Month: August 2013

ZURICH (Reuters) – Novartis said on Tuesday U.S. regulators have granted breakthrough therapy status for its investigational compound bimagrumab for the potential treatment of patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) created the "breakthrough therapy" designation earlier this year for medicines deemed likely to demonstrate "substantial improvement" over existing drugs. sIBM is a rare yet potentially life-threatening muscle-wasting condition. Patients suffering from the disease can gradually lose the ability to walk. …

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO (Reuters) – California authorities won court approval on Monday to force-feed some prisoners on a hunger strike after officials voiced concerns that inmates may have been coerced into refusing food in a protest against the state's solitary confinement policies. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson, responding to a request by state authorities, ruled that California prison doctors may force-feed select inmates near death, even if they had previously signed orders asking not to be resuscitated. …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday accompanied his son Beau to Houston where the younger Biden was undergoing tests to investigate symptoms that led to his hospitalization last week, the White House and the Delaware Department of Justice said. "Beau Biden is being evaluated to determine the cause of an episode of disorientation and weakness that he experienced while on vacation with his family," the White House said in a statement. Biden, 44, is the oldest son of the vice president and was hospitalized in 2010 for what doctors described as a mild stroke. …

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) – California authorities won court permission to force feed some hunger striking inmates who are refusing food to protest against the state’s practice of holding prisoners believed to be gang members in near-isolation for years on end. In response to a request from prison officials who said they feared some inmates had been coerced into participating in the strike, U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson said prison doctors may force feed some inmates who are near death, even if they had signed orders asking not to be resuscitated. …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A national outbreak of salmonella has been linked to an eastern New Mexico hatchery that sells live baby chickens, ducks and other poultry by mail and supplies them to feed stores, state health officials announced Monday.

(Reuters) – Medical device maker Covidien Plc said it was recalling 14 lots of its Monoject prefill flush syringes sold in the United States and Bermuda as they contained non-sterilized water which could cause life-threatening infections. Some of the syringes, meant to administer saline or anti-clotting drug heparin, also had mismatched caps, labels and wrappers, the company said. (http://link.reuters.com/jag52v) The syringes are used to reduce blood clots in veins and remove medication left at catheter sites. Using the heparin syringe containing only water could cause clotting in catheters. …

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Only one in 10 pediatricians offers screening for general developmental and autism spectrum disorders in Spanish, according to a new study. Researchers who surveyed 267 California pediatricians found only a handful offered Spanish developmental and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screenings that are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “It may be that the pediatricians don’t think that the screening tools are reliable for children who speak Spanish,” Dr. …

By Francesca Trianni NEW YORK (Reuters) – Brooke Astor's 89-year-old son, in prison for swindling his late philanthropist mother, is slated to appear before the New York State Parole Board this week to seek an early medical release, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman said on Monday. Anthony Marshall, convicted in 2009 of grand larceny and other charges for taking advantage of his aging mother, suffers from Parkinson's disease and is unable to walk or feed himself, according to his lawyers. He began serving his sentence on June 21. …

Live Chat on Tuesday at Noon EDT: The Truth about Genetically Modified Food

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – More than one in every four young, white U.S. women uses an indoor tanning facility at least once a year, according to a new study. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found that between 25 and 30 percent of young, white women reported using an indoor tanning facility in the last year. “Among this population indoor tanning is widespread and because of the association between indoor tanning and cancer, reducing indoor tanning is important,” Gery Guy Jr., the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health. …

By Anne Harding NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Telemedicine consults can help rural emergency room doctors provide better care to seriously ill or injured young patients, new research confirms. Rural hospitals and doctors’ offices are increasingly using telemedicine – essentially, videoconferencing with another doctor from a remote location – to gain access to specialty care, Dr. James Marcin of the University of California Davis Children’s Hospital in Sacramento, the senior author of the new study, told Reuters Health. …

By Ransdell Pierson (Reuters) – Eli Lilly and Co, now facing one of the worst patent cliffs in its history, could find $15 billion in sorely needed relief if it beats the odds and wins a closely watched patent battle with generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. While a Lilly victory is not widely expected, a number of patent attorneys and industry analysts say the patent being challenged by Teva, beginning Monday in Indianapolis federal court, will pass legal muster. The U.S. …