Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Arkansas sues opioid manufacturers for roles in epidemic
Arkansas' attorney general on Thursday joined the widening mass of litigation against opioid manufacturers, accusing three drugmakers of promoting addictive painkillers in ways that falsely denied or trivialized their risks. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a lawsuit in state court in Little Rock accusing Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and Endo International Plc of engaging in misleading marketing practices.
HPV vaccine coverage on the rise, but still far from 2020 goal
The proportion of boys and young men in the U.S. receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has more than tripled since 2011, new research shows. Among 9- to 26-year-old males, 27 percent had received at least one dose of the vaccine in 2016, compared to 8 percent in 2011. Vaccination rates rose from 38 percent to 46 percent in girls and women over the same time period, according to the results published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
FDA expands use of Amgen leukemia drug Blincyto to patients with relapse risk
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded the use of Amgen Inc's leukemia drug Blincyto to include patients who are in remission but still have residual signs of the disease. The drug, part of a class known as bispecific antibodies, is already approved for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) whose cancer has returned after treatment or did not respond to previous treatment, such as chemotherapy.
Starbucks coffee in California must have cancer warning, judge says
Starbucks Corp and other coffee sellers must put a cancer warning on coffee sold in California, a Los Angeles judge has ruled, possibly exposing the companies to millions of dollars in fines. A little-known not-for-profit group sued some 90 coffee retailers, including Starbucks, on grounds they were violating a California law requiring companies to warn consumers of chemicals in their products that could cause cancer.
Pfizer's rare heart disease drug succeeds in late-stage study
Pfizer Inc's experimental drug to treat a rare and fatal disease linked to heart failure reduced deaths and need for hospitalizations in a late-stage study. The company's clinical study investigated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of an oral dose of tafamidis capsules compared with a placebo in 441 patients.
People with sinus infections stay on antibiotics too long
Most people prescribed antibiotics for sinus infections are on treatment courses of 10 days or longer even though infectious disease doctors recommend five to seven days for uncomplicated cases, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data from a sample representing an estimated 3.7 million adults treated for sinusitis and prescribed antibiotics in 2016. Overall, 70 percent of antibiotics prescribed were for 10 days or longer, the study found.
Many in U.S. take more calcium supplements than necessary
Some adults in the U.S. who use supplements to get their daily requirement of calcium are taking higher doses than necessary, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined nationally representative survey data on dietary habits and vitamin and supplement use collected between 1999 and 2014 from 42,038 adults.
Come for your drugs, leave with more shopping: Walmart's new growth strategy?
Walmart Inc´s efforts to develop closer ties with health insurer Humana Inc, which came to light on Thursday, point to a brave new world of retail where superstores become healthcare centers offering basic medical care. They are also aimed at boosting Walmart's slowing growth in brick-and-mortar store sales as it faces increasing pressure online from Amazon.com Inc. Deepening its existing partnership with Humana, or even acquiring the company outright, could be a step toward turning its 4,700 or so U.S. stores into healthcare centers that aim to attract more shoppers over 65.
Doctors often skip discussing dangers of driving after concussion
Most doctors who treat young athletes for concussion know that the injury increases the risk of having a car accident, but barely half counsel their patients against driving, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers invited members of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine to complete a 24-question online survey about their attitudes toward driving after a concussion and what they tell their patients. The study team examined answers from 333 doctors who had managed at least 12 concussions per year.
