By Reuters StaffNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists explain why the indication for Vosevi is narrower for NS5A inhibitor-naive hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients in a new report. The FDA approved sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (SOF/VEL/VOX) in July 2017, stating that the fixed-dose combination (FDC) was indicated for patients with genotype 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or

By Will Boggs MDNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The double kissing (DK) crush two-stent technique is better than provisional stenting (PS) for treating left main (LM) bifurcation lesions in patients with unprotected LM coronary artery disease (ULMCAD), according to results from the DKCRUSH-V randomized trial.Guidelines generally favor coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery over percutaneous coron

By Will Boggs MD(Reuters Health) - Fatty liver disease that is not related to excess drinking is associated with greater brain shrinkage than normally happens with age, researchers say.The reduced brain volume linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is equivalent to an extra 4.2 years of aging for people in their 60s and early 70s, or an extra 7.3 years of aging for people under age 60

By Shereen Lehman(Reuters Health) - Men’s risk for diverticulitis may be drastically reduced if they follow an overall healthy lifestyle, a recent U.S. study suggests.Diverticulitis has become one of the most common reasons for gastrointestinal hospital admission in the United States, costing an estimated $2 billion each year, researchers write in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, online N

By Reuters StaffNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Penile fracture repair does not impair sexual function, but self-esteem scores drop during the early months after surgery, researchers from Turkey report.Immediate surgical exploration is the preferred management for penile fracture, but few studies have examined the psychosocial and sexual effects of penile fracture and its treatment, Dr. Mustafa Suat B

By Anne HardingNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adding laser therapy to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment for macular edema (ME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) may reduce the number of anti-VEGF injections needed, a new retrospective analysis suggests.“RandOL (ranibizumab and Ozurdex with laser photocoagulation) protocol as a combination therapy for RVO patients can de

By Natalie Grover(Reuters Health) - Pregnant and breastfeeding women who travel to places with high risk of diseases like malaria and yellow fever are less likely than other women travelers to be protected by vaccines and drugs, recent U.S. research suggests.Lack of information about the safety of some preventive medications and vaccines during pregnancy and breastfeeding may be one reason some pa

By Carolyn Crist(Reuters Health) - Screening older surgery patients for cognitive impairment can catch undiagnosed problems that raise risk for complications, researchers say.Among 211 patients over age 65 having elective orthopedic surgeries such as hip or knee replacement, pre-operative screening found that about one quarter had likely cognitive impairment such as undiagnosed dementia. These pat

By Will Boggs MDNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The prevalence of nephrolithiasis has increased in parallel with body mass index (BMI) in the Israeli pediatric population over the past three decades, according to a retrospective analysis.Nephrolithiasis rates have increased among adults and children in recent years, and the increase among adults has been attributed largely to dietary and lifestyle fac

By Anne HardingNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is no better than a sham procedure for improving exercise time in patients with stable angina, according to the first-ever placebo-controlled trial of PCI in these patients.Globally, over 500,000 PCI procedures are performed every year to treat stable angina. While patients and interventional cardiologists report t

By Will Boggs MDNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Concomitant metformin use is associated with cardiovascular outcomes of the use of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, according to a meta-analysis of three clinical trials."Because the cardiovascular effects of DPP-4 inhibitors may vary based on whether they are coprescribed with metformin, there is residual uncertainty as to whether DPP-4 inhib

By Reuters StaffNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New European consensus guidelines support the use of laparoscopic liver surgery for colorectal liver metastases, certain benign diseases and rare non-colorectal metastases, selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and living donor hepatectomy.Laparoscopic liver surgery might also be appropriate for certain elderly or patients with high body mass

By Aditya Kalra and Tommy WilkesNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has approved a three-year budget for its flagship public health program almost 20 percent lower than what the health ministry said was needed, according to sources and previously unreported government documents reviewed by Reuters.The federal finance ministry in August renewed the National Health Mission with $20 billion of funding betwee

By Reuters StaffTEL AVIV (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is expected to cut 20-25 percent of its 6,860 workers in Israel and a few thousand more in the United States, financial news website Calcalist reported on Thursday.The world's largest generic drugmaker will send termination letters to "tens of percents" of its 10,000 employees in the United States in upcoming weeks, Calcalis

By Kate KellandLONDON (Reuters) - People who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are more likely to see health benefits than harm, experiencing lower risks of premature death and heart disease than those who abstain, scientists said on Wednesday.The research, which collated evidence from more than 200 previous studies, also found coffee consumption was linked to lower risks of diabetes, liver

By Jon HerskovitzAUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge on Wednesday struck down parts of a Texas law that would ban the most common type of second-trimester abortions in the state, after plaintiffs argued the procedure was safe, legal and necessary for women's health.U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin issued a permanent injunction against the provisions that were in legislation

By Ludwig Burger and Patricia WeissLEVERKUSEN, Germany (Reuters) - Bayer is seeking to defend its pharmaceuticals business that will be diluted in importance by the takeover of Monsanto and faces a threat to revenues in 2024 when the blockbuster heart drug Xarelto loses its patent.The firm's planned takeover of U.S. seeds group Monsanto for $63.5 billion has prompted concerns among some of the

By Tina BellonNEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal jury in Chicago said on Thursday that Endo International's Auxilium unit was not responsible for the heart attack a man suffered while using the company's testosterone replacement drug Testim. The verdict was a victory for the drugmaker in its first trial over allegations it defectively designed Testim, a skin gel, and negligently misrepresented

By Lisa Rapaport(Reuters Health) - Even after warnings from doctors and drug regulators about the dangers of opioids for children, 1 in 20 kids still get codeine after two common childhood surgeries, a U.S. study suggests.Researchers examined records for almost 363,000 children who had tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies from 2010 to 2015. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black

By Lisa Rapaport(Reuters Health) - Older women with cataracts who get surgery to treat the eye problem may be less likely to die prematurely than those who don’t get the operations, a recent U.S. study suggests.Researchers examined data on 74,044 women with cataracts, including 41,735 who underwent cataract surgery. Compared to women who didn’t get operations, those who did were 60% less likely to