on healthcare which would ensure their people stayed healthy, and boost their economies. In an exclusive blog for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Kenyatta credited international donors for helping Africa to make "tremendous gains" in fighting these diseases, which in the 1990s killed millions of people on the continent every year.

FDA panel recommends dropping serious warning on Pfizer's Chantix

A serious warning on Pfizer Inc's quit smoking drug should be removed, 10 of 19 independent panelists to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended on Wednesday, after reviewing additional trial data on the controversial treatment. Pfizer's Chantix was approved about a decade ago, but thousands of reports of mental health problems in users led to the FDA imposing the "black box" warning - the most severe available - in 2009.

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.

GSK shingles vaccine remains effective after four years: study

GlaxoSmithKline's experimental vaccine to prevent the intensely painful condition known as shingles remained 90 percent effective in people over age 70 even four years after receiving the injection, according to data published on Wednesday. In clinical trials, GSK's Shingrix has shown greater protection for older recipients than what has been demonstrated by Merck & Co's rival Zostavax vaccine. The drug is one of GSK's biggest new product hopes. It plans to file for U.S., European and Japanese approval this year, and the vaccine could reach the market in 2017.

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.

Teva, Intel to develop wearable technology for Huntington's disease

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd said on Thursday it was collaborating with Intel Corp to develop a wearable technology platform to track the progression of disease in patients with Huntington's, a fatal degenerative disorder. The inherited condition causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, resulting in a gradual decline in motor control, cognition and mental stability.

Indonesia hopes to guard against Zika virus with airport larvae traps

The Indonesian Health Ministry on Thursday (September 15) installed larvae traps around airport terminals as one of the measures to prevent the spreading of Zika virus amid outbreak in neighboring country Singapore. At Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, one of the busiest airports in Southeast Asia, authorities prepared about 1,000 larvae traps, placing them in the garden, arrival and departure hall, offices, toilets and all public areas across three terminals.

09/15/2016 16:59