Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Alere faces criminal probe over Medicare, Medicaid Billing: WSJ
The U.S. Justice Department's criminal-fraud section sent diagnostic-testing company Alere Inc a subpoena last month seeking patient-billing records, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Alere's shares plunged 28.6 percent to close at $31.47 on Wednesday.
IBM steps up efforts in fight against Zika
International Business Machines Corp said on Wednesday it would provide its technology and resources to help track the spread of the Zika virus. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), a leading research institution affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Health, plans to use IBM's technology to analyze information from official data about human travel patterns to anecdotal observations recorded on social media.
Scientists find potential new antibiotic, right under their noses
Scientists in Germany have discovered a bacteria hiding out in peoples' noses that produces an antibiotic compound that can kill several dangerous pathogens, including the superbug MRSA. The early-stage finding, reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday, could one day lead to a whole new class of antibiotic medicines being developed to fight drug-resistant bacterial infections, the researchers said.
GSK outlook brightens as Brexit brings currency windfall
Demand for new medicines helped GlaxoSmithKline grow earnings in the second quarter and the drugmaker is set for big gains in the rest of 2016 thanks to a weak pound, after Britain's vote to leave the European Union. GSK, whose outgoing chief executive Andrew Witty had backed Britain staying in the EU, will benefit from the fact that many of its costs are in sterling while it earns nearly all its money overseas.
Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly linked to Zika
Paraguay has recorded its first two cases of babies born with the microcephaly birth defect associated with the Zika virus, health authorities in the South American country said on Wednesday. U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a condition marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems.
Anthem to fight for Cigna deal, sees Obamacare losses
Health insurer Anthem Inc on Wednesday vowed to fight U.S. government efforts to block its planned acquisition of Cigna Corp and said it expects to lose money this year on its business selling individual health coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law. Anthem has argued that its planned $45-billion purchase of Cigna will give it greater leverage to negotiate better prices from healthcare providers and pass on those savings to consumers, including those signing up for "Obamacare" plans on public insurance exchanges.
Incoming Lilly CEO says dealmaking will be a focus
Eli Lilly & Co will likely step up the pace of making deals with other drugmakers while aggressively developing new drugs on its own, the company's newly appointed chief executive said on Wednesday. Company veteran David Ricks will become CEO on Jan. 1, after John Lechleiter, 62, retires by year-end, the Indianapolis-based drugmaker said.
Ice Bucket Challenge credited with ALS breakthrough
The Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral two years ago, raising hundreds of millions of dollars, has helped identify a new gene behind the neurodegenerative disease ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, researchers say. The challenge involved people pouring ice-cold water over their heads, posting video on social media, and donating funds for research on the condition, whose sufferers include British physicist Stephen Hawking.
Florida identifies two more Zika cases not related to travel
The Florida health department said on Wednesday it is investigating another two cases of Zika not related to travel to a place where the virus is being transmitted, raising the possibility of local Zika transmission in the continental United States. The health department said it has identified an additional case of Zika in Miami-Dade County, where it was already investigating a possible case of Zika not related to travel, and another case in Broward County, where it has been investigating a non-travel related case.
Smoking raises brain-lining hemorrhage risk more for women
Smokers, especially female smokers, have a higher risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage - bleeding inside the lining of the brain - compared with nonsmokers, according to a new study. Based on previous studies, smoking seems to account for at least one third of all cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage, and women suffer bleeding in the brain almost twice as often as men, the authors write in the journal Stroke.
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