MEDICINE

A dearth of new products, new technologies and fresh commitments by governments scrambling to protect their populations from pandemic threats have lured U.S. drugmakers back into the flu vaccine business.

Many people who have died of H1N1 swine flu in the United States have also had bacterial infections, health officials reported on Wednesday.

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their children at greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms as teenagers, British scientists said on Thursday.

President Barack Obama announced a plan on Wednesday to spend $5 billion on medical and scientific research, medical supplies and upgrading laboratory capacity, which he said would create tens of thousands of new jobs.

U.S. antitrust regulators have approved Warner Chilcott Plc's purchase of Procter & Gamble Co's pharmaceuticals business, the Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday.

A United Nations progress report on AIDS on Wednesday showed that despite some progress, the goal of universal access to treatment for all those who need it is still a long way off.

Women who are obese in middle age may live to be at least 70 but they are nowhere near as healthy as women who kept in good shape, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

Most Americans would pay higher taxes to fund healthcare reforms that provide the best quality of care, but only a minority expects Washington to deliver it, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Australia rolled out a nationwide vaccination drive for H1N1influenza on Wednesday in a bid to arm itself against a possible outbreak of the disease.

More than half of the 9.5 million people who need AIDS drugs cannot get them and 33 million people across the world are still infected with the virus that causes it, a United Nations report said on Wednesday.

Estrogen could help women diagnosed with advanced colon cancer to survive longer, a new study out in the journal Clinical Cancer Research suggests.

Ready for another reason to exercise? Men who exercise at even moderate levels may have a lower risk of prostate cancer than sedentary men, a new study suggests.

Boston Scientific Corp will pay Johnson & Johnson $716 million to settle more than a dozen patent dispute lawsuits involving coronary stents and other heart devices, the companies said on Tuesday.

The death of celebrity disc jockey DJ AM was caused by an accidental drug overdose, and eight different substances were found in his body, the New York City Medical Examiner's office said on Tuesday.

Part of the appeal of electronic medical records is that they can help doctors keep track of test results and avoid medical errors, but a study released on Monday suggests that doctors sometimes ignore electronic warnings about abnormal test results.

Doctors do not involve men enough in discussions about whether to undergo screening for prostate cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

A teenage British girl died after receiving a cervical cancer vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline, but a link between the death and the drug has not yet been established, health officials said on Monday.

U.S. health officials are looking into whether patients with a certain bone marrow disorder are more at risk for death and serious complications with the drug Exjade, made by Novartis AG.

A small but growing number of women with breast cancer are choosing to have the unaffected breast removed in an effort to prevent a recurrence, researchers reported Monday.

The world's two largest diversified healthcare companies struck deals on Monday that will propel them into vaccines, a red-hot area for investors because of the pandemic flu threat and potential high profits for preventing other diseases.

Alcohol abuse, obesity and depression seem to go hand in hand for many women, according to the first study to look at how the three relate to one another over time in young adults.