Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Lack of exercise costs world $67.5 billion and 5 million lives a year
A study of one million people has found that physical inactivity costs the global economy $67.5 billion a year in healthcare and productivity losses, but an hour a day of exercise could eliminate most of that. Sedentary lifestyles are linked to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, researchers found, but activity - such as brisk walking - could counter the higher likelihood of early death linked with sitting for eight or more hours a day.
UK health service under fire over access to hepatitis C drugs
British health authorities improperly restrict access to expensive new hepatitis C drugs that can cure the liver-destroying disease, patient groups and a leading medical journal charged on Thursday. Despite the clear benefits of the drugs, the National Health Service in England rations the drugs to just 10,000 people with the virus each year, campaigners said.
Justice Department probes Alere over Medicare, Medicaid billing
Diagnostic-testing company Alere Inc has received a U.S. Department of Justice subpoena seeking patient-billing records related to Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare, the company said on Wednesday. The subpoena, which was sent to Alere's Toxicology unit on July 1, asked for billing records dating back to 2010 for patient samples tested at the company's Texas pain management laboratory, Alere said in a statement.
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.
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.
Exclusive: Advent, CVC bid for inVentiv ahead of IPO: sources
Buyout firms Advent International and CVC Capital Partners have made offers to acquire inVentiv Group Holdings, a pharmaceutical research firm seeking to go public at a valuation of over $4 billion including debt, people familiar with the matter said. The bids illustrate the private equity sector's insatiable appetite for contract research organizations such as inVentiv, which have benefited in recent years from the pharmaceutical companies' drive to cut costs, reduce clinical trial times and expand their research and development presence around the world.
Background noise can make it harder for toddlers to learn words
Toddlers who spend a lot of time in a noisy environment may have a harder time learning to speak, a small study suggests. That's because background noise - especially the kind that comes from voices on the television or radio - can make it tough for young children to learn new words, said study co-author Brianna McMillan of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Florida identifies two more Zika cases not related to travel
The Florida health department said on Wednesday it was 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 Florida 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.
Women with later start to periods, menopause more likely to reach age 90
Women with later menarche and later menopause are more likely to reach age 90 than those whose reproductive milestones come at earlier ages, suggests a new study. "People have always wondered whether the timing of reproductive events affect longevity, but no study to date has evaluated that relationship," said lead author Aladdin Shadyab, of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
Induced labor not linked to higher autism risk
Inducing labor doesn't appear to increase the baby's odds of autism, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on more than 1.3 million births in Sweden and found about 3.5% of babies born after induction were diagnosed with autism by age 20, compared with 2.5% of other infants. This translates into a roughly 19% greater risk of autism with induced labor, which is statistically significant.
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