All you need to know about painkiller, UK doctors and lot more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 22-09-2018 11:36 IST | Created: 22-09-2018 10:26 IST
All you need to know about painkiller, UK doctors and lot more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Common painkiller tied to increased risk of heart problems

The commonly used painkiller diclofenac may be linked with an increased risk of heart problems, a large Danish study suggests. Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that are often used to treat arthritis and other painful joint conditions. In many countries, it's available without a prescription.

UK doctors win the battle with drug giants over cheaper eye medicine

Drug giants Novartis, Bayer and Roche on Friday lost a bid to stop British doctors from recommending a cheaper drug option for people with an eye disease that causes blindness, the High Court in London ruled. A drug industry group said the decision was “extraordinary" and was bad news for future regulatory cooperation between Britain and the European Union after Britain's exit from the bloc next year.

Congo confirms Ebola case at Ugandan border

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a case of Ebola on its border with Uganda, a country so far clear of the deadly virus, authorities in Congo said on Friday. The new infection is almost 200 km (125 miles) away from the nearest other known case in Congo's current Ebola outbreak, which is believed to have killed 97 people since July and infected another 46 in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

U.S. agency accuses Walmart of pregnancy discrimination in a lawsuit

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Friday filed a lawsuit accusing Walmart Inc of forcing pregnant workers at a Wisconsin warehouse to go on unpaid leave and denying their requests to take on easier duties. The EEOC, which enforces federal laws banning discrimination in the workplace, said Walmart's distribution center in Menomonie, Wisconsin, has discriminated against pregnant employees since 2014. Federal law requires employers to accommodate workers' pregnancies in the same way as physical disabilities.

'Heat-not-burn' cigarettes still damage lungs

A new type of "heat-not-burn" cigarette may lead to just as much lung damage as traditional cigarettes, a recent study suggests. So-called "heat-not-burn" devices are designed to heat disposable tobacco sticks and give users the taste of tobacco without the smoke or ash.

Alcohol abuse kills 3 million a year, most of them men: WHO

More than 3 million people died in 2016 due to drinking too much alcohol, meaning one in 20 deaths worldwide was linked to harmful drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. More than three-quarters of these deaths were among men, the U.N. health agency said. And despite evidence of the health risks it carries, global consumption of alcohol is predicted to rise in the next 10 years.

Drug shortages may add $230 million to annual U.S. drug costs

Prescription drug shortages may drive up prices twice as much as they would rise with medicines in abundant supply, adding $230 million a year to U.S. drug costs, a new study estimates. Researchers examined data on 90 medications involved in shortages between December 2015 and December 2016. They compared average wholesale drug prices for 11 months before and after shortages began, and they also looked at a decade of historical price increases.

Hurricane power outages may increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning

Homeowners in North Carolina and South Carolina who lost electricity in the wake of Hurricane Florence need to realize that backup generators and other temporary power sources can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, scientists warn. Portable generators, camp stoves, and charcoal camp grills can all emit enough carbon monoxide to cause severe injury and death when they're used indoors or on porches where there isn't enough ventilation, researchers warn in the American Journal of Public Health.

Lilly migraine drug wins European panel thumbs-up

A European Medicines Agency panel on Friday recommended the approval of U.S. pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly's migraine treatment, bringing the drug one step closer to being sold in the European Union. Emgality, or galcanezumab, which treats episodic cluster headache attacks, was endorsed by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, a panel whose recommendations are generally followed by European regulators.

Bayer hemophilia treatment wins thumbs-up from EU panel

Bayer AG's long-acting treatment for hemophilia A has won a recommendation from a European Medicines Agency (EMA) panel for the treatment of the rare genetic disorder in which blood does not clot easily. While final approvals are up to the European Commission, it generally follows recommendations from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) and endorses them within a couple of months.

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