Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Kids with asthma often leave doctor's office with unanswered questions

Adolescents with asthma don't always speak up during doctor visits and often leave with questions, a study suggests. About a third of teens with asthma do ask questions of doctors, but parents typically do most of the talking, the study authors found. Brazil health officials find weed-killer glyphosate non-cancerous

Analysts at Brazil health agency Anvisa have determined that the weed-killer glyphosate does not cause cancer while recommending a series of precautions be adopted in its use, amid growing international pressure to reduce use of the chemical. The findings come as a legal battle rages in the United States over cancer cases allegedly caused by glyphosate and a new study has linked it to cancer. Parkinson's drug trial offers glimmer of hope for brain cells

An experimental drug could offer hope for restoring damaged brain cells in Parkinson's patients, scientists said on Wednesday, although they cautioned that a clinical trial was not able to prove the treatment slowed or halted the neurodegenerative disease. The trial involved delivery of a protein therapy directly into the brains of Parkinson's patients. Scientists said some brain scans revealed "extremely promising" effects on damaged neurons of those who received the treatment. AstraZeneca's Lynparza meets main goal in late-stage pancreatic cancer study

British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc said on Tuesday its cancer drug being jointly developed with U.S.-based Merck & Co met the primary goal in a late-stage study for a rare type of pancreatic cancer. The study showed that Lynparza was successful as a first-line maintenance treatment for adults with a form of genetically-mutated pancreatic cancer called germline BRCA -mutated metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Hemorrhoid treatments cost hundreds of millions in U.S. each year

Just among U.S. adults with employer insurance, non-surgical hemorrhoid treatment costs at least $770 million annually, suggests a study that concludes this common complaint needs more attention. Based on claims data for employer-insured adults, the study team estimates 1.4 million people seek outpatient care and prescription medication for hemorrhoids each year. That doesn't include spending on over-the-counter medications or in-hospital treatments and surgeries. U.S. senators tell drug company executives pricing is 'morally repugnant'

U.S. senators called drug pricing practices "morally repugnant" and told drug company executives they do not want to hear them blame others for the high prices, taking an aggressive stance at a Senate hearing on the rising costs of prescription medicines. Senators took aim in particular at Abbvie Inc Chief Executive Richard Gonzalez and his company's rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira - the world's top-selling prescription medicine. Rise of drug-resistant superbugs rings alarm bells in Europe

The spread of superbugs resistant to antimicrobial drugs shows no sign of slowing in Europe, health officials said on Tuesday, making food poisoning and other infections more difficult to treat. Releasing data on the growth of antimicrobial resistance, the European Union's commissioner for health and food safety said it should "ring alarm bells" across the region. U.S. House Democrats introduce sweeping 'Medicare for All' bill

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled an ambitious proposal on Tuesday to move all Americans into the government's Medicare health insurance program, tapping into public frustration over the rising cost of healthcare that has become a key issue for the party as it seeks to gain control of Congress and the White House in 2020. The bill, unveiled by Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington state, would transition the U.S. healthcare system to a single-payer "Medicare for All" program funded by the government in two years. The legislation is the party's most high-profile and ambitious single-payer proposal in the new Congress and has more than 100 co-sponsors, many from the party's progressive flank. Heat-related illness affects ethnic groups disproportionately

Health conditions related to heat are sharply rising and may affect ethnic populations disproportionately, California statistics suggest. The data were compiled by the California Environmental Health Tracking Program, which tracks emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to heat-related medical conditions such as exhaustion and heat stroke. U.S. trial tests claims Roundup weed killer caused cancer

Bayer AG on Monday faced a second U.S. jury over allegations that its popular glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup causes cancer, six months after the company's share price was rocked by a $289 million verdict in California state court. The lawsuit by California resident Edwin Hardeman against the company began on Monday morning in federal rather than state court. The trial is also a test case for a larger litigation. More than 760 of the 9,300 Roundup cases nationwide are consolidated in the federal court in San Francisco that is hearing Hardeman's case.