Tag: United States

Audit of Canada native band casts cloud on protest movement

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Attawapiskat Chief Spence takes part in a news conference with supporters outside her teepee in OttawaOTTAWA (Reuters) – A Canadian native band that successfully pressured the prime minister to hold a special meeting on aboriginal grievances cannot account for millions of dollars in federal funding, according to an audit that critics say was leaked to discredit a growing protest movement. Angry native activists, fed up with poor living conditions they blame on decades of neglect from Ottawa, have blockaded rail lines and threatened to close Canada's borders with the United States in a campaign they call Idle No More. …

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Analysis: In war against cancer, progress is in the eye of the beholder

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To match feature USA-HEALTHCARE/TEXASNEW YORK (Reuters) – As the United States enters the fifth decade of its "war on cancer," deaths continue to decline, according to an exhaustive report based on official data released on Monday. But that doesn't tell the whole story, say experts not involved in the report from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and other groups on progress against cancer since the 1970s. The improvements reflect such lifestyle changes as not smoking more than they do the billions of dollars spent to discover and implement advanced cancer treatments. …

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Physical education requirement at four-year universities at all-time low

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Even as policy makers and health experts point to an increased need for exercise, more than half of four-year colleges and universities in the United States have dropped physical education requirements compared to historic levels. Almost every US college student was required to take physical education and exercise requirements in the 1920s; today, that number is at an all-time low of 39 percent …

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Biogen Lou Gehrig’s disease drug fails in key trial

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A pedestrian passes the sign outside the headquarters of Biogen Idec Inc. in Cambridge(Reuters) – An experimental drug to combat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease in the United States, failed to work in an important trial and Biogen Idec said it would stop development of the treatment. The drug, dexpramipexole, had shown promise and seemed to work against ALS in a mid-stage clinical trial in 2011, creating hope for patients suffering from the progressive, fatal disease, who currently have few options. Biogen shares, which rose 25 percent in 2012, fell 2 percent. …

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Abbott wins FDA approval for heart stent

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(Reuters) – Abbott Laboratories’ Xience Xpedition heart stent was approved by U.S. health regulators and will be launched in the United States immediately, the company said on Thursday. Heart stents are tiny tubular devices that prop open diseased blood vessels after angioplasty. Abbott’s stent delivers a drug, everolimus, which helps keep the vessel from reclogging. Abbott competes with Medtronic Inc and Boston Scientific in the market for heart stents. (Reporting By Debra Sherman; editing by John Wallace)

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Link between health care spending, quality unclear

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Whether states, hospitals and smaller practices that spend more money on health care provide better treatment is still an open question, according to a new review of past studies. “This is really one of the central issues we’re grappling with today in health care,” said Peter Hussey from the RAND Corporation in Arlington, Virginia. The topic is especially pressing because although the United States spends more of its budget on health care than any other wealthy nation – and is spending more each year – the World Health Organization ranks its health system 37th. …

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Number of new drugs picks up in Europe and U.S.

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LONDON (Reuters) – The number of new medicines approved or pending approval is on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic, painting an encouraging picture for the global drugs industry as it emerges from a wave of patent expiries. European regulators said on Tuesday that they expect an increase in new drug applications to about 54 in 2013. In the United States, a total of 34 new drugs have been approved for sale so far in 2012 – the highest level in eight years. …

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Most internists don’t plan to stay in primary care

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Less than a quarter of new doctors finishing an internal medicine training program planned to become a primary care physician instead of a specialist, in a new study. That suggests fewer generalists will be entering the workforce, researchers said – possibly exacerbating the primary care doctor shortage in parts of the United States. “I think this was a much needed, long overdue paper, and really kind of eye-opening,” said economist and health policy researcher Amitabh Chandra from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. …

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Countries With the Greatest Use of High-Fructose Corn Syrup Also Have More Diabetes

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The soaring rates of diabetes in the United States and many other developed countries over the past three decades has been generally blamed on obesity. We’re getting fatter, and that puts us at risk for developing diabetes. But a new theory suggests that the diabetes epidemic is not just a matter of eating too much and moving too little. It could have more to with some components  of our diet.

WikiLeaks’ Assange downplays health concerns

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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gestures as he appears to speak from the balcony of Ecuador's embassy in LondonLONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy for nearly six months, played down concerns about his health on Thursday, saying he enjoyed being at the centre of the legal and diplomatic storm. Assange, 41, whose website angered the United States by releasing thousands of secret diplomatic cables, took sanctuary in Ecuador's embassy in June, jumping bail after exhausting appeals in British courts against extradition to Sweden for sexual assault allegations. …

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