Biogen says Lou Gehrig’s disease drug fails in trial

(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.Biogen shares fell 6 percent in premarket trading on...

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Women Lose Half Their Weight: How They Did It

At 25 years old and 288 pounds, Ashley Donahoo was depressed.“I was unhappy with my job, I was unhappy with the direction my life was going, and I had a hard time enjoying the little things that my kids wanted to do,” the 27-year-old mother of two from Pace, Fla., said. “My health was failing. My doctor told me that he didn’t think I was going to make it to 30 if I kept on [this way]. … It kept getting...

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Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot

WASHINGTON (AP) — Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head said blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery.Clinton didn’t suffer a stroke or neurological damage from the clot that formed after she suffered a concussion during a fainting spell at her home in early December, doctors said in a...

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Vomiting Larry battles “Ferrari of the virus world”

LONDON (Reuters) – Poor Larry isn’t looking too good. He’s pale and clammy and he’s been projectile vomiting over and over again while his carers just stand by and watch.Yet their lack of concern for Larry is made up for by their intense interest in how far splashes of his vomit can fly, and how effectively they evade attempts to clean them up.Larry is a “humanoid simulated vomiting system” designed...

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Obama says failure to reach fiscal deal would hurt markets

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Financial markets would be affected adversely if U.S. lawmakers fail to agree on a “fiscal cliff” deal before Tuesday, President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast on Sunday, while urging Congress to act quickly to extend tax cuts for middle-class Americans.Lawmakers are seeking a last-minute deal that would set aside $ 600 billion in tax increases and across-the-board...

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‘Frankenfish’ Nears FDA Approval as Debate Heats up

Genetically engineered salmon could make its way onto plates in the new year, but your body won’t notice anything fishy about the filet, experts say.The Food and Drug Administration has determined genetically engineered salmon won’t threaten the environment, clearing it of all but one final hurdle before it shows up on shelves throughout the nation — and igniting a final 60-day debate on whether it...

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Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges that he detains mothers who can’t pay their bills.Lazarus Omondi says it’s the only way he can keep his medical center running. Now, a New York-based group filed a lawsuit this month in hopes of forcing Pumwani to stop the practice.Two mothers who live...

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Light Therapy Helps Ease Winter Blues

Every October as the clocks are turned back, Jose Balido notices that his mood changes, almost as if his body were going into hibernation.His limbs are heavy and he has trouble moving around. Simple household chores like loading the dishwasher seem “insurmountable,” he said. But when spring arrives, the lethargy lifts.“It took me a while to realize what it was,” said Balido, owner of a travel social...

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Top 7 Holiday Allergy Triggers

When you wheeze through your fa-la-la’s and your nose rivals Rudolph’s, it’s a little tougher to feel jolly. Although allergies peak in the spring and fall, the holidays may surprise sensitive sufferers with a gift of unexpected triggers, from dusty decorations and potent potpourri to even — say it ain’t so — the Christmas tree.Here are seven yuletide allergens, and expert tips to help you stay focused...

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FDA warns doctors of counterfeit Botox

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators have warned more than 350 medical practices that Botox they may have received from a Canadian supplier is unapproved and could be counterfeit or unsafe.The Food and Drug Administration said in a letter sent last month, a letter released publicly last week, that batches of the wrinkle treatment shipped by suppliers owned by pharmacy Canada Drugs have not been approved...

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Meanwhile, Deep Inside Your Belly Button …

Dec 23, 2012 7:00amGetty ImagesReported by Dr. Amish Patel:Researchers have found that more than 2,000 different species of bacteria live in our umbilicus – the medical word for belly button.  That means you have more kinds of bacteria in your belly button than there are different kinds of ants or birds in North America, according to the study.The majority of these bacteria were rare and occurred...

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How the Holidays Hurt Your Sex Drive

Ladies, does all of the cooking, baking, shopping, entertaining, wrapping, and decorating associated with good holiday cheer leave you too jingle-jangled to be naughty OR nice? If so, here’s some good news: There’s probably nothing seriously wrong with you if you prefer catching some shut-eye to knocking boots this time of year. The main factors contributing to low sex drive in women — including younger...

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European watchdog starts safety review of Merck cholesterol drug

LONDON (Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency said it has launched a review of Merck & Co Inc‘s cholesterol drug Tredaptive after the medicine failed a U.S. trial assessing its effectiveness and safety.Although the commercial fallout from any decision to pull the drug from the market in Europe would be limited, it would be a blow to Merck‘s reputation.Bernstein analyst Tim Anderson estimates...

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Research and Markets: Sexual Health Partnering Terms and Agreements

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/v5b7pw/sexual_health) has announced the addition of the “Sexual Health Partnering Terms and Agreements” company profile to their offering.The Sexual Health Partnering Terms and Agreements report provides comprehensive understanding and unprecedented access to the sexual health partnering deals and agreements entered...

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Oncothyreon lung cancer drug fails in late-stage trial

(Reuters) – Biopharmaceutical company Oncothyreon Inc said a late-stage trial of its experimental lung cancer drug did not meet the main study goal of improving overall survival.The drug, codenamed L-BLP25, is being tested in patients with unresectable, locally advanced stage IIIA or stage IIIB, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).The trial was conducted by Merck Serono, a division of Germany’s Merck...

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Saudi Arabia bans Brazil beef imports on mad cow doubts

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has suspended imports of Brazilian beef, Brazil‘s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday, and became the largest country to stop purchases after confirmation of a 2010 case of atypical mad cow disease.The decision, confirmed by a ministry press official in Brasilia, follows Egypt‘s ban of beef on Monday from Parana state, where a cow that died two years ago had developed...

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Enzon Pharma to explore sale of company

(Reuters) – Biotechnology company Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc said it would explore a possible sale of the company or its corporate assets.The company also said that based on clinical data it plans to suspend development of its prostate cancer program, which is being tested in an early-stage trial, to conserve capital.Enzon had total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $ 288.7 million...

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Child deaths and bitter cold in Syrian refugee camps

ZAATARI, Jordan (Reuters) – One-year-old Ali Ghazawi, born with a heart defect, faced a battle for survival even before his family fled Syria‘s civil war. It was a struggle he lost two weeks ago in the bitter winter cold of a tented refugee camp in north Jordan.Ali died two days after undergoing a heart operation in Zaatari camp, which houses at least 32,000 refugees who escaped fierce bombardment...

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Venezuela’s Chavez in satisfactory condition: government

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela‘s President Hugo Chavez is recovering “satisfactorily” from his cancer surgery in Cuba although the process remains slow, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said on Friday.Reading the latest of regular government updates on the socialist leader’s condition, three days after his operation, Villegas said the 58-year-old president had communicated with relatives and sent...

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US faces task of running dozens of health exchanges

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fourteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia so far have told the federal government they plan to operate healthcare exchanges under President Barack Obama‘s reform law, leaving Washington with the daunting task of creating online marketplaces for at least two-thirds of the country.On the eve of a federal deadline for states to say whether they will run their own exchanges,...

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