Reuters Health News Summary


Reuters | Updated: 15-01-2020 10:32 IST | Created: 15-01-2020 10:32 IST
Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. FDA approval may not be as rigorous as it once was

Changes in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) procedures meant to speed approvals for medications may have resulted in less exacting standards, a new analysis suggests. Congressional acts that changed the way the FDA evaluates drugs have led to less rigorous evaluations, with drug approvals being based on fewer and/or earlier-stage clinical trials that may not be randomized, controlled, blinded or based on traditional measures of efficacy, experts noted in the article published in JAMA. In New York City, women of color have more childbirth complications

Black and Latina mothers in New York City are more likely than white women to experience severe delivery complications even when they have the similar types of health insurance and give birth at the same hospital, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on 591,455 deliveries at 40 hospitals in New York City from 2010 to 2014. They calculated the risk of serious complications such as heart attacks, cardiac arrest, kidney failure, respiratory distress, heart failure, hysterectomy or the need for blood transfusions, breathing tubes or ventilators. New York drug distributor exits opioids after admitting role in crisis

A New York company that was the first drug distributor to face U.S. felony charges for its role in fueling the opioid crisis said on Tuesday it will stop distributing controlled pharmaceuticals, which include opioids. Rochester Drug Co-Operative Inc (RDC) announced the decision after agreeing last April to settle the charges by paying a $20 million fine and accepting independent monitoring, under a five-year deferred prosecution agreement. Juul Labs to stop selling fruit-flavored pods in Canada

Juul Labs Inc confirmed on Tuesday it will stop selling its fruit-flavored vaping pods in Canada, a move that could help the e-cigarette maker stave off mounting scrutiny over the surging popularity of its products with teenagers. Juul has adopted a similar strategy in the United States where it has also withdrew fruit, dessert and mint nicotine flavors from retail stores and website. Smoking tied to worse outcomes after a stroke

People who smoke or have recently quit have higher odds of being severely impaired after a stroke than their counterparts who never smoked, a new study suggests. Smoking has long been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and serious events like heart attacks and strokes. But the new study sheds light on how smoking in the period before a stroke impacts how easily people will be able to navigate daily life afterward. Suicide rates sharply higher than average in teens, young adults with diabetes

Young people with diabetes are at greater risk than peers without the disease of developing mental health problems or attempting suicide as they transition into adulthood, a Canadian study suggests. Based on data for more than 1 million young people born in Quebec, researchers found that being diagnosed with diabetes is associated with increased odds of being diagnosed in an emergency room or hospital with a mood disorder like depression. It's also linked to higher odds of being admitted to a hospital for a suicide attempt, according to the report in Diabetes Care. WHO says new China coronavirus could spread, warns hospitals worldwide

There may have been limited human-to-human transmission of a new coronavirus in China within families, and it is possible there could be a wider outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause infections ranging from the common cold to SARS. A Chinese woman has been quarantined in Thailand with a mystery strain of coronavirus, Thai authorities said on Monday, the first time the virus has been detected outside China. Eli Lilly to offer half-priced versions of two more insulin products

Eli Lilly and Co said on Tuesday it plans to sell two versions of insulin products at half their current U.S. list prices, eight months after it started selling a half-priced version of its widely-used Humalog injection. Lilly will sell new versions of Humalog Junior KwikPen and Humalog Mix75/25, which contains a mix of fast- and intermediate-acting insulin, at a list price of $265.20 for a pack of five KwikPens. They will be available at that price by mid-April, the company said. Women who have more sex have lower risk of early menopause: scientists

Women who have sex at least once a month have a lower risk of entering menopause early than women with less active sex lives, scientists have found in research which they say points to a form of biological energy trade-off. A study of data from almost 3,000 women in the United States showed that those who said they had sexual activity weekly or more frequently - including intercourse, oral sex, sexual touching or self-stimulation - were 28% less likely to have experienced menopause at any given age than women who said they had sex less than once a month. Nektar withdraws application for opioid painkiller after FDA panel's vote

Nektar Therapeutics said on Tuesday it was withdrawing the application for its opioid painkiller for adults with chronic low back pain, after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel unanimously voted against the drug's approval. Independent advisers to the U.S. FDA voted 27-0 against the approval of the oral pill, NKTR-181, on concerns over the chances of its misuse or abuse as well as the lack of data to determine the possible abuse when snorted or injected and its potential for liver toxicity.

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

Give Feedback