Summary of current health news briefs

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Long-acting injection a shot in the arm for GSK's HIV business

A long-acting injection developed by GlaxoSmithKline and given once a month has proved as effective as standard daily pills for controlling the AIDS virus, lifting prospects for the British drugmaker's key HIV business. GSK's majority-owned ViiV Healthcare unit said on Wednesday the experimental two-drug injection of cabotegravir and rilpivirine maintained similar rates of viral suppression compared with a standard three-drug oral regimen, after 48 weeks of a clinical trial.

Express Scripts staking out million-dollar gene therapies

Express Scripts Holding Co built a multi-billion enterprise pressuring drug companies to lower their prices for U.S. patients. Now it is quietly building a side business: getting paid to help drug companies dispense a new generation of high-priced drugs. Express Scripts is in talks with biotechnology companies Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc, Spark Therapeutics Inc and Bluebird Bio Inc to have its specialty pharmaceutical business exclusively distribute their new hemophilia therapies when they are expected to become available in 2019 and 2020, Chief Medical Officer Steve Miller told Reuters in an interview.

Stocking EpiPens at restaurants might reduce fatal allergic reactions

If restaurants and other food establishments stocked epinephrine autoinjectors, the number of fatal allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis, could decrease, a small study in Canada suggests. After a two-year test of an epinephrine autoinjector stocking program in Hamilton, Ontario, diners with allergies as well as restaurant owners and staff said that having the devices onsite made them feel better about possible emergencies, researchers report in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Best Buy to acquire health services company GreatCall for $800 million

Best Buy Co Inc said on Wednesday it would buy health services provider GreatCall Inc for $800 million in cash, its largest acquisition ever, as it focuses on selling products and services to an aging U.S. population. The No. 1 U.S. consumer electronics retailer currently sells health and wellness-related products and has sold GreatCall merchandise for a decade as a retail partner.

Vertex cystic fibrosis drug gets expanded approval for use in infants

U.S. health regulators have expanded the use of one of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc's cystic fibrosis drugs to include patients aged between 12 months and 24 months. The expanded approval makes Kalydeco the first medicine to treat the underlying cause of the genetic disease in this age group among patients with specific mutations in the CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene, Vertex said on Wednesday.

Adult smokers more apt to use e-cigarettes than nonsmokers

Current smokers are more likely than ex-smokers or adults who have never smoked to use e-cigarettes, according to a Swedish study that concludes e-cigarettes might not work as a cessation aid. For the study, researchers examined data collected from one-time surveys of 30,272 people aged 20 to 75 years about their smoking habits, e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms that might indicate breathing diseases like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

Cancer risk with diabetes is higher for women than men

People with diabetes are more likely to develop certain cancers than those without the condition, and a new analysis suggests that the increased risk is greater for women than for men. Diabetes and obesity, one of the main causes of the most common form of the disease, are both independent risk factors for a variety of cancers. Some previous research suggests that this may be due at least in part to biological changes caused by these conditions such as high blood sugar levels and chronic inflammation as well as increased production of estrogen in women and decreased testosterone in men.

Express Scripts staking out million dollar gene therapies

Express Scripts Holding Co built a multi-billion enterprise pressuring drug companies to lower their prices for U.S. patients. Now it is quietly building a side business: getting paid to help drug companies dispense a new generation of high-priced drugs. Express Scripts is in talks with biotechnology companies Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc, Spark Therapeutics Inc and Bluebird Bio Inc to have its specialty pharmaceutical business exclusively distribute their new gene therapies when they are expected to become available in 2019 and 2020, Chief Medical Officer Steve Miller told Reuters in an interview.

Cancer patients using alternative medicine may skip some standard of care

Cancer patients who use alternative, non-medical therapies may be more likely to forgo recommended medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, and be more likely to die as a result, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on 258 patients treated for early-stage breast, prostate, lung or colorectal malignancies between 2004 and 2013 who used at least one form of so-called alternative or complementary medicine - which can include things like herbs, vitamins, specialized diets, and other types of treatments not proven to have a therapeutic effect. They also looked at a comparison group of 1,032 patients with similar cancers who didn't use alternative medicine.

Weight gain temporarily hikes diabetes risk when smokers quit

Weight gain can be a big concern for smokers who want to quit, and a new study suggests that it raises the odds of developing type 2 diabetes in the first six years after quitting. But any new health risks gained by putting on a few extra pounds are overwhelmed by the health benefits of giving up tobacco, researchers report in The New England Journal of Medicine.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)