By Edward McAllister DAKAR (Reuters) – Families of 20 Gambian children who died after consuming cough syrups made in India will take their government to court this month for allegedly mishandling drug imports – a rare step in one of Africa’s poorest countries, where few have the means to challenge authorities. The parents’ allegations and…
By Lucy Papachristou (Reuters) – A sweeping Russian draft law to ban legally or medically changing gender was approved by the lower house of parliament on Friday in its final reading, part of a crackdown against LGBT rights under President Vladimir Putin. The bill would bar Russians from changing their gender on official identity documents,…
(Reuters) -Biotech company Roivant Sciences is in talks to sell an experimental drug to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, to Roche in a deal that could be valued at more than $7 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The sale of the drug could be announced in the…
By Manas Mishra and Sriparna Roy (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter contraceptive pill, paving the way for millions of women in the country to purchase birth control without prescription. The approval comes as more states ban abortion following a ruling by the Supreme Court last year…
(Reuters) – Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke, chewing gum, yoghurt and other food products, is a “possible carcinogen” but it remains safe to consume at the existing daily intake guidelines, according to new rulings from two different World Health Organization-linked groups. WHAT IS ASPARTAME? Discovered in 1965 by American chemist James…
(Reuters) – Aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in products from Coca-Cola’s diet sodas to Mars’ Extra chewing gum, is the latest substance to be declared a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Carcinogens are substances that have the potential to cause cancer to humans. According to the IARC, there are…
By Maggie Fick LONDON (Reuters) – Soaring U.S. demand for Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug has reduced the pressure from investors on the company to deliver strong results in its trial to test whether the drug also has medical benefits, eight investors and analysts say. Novo is expected to publish in August the results of a…
(Reuters) – Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, died of a small bowel obstruction as a delayed consequence of bariatric weight loss surgery, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported on Friday, six months after she died. Presley, a singer and songwriter in her own right, had been taken to hospital after…
By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pushed to include a provision allowing medical research of psychedelic drugs as part of a sweeping annual defense policy bill, saying it could help treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments despite possible concerns. “These are powerful substances, I don’t want…
(Reuters) – Elanco Animal Health said on Thursday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deemed the company’s Seresto flea and tick collars for pets safe for use following a multi-year review. The collars for cats and dogs, developed by Bayer and now sold by Elanco, are designed to deliver small amounts of flea and…