Reuters - Health Report

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Monday, July 3, 2017

Big pharma turns to AI to speed drug discovery, GSK signs deal

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's leading drug companies are turning to artificial intelligence to improve the hit-and-miss business of finding new medicines, with GlaxoSmithKline unveiling a new $43 million deal in the field on Sunday.

'Brain training' app improves memory in people with cognitive decline

LONDON (Reuters) - A brain training computer game developed by British neuroscientists has been shown to improve the memory of patients in the very earliest stages of dementia and could help such patients avert some symptoms of cognitive decline.

Trump to Senate Republicans: kill Obamacare now, replace later

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump urged Republican senators in a tweet on Friday to repeal Obamacare immediately if they cannot agree on a new plan to replace it, muddying the waters as congressional leaders struggle for consensus on healthcare legislation.

Saudi Arabia halts Belgian poultry, egg imports over bird flu

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi Food and Drug Authority has announced a temporary halt to poultry and egg imports from Belgium following an outbreak of contagious H5N8 bird flu there, the state news agency SPA reported on Sunday.

Oklahoma sues opioid drugmakers; New Hampshire presses epidemic probe

OKLAHOMA CITY/BOSTON (Reuters) - Oklahoma on Friday joined growing litigation over claims drugmakers misrepresented the risks of opioid painkillers, as New Hampshire cleared a hurdle in its own probe of the role played by companies in the national addiction epidemic.

Illinois judge halts sugary drink tax hours before implementation

CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Illinois judge on Friday halted implementation of a measure that would have made Chicago the latest U.S. city to tax sweetened drinks, saying a lawsuit filed by retailers to block it must run its course.

Brazil sends meat safety report to EU, vows reinforced inspections

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said in a report to the European Union's food safety body on Friday that salmonella with a potential to harm public health had not been detected in lots of poultry due to be exported to the bloc.

Yemen's cholera death toll rises to 1,500: WHO

ADEN (Reuters) - The death toll from a major cholera outbreak in Yemen has risen to 1,500, Nevio Zagaria, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Yemen, said on Saturday, and appealed for more help to put an end to the epidemic.

Tobacco group Philip Morris sees iQOS as key to smokeless future in UK

LONDON (Reuters) - Cigarette maker Philip Morris International thinks its iQOS heated tobacco product can make Britain smoke-free in the coming years, an executive said on Friday.

Congo declares Ebola outbreak over after four deaths

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo declared its two-month Ebola outbreak officially over on Saturday after 42 days without recording a new case of the disease.