ZURICH (Reuters) - Drug giants Novartis, Bayer and Roche on Friday lost a bid to stop British doctors from recommending a cheaper drug option for people with an eye disease that causes blindness, the High Court in London ruled. A drug industry group said the decision was “extraordinary” and was bad news for future regulatory cooperation between Britain and the European Union after Britain’s exit from the bloc next year. The companies had sought to block doctors from 12 health groups in the north of England from making Roche’s cancer therapy Avastin the preferred option for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), even though it is not licensed for this use. Avastin works similarly to Bayer’s Eylea and Roche’s and Novartis’s Lucentis, but those drugs were made specifically for the eye. “Treating clinicians can lawfully choose Avastin for opthalmic use on grounds of cost,” according to the ruling. It added that NICE, the … [Read more...] about UK doctors win battle with drug giants over cheaper eye medicine
Developing new medicines
Health insurance should cover new medicine for Hepatitis C patients
A hepatitis patient receives treatment at Bach Mai Hospital.(Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Health experts have called on the Health Ministry to add direct-acting antiviral Agents (DAAs) into list of drugs that public health insurance covers so patients with Hepatitis C are treated more effectively. DAAs or new combinations of drugs directly target the hepatitis C virus in different ways to stop it making copies of itself. DAAs promise shorter treatment times, much higher cure rates and fewer side effects. Assistance Professor Dr Do Duy Cuong, head of Infection Department under Bach Mai Hospital, spoke about the new medicine at a July 24 meeting marking World Hepatitis Day (July 28). Cuong said that currently, there were 50 types of DAAs and the cure rate reached up to 95 percent. However, cost treatment using DAAs was high while public health insurance participants did not have health insurance pay for the medicine, Cuong said, adding that 90 percent of patients with … [Read more...] about Health insurance should cover new medicine for Hepatitis C patients
When Will I Die? Scientists Develop New Blood Test That Could Reveal Life Expectancy
Health Life Expectancy Life is short, the saying goes, and exactly how much time we have before we shuffle off this mortal coil is anyone’s guess. But this uncertainty could be consigned to history, according to the creators of a blood test they claim predicts a person's life expectancy. The test measures what the scientists at Yale University call a person’s “phenotypic age,” The Guardian reported. Put simply, if a person’s phenotypic age is higher than their chronological age, they may be at greater risk of dying. It works by measuring nine biomarkers in the body, the authors wrote in a paper published in the biological sciences archive bioRxiv. The paper was not peer-reviewed. Dr. Morgan Levine, assistant professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine, explained to The Guardian the test can identify differences in life expectancy between individuals who are seemingly healthy. The team defined "healthy" as being free of disease … [Read more...] about When Will I Die? Scientists Develop New Blood Test That Could Reveal Life Expectancy
Scientists have developed new semiconductors that are more environmentally friendly
Saturday, April 21, 2018 by: Edsel Cook Tags: Chemistry, discoveries, ecofriendly, energy conversion, environmentally friendly, future science, Heavy metals, inventions, perovskite, perovskite-based materials, photovoltaic devices, physics, semiconductors, solar cells, solar energy, solar power, Toxic Metals (Natural News) Concerned with the prevalence of useful but toxic perovskites in photovoltaic cells, a group of Iowa-based researchers devised alternative materials. They reported creating cheaper and eco-friendly semiconductors with similar performance, according to a ScienceDaily article. Perovskites are light-gathering materials used as semiconductors in solar panels. While highly efficient – called “wonder materials” by the solar power industry – they also contain lead, which is toxic to humans and especially dangerous to children. Other semiconductors use the equally toxic arsenic or cadmium. Still others use lithium and indium, which … [Read more...] about Scientists have developed new semiconductors that are more environmentally friendly
Medicinal uses, effects and benefits of horse mint
Sunday, March 25, 2018 by: Michelle Simmons Tags: herb, Herbal, herbal medicine, Herbs, horse mind, horse mint, Mentha longifolia, natural medicine, pharmacological activity, phytochemicals, phytoconstituents, plant, review, wild mint (Natural News) A review of studies published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine discussed the medicinal and phytochemical properties of horse mint. The study review was conducted by a team of researchers from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. The research team reviewed studies that looked at the pharmacological activities, therapeutic indications, and phytochemicals of horse mint. Also known as wild mint, horse mint (Mentha longifolia L.) is an herbal plant that contains various medicinal properties. It is native in Southeast Asia, but can also be found in Iran, where it is commonly consumed as a green vegetable and spice, or used as an additive with different foods. … [Read more...] about Medicinal uses, effects and benefits of horse mint