EU regulator advises caution on painkiller diclofenac

LONDON (Reuters) – Europe’s drugs agency warned on Friday that use of the common painkiller diclofenac, especially in high doses, carries extra heart attack risks which should be taken into consideration by doctors prescribing the drug. While it said the benefits of diclofenac, which is produced by several companies, still outweighed the risks, the European Medicines Agency recommended that precautions should be taken in certain patients. …

U.S. top court bars patents on human genes unless synthetic

A DNA double helix in an undated artist's illustration released by the National Human Genome Research Institute to ReutersBy Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday prohibited patents on naturally occurring human genes but allowed legal protections on synthetically produced genetic material in a compromise ruling hailed as a partial victory for patients and the biotechnology industry. The ruling by the nine justices, the first of its kind for the top U.S. court, buttressed important patent protections relied upon by biotechnology companies while making it clear that genes extracted from the human body cannot be patented. …

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