Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, September 7, 2017

Meth, coke and oil: A drug boom in the Texas shale patch

MIDLAND, Texas (Reuters) - When Joe Forsythe returned to the West Texas oilfields last year after a stint in a drug rehab facility, he figured he had beaten his addiction to methamphetamine.

Positive lung drug trial opens path to U.S. market for Circassia

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca said its drug Duaklir improved lung function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in a new study, paving the way for a submission in the United States where the rights are held by Britain's Circassia.

Kentucky trial could make state first in U.S. with no abortion clinic

(Reuters) - Kentucky's "unapologetically pro-life" governor and the state's last abortion clinic will square off on Wednesday in a federal courtroom in a case that could make it the first U.S. state without an abortion provider.

Senator reveals results of opioid inquiry into Insys

BOSTON (Reuters) - Insys Therapeutics Inc sought to manipulate insurance payment approval for an opioid cancer pain drug called Subsys even if for inappropriate uses, according to a U.S. Senate report on the opioid crisis released on Wednesday.

New AstraZeneca, Amgen biotech drug offers broad asthma relief

LONDON (Reuters) - A new kind of injectable biotech treatment for severe asthma from AstraZeneca and Amgen promises to help a much broader range of patients than existing medicines like GlaxoSmithKline’s Nucala.

Treating insomnia can ease depression and paranoia, study finds

LONDON (Reuters) - Treating young people who suffer from insomnia by using online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could reduce debilitating mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, scientists said on Wednesday.

Cognitive therapy found to cut "cyberchondria" health anxiety

Up to 20 percent of UK hospital appointments for heart or brain scans and other exploratory tests are taken up by patients suffering from excessive health anxiety or hypochondria, experts said on Thursday.

Roche lung cancer drug Alecensa slashes brain risk in tests

(Reuters) - Patients taking Roche's targeted lung cancer drug Alecensa have a far lower risk of their disease spreading in the brain than those on Pfizer's Xalkori, according to new clinical trial data.

Bristol-Myers says FDA places partial hold on Opdivo myeloma trials

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed a partial hold on three clinical trials testing Bristol-Myers Squibb's immunotherapy Opdivo in combination with other medicines for multiple myeloma due to risks seen in similar studies involving a rival drug, the company said on Wednesday.

Anthem cuts back Obamacare coverage in Kentucky

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc said on Wednesday that it will offer Obamacare plans in only about half of the counties in Kentucky next year, after covering the whole state in 2017.