Month: December 2013

U.S. health officials issued an advisory on Wednesday about travel to the Caribbean island of St. Martin due to concerns about a mosquito-borne virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said in a statement it was tracking reports of the chikungunya virus, which has surfaced among some residents of the French side of St. Martin. An infection from the virus is rarely fatal, the CDC said. The CDC said it was the first time the virus, which is transmitted by the same mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus, has been reported among non-travelers in the Western Hemisphere.

By Ben Hirschler and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Denmark has approved the sale of a generic copy of GlaxoSmithKline's $8 billion-a-year inhaled lung drug Advair, threatening future sales of the British firm's biggest product. Sandoz, the generics division of Swiss drugmaker Novartis, and Vectura, another British company, said on Wednesday they had received approval from Danish regulators for AirFluSal Forspiro, which was previously known as VR315. The green light marks the first approval of the product in Europe and analysts said more European approvals were likely to follow, with other Nordic countries and Germany seen among initial markets. Sandoz has completed authorization procedures in a further seven European countries but the group said the timing of final approvals in these markets would depend on national health authorities.

“Strange Nativities” was published in the December issue of the British Journal of Medicine. Except in myths or the Bible, virgin births occur only in the plant world and among a small group of vertebrates — pit vipers, boa constrictors, sharks and Komodo dragons.        

Eight People Sickened by 'Flu-Like' Illness

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — U.S. health authorities have issued a travel advisory for the French Caribbean dependency of St. Martin because of a mosquito-borne viral disease that is apparently being spread locally at the start of the winter tourist season.

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Obese teens might not develop sufficient bone mass relative to their body weight, according to a new study from Brazil. Bone mineral acquisition “rises exponentially in both genders” during the growth spurt following puberty, the researchers write in the journal Nutrition. Previous studies examining whether obesity interferes with bone development have shown conflicting results – some indicate bone density is fine when compared just to the adolescent’s lean mass (muscle). But others have suggested bone density doesn’t increase enough during this important period to support the heavier weight of obese teens, potentially putting them at increased risk for bone fractures.

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved GlaxoSmithKline Plc's new lung drug for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), commonly known as smoker's lung. However, the inhaled treatment, Anoro Ellipta, will carry a warning that one of its components increase the risk of asthma-related death, FDA said in a statement released on its website. (http://link.reuters.com/kep55v) Anoro Ellipta was developed along with U.S. partner Theravance Inc, in which Glaxo owns a 27 percent stake.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The former executive director of Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace didn’t receive a severance package from the state when she abruptly resigned, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

CHICAGO (AP) — Many older adults with high blood pressure can be treated less aggressively, which could mean taking fewer pills to get it under control, according to new treatment guidelines from an expert panel. But not all experts are on board with the advice — including the federal agency that appointed the group.

More than 6 in 10 American high school seniors do not think regular marijuana use is harmful, a new survey conducted by the National Institutes of Health’s Monitoring the Future project finds.