 Novartis's Zykadia gets positive results, faces Roche pressure
 By John Miller ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis's Zykadia drug performed well against a rare form of lung cancer, the Swiss company said on Friday, citing a study it hopes will help it win expanded regulatory approval for the use of the drug. Novartis released results of a phase III clinical trial of Zykadia, or ceritinib, on previously untreated patients with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer. Patients treated with Zykadia showed a significant improvement in their chances of surviving without the cancer spreading compared with standard chemotherapy, the firm said.
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Leprosy found in California elementary school student
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A case of leprosy, extremely rare in the United States, has been diagnosed in a Southern California elementary school student, sending health officials scrambling to reassure parents and the public that the disease is hard to transmit and easy to treat.
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Germany passes new sex worker protection, no-means-no laws
BERLIN (AP) — German legislation designed to make life safer for sex workers, including making the use of a condom mandatory, and a stricter "no means no" law both passed their final hurdles Friday with approval from the upper house of Parliament.
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Six in the running to be next World Health Organization leader
 By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Six international health experts, including four from Europe, are to compete to become the next director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) after its current leader Margaret Chan ends her tenure next June. Nominations for the position, announced on Friday, include Britain's David Nabarro - who was the United Nations' special envoy for Ebola during the crisis in 2014/15 - and Ethiopia's foreign minister and former health minister, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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South Africa unveils test-tube buffalo, plans IVF rhino
 By Ziyanda Yono MARBLE HALL, South Africa (Reuters) - Almost 40 years after the first human test-tube baby was born, South African scientists have produced something bulkier: the first Cape buffalo brought into the world by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Pumelelo the buffalo bull calf was born on June 28 and was unveiled to the world this week at a game farm north of Johannesburg in South Africa's Limpopo province. The technique holds hope for far bigger and more endangered species such as the northern white rhino - only three of them are left on the planet.
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Special Report - Wanted: a fighter for global health to lead the WHO
 The view inside is less inspiring: dated furniture and listless pot plants dot the seventh-floor office of Margaret Chan, the WHO's director general. "I am here to facilitate countries to discuss and find solutions." Chan's low-key, consensual approach has held sway at the organization for nearly a decade. A Chinese former teacher and doctor, she says it has brought lasting results – such as progress towards universal health coverage and improved pandemic preparedness.
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People who improve their diets reduce diabetes risk
By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) – Adopting a healthier diet may lower type 2 diabetes risk over time, while a worsening diet is often accompanied by increased risk, according to a new U.S. study. “Although recent public health recommendations have increasingly focused on advocating overall diet quality improvement, evidence has been limited on whether changing overall diet in adulthood has a long-term preventative impact on diabetes prevention in general population,” said lead author Sylvia H. Ley of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. “We provide evidence that improving diet quality in adulthood is associated with type 2 diabetes prevention, while worsening diet quality is associated increased risk for diabetes,” she said by email.
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Emergency rooms slow to treat, transfer psychiatric patients
By Ronnie Cohen (Reuters Health) - Emergency room patients needing mental health care were transferred to other facilities six times more often than patients needing other services, and they waited longer to be treated or moved, a new study found. “This study provides data showing that ERs are the de facto dumping ground for psychiatric patients,” senior author Dr. Renee Hsia told Reuters Health. “Our goal in reporting this is to provide data to the public and policymakers so that they look at it squarely in the face and decide if it’s acceptable or if it’s something that needs to be changed,” said Hsia, who is a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Japan Tobacco to roll out e-cigarette next year
By Martinne Geller LONDON (Reuters) - Japan Tobacco aims to start selling its Ploom Tech tobacco-based electronic cigarette in cities across Japan next year, it said on Friday, as it fights to catch up with bigger rival Philip Morris in meeting the growing demand for "vaping" products. Japan Tobacco, the world's third-largest tobacco company whose top brands include Winston, Mevius and Benson & Hedges, has invested heavily in expanding its production capacity for Ploom Tech tobacco capsules after it hit supply constraints in March following a test launch in the southern city of Fukuoka.
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Singapore considers monitoring program for babies born to women with Zika
 Singapore is exploring plans to establish a national surveillance program to monitor the development of babies born to pregnant women infected with the Zika virus, the state-owned Channel NewsAsia (CNA) said on Friday. Sixteen pregnant women have been confirmed to have the virus in Singapore, CNA said, quoting the Ministry of Health - a doubling of the eight cases reported on Sept. 11. While most people experience mild symptoms, Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized.
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VW emissions inquiry has found no evidence against Audi CEO: sources
 BERLIN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - An investigation commissioned by Volkswagen into its emissions test cheating scandal has found no evidence against the head of its Audi luxury car division, three people familiar with the matter said. Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler was questioned earlier this week by U.S. law firm Jones Day, which is conducting the investigation, about when he found out about the use of test-cheating software, the people said. The findings are due to be discussed by Volkswagen's (VW) supervisory board on Friday, they added.
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Chronic sleep problems inked to disability later in life
By Madeline Kennedy (Reuters Health) – In adults of all ages, chronic sleep problems were linked with a greater risk of trouble with activities of daily living later in life, in a recent study. Although disability rates have been falling, up to one in five seniors have at least one limitation in their ability to perform tasks, the researchers write in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. “Most people don’t get sufficient sleep - as a culture we tend to devalue sleep - and we tend to underestimate the potential impact of not getting adequate sleep,” lead author Elliot Friedman told Reuters Health by email.
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A trail of contracting fiascos
How a small company using a rented mailbox in Chicago got millions of dollars from international agencies and the U.S. government
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Brazil pharmacy Raia Drogasil focused on new stores not M&A: CEO
Raia Drogasil SA, Brazil's biggest drugstore chain, will sit out expected consolidation of the national market, the company's chief executive said in an interview, because its own rapidly expanding network is proving increasingly efficient. CVS Health Corp entered Brazil with an acquisition in 2013 and two sources told Reuters this month that rival Brasil Pharma SA is close to selling two units. "Our aim is to consolidate the market opening stores." Raia Drogasil has done that at an accelerating pace.
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With U.S. drone rules set, firms race for flight data
 UPS's test flight was handled by drone maker CyPhy Works, in which it owns a stake. "The technology for drones is there and it's moving extremely fast," said CyPhy founder Helen Greiner. The UPS-CyPhy test comes amid a burst of U.S. drone activity, including companies focusing on package delivery.
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Adult, larval insecticides pack deadly punch to mosquitoes, Zika: U.S.
 (Reuters) - The unprecedented aerial spraying of products that kill both adult mosquitoes as well as their larvae delivered a "1-2 punch" that has stopped direct transmission of the Zika virus in the Wynwood section of Miami, U.S. and Florida health officials said on Friday. The trendy Miami neighborhood in June became the first neighborhood in the continental United States with a local outbreak of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause severe birth defects in infected pregnant women. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday declared Wynwood free of Zika, saying there had been no cases of infection with the virus there in the past 45 days.
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Endo International CEO steps down, Campanelli named successor
Endo International Plc said Chief Executive Rajiv De Silva had stepped down and would be replaced by generics division head Paul Campanelli, as the drugmaker grapples with a large debt load and mounting pressure on some of its drug prices. Endo's shares rose as much as 18 percent to $23.98 on Friday as the company also maintained its full-year profit and revenue forecasts. Campanelli joined Endo in 2015 following the company's $8-billion acquisition of generic drugs maker Par Pharmaceutical, where he was CEO since 2012.
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Officials Investigate Leprosy Case in California
 California health officials reported on Thursday that a child in Jurupa Valley, California, has been diagnosed with leprosy and another child is suspected of having the disease. Leprosy, also called Hansen's disease, is rare in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There were 175 new cases of the disease reported in 2014, the most recent data available. The Riverside County Health Department has not listed a source or suspected source of the disease, but leprosy can remain in the body for three to 10 years before symptoms develop, according to the HHS.
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Allergists Warn Against Using 'DIY EpiPen'
 Online tutorials that teach people how to make their own EpiPens have been watched by tens of thousands, but experts warn that using a homemade injector could be dangerous. However, Dr. Lolita McDavid, pediatrician and medical director of child advocacy and protection at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, said even as a trained physician she would never use a DIY epi-injector on a family member. McDavid pointed out that in one video online the instructor didn't even sterilize the vial before filling the syringe, meaning it could possibly cause infection if used.
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Patients’ time at home after a stroke varies by hospital
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - Stroke survivors may spend more time at home – as opposed to a nursing home or a hospital – if they were treated at a place that handles a lot of stroke patients or that’s located in a rural area, a U.S. study suggests. Patients treated at smaller hospitals also tended to spend more days at home after a stroke, the study also found. “Home-time after stroke varied depending on where patients were hospitalized and in what type of hospital,” said study leader Emily O’Brian of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
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6 Portland health providers give $21.5M for homeless housing
 PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Five major hospitals in Portland, Oregon, and a nonprofit health care plan said Friday they will donate a combined $21.5 million toward the construction of nearly 400 housing units for the city's burgeoning homeless and low-income population — a move hailed by national housing advocates as the largest private investment of its kind in the nation.
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Serious injuries rare at popular obstacle courses
By Madeline Kennedy (Reuters Health) - Obstacle course runs like Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash are becoming more popular and are relatively safe for participants, a Canadian study suggests. Only about 1 percent of participants are injured during these races, and most of the injuries are minor and only require first aid, the researchers write in Emergency Medicine Journal. Obstacle course runs can be anywhere from 3 miles long to a full marathon.
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Boxing-Fury pulls out of Klitschko rematch through injury
BERLIN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The world heavyweight title rematch between champion Tyson Fury and Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko on Oct. 29 has been called off for a second time with the Briton ruled "medically unfit". "Tyson has this week been declared medically unfit to fight," Fury's promoters Hennessy Sports said in a brief statement on Friday. "Medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring." (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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FDA approves Amgen's copy of AbbVie arthritis drug Humira
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Amgen Inc's biosimilar version of AbbVie's top-selling arthritis drug, Humira. The drug, Amjevita, known also as adalimumab-atto, was approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and other conditions. Amjevita is the fourth biosimilar to be approved by the FDA and is expected to be sold at a discount to the original drug.
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Boxing-'Medically unfit' Fury out of Klitschko rematch
* Heavyweight fight called off for second time * Champion Fury's condition is "too severe" (Adds quotes, details) BERLIN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Next month's world heavyweight title rematch between champion Tyson Fury and Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko was called off on Friday for a second time with the Briton ruled "medically unfit". The fight was due to be held on Oct. 29 in Manchester, having been originally postponed in July when Fury suffered an ankle injury. "Tyson has this week been declared medically unfit to fight," his promoters Hennessy Sports said in a statement without elaborating.
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Fury pulls out of Klitschko rematch through injury
 BERLIN (Reuters) - The world heavyweight title rematch between champion Tyson Fury and Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko on Oct. 29 has been called off for a second time with the Briton ruled "medically unfit". "Tyson has this week been declared medically unfit to fight," Fury's promoters Hennessy Sports said in a brief statement on Friday. "Medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring." (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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Cowboys, heat and rain: 'Magnificent Seven' talk challenging shoot
 By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bringing the American Wild West to life was no easy task, just ask the cast of "The Magnificent Seven," who endured scorching heat and torrential rain in wool costumes in the Louisiana summer. "We had a lot of lightning, thunder issues where we had to shut (production) down, but the heat was just constant," Denzel Washington, who plays bounty hunter Sam Chisholm, told Reuters. "The Magnificent Seven," a remake of the 1960 classic, is directed by Antoine Fuqua and opens in theaters on Friday.
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U.S. presidential contest takes center stage for investors
 Who becomes the next U.S. president will be a primary focus for Wall Street next week and beyond, starting on Monday with the first debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. While the White House race has so far had little discernible effect on the market, that may soon change as polls show a tightening race. Clinton's once-comfortable lead in opinion polls has evaporated, and with just over six weeks until Election Day, some investors see a toss-up contest creating volatility in certain sectors, including health insurers, drugmakers and industrials.
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"We don't need to grow more food to cut hunger in Africa" - activist
 By Alex Whiting TURIN, Italy (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As a young university student of agriculture, Edie Mukiibi believed the latest hybrid seeds which promised bumper crops were the answer to improving the lot of maize farmers in his part of Uganda. He persuaded many to buy the seeds, while working part-time promoting them in Kiboga district in central Uganda. But the consequences were "terrible", he said. When I went back to talk with the farmers I could feel their pain," Mukiibi said. Even worse, the new crops could not be grown with any other crops, so the farmers were left with nothing to fall back on except the bills they had run up for the pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers the maize required, he said. "This is when I started working with farmers ... to diversify (their) farming," said Mukiibi, now vice president of Slow Food International, a grassroots movement of farmers, chefs, activists and academics campaigning to improve the quality of food and the lives of producers.
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Medically unfit' Fury out of Klitschko rematch
 Next month's world heavyweight title rematch between champion Tyson Fury and Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko was called off on Friday for a second time with the Briton ruled "medically unfit". The fight was due to be held on Oct. 29 in Manchester, having been originally postponed in July when Fury suffered an ankle injury. "Tyson has this week been declared medically unfit to fight," his promoters Hennessy Sports said in a statement without elaborating.
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Feds push back on states targeting Planned Parenthood funds
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Obama administration has proposed barring states and other recipients of federal family planning grants from placing their own eligibility restrictions on where the money can go, which would undermine the efforts of 13 Republican-led states to prevent such money from going to Planned Parenthood.
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Thousands march in Dublin, abroad for Irish abortion rights
 By Padraic Halpin DUBLIN (Reuters) - Thousands of protestors marched in Dublin, and Irish expatriates joined in demonstrations around the world on Saturday, to put pressure on the Irish government to hold a referendum to repeal restrictive abortion laws. Regulations in the once stridently Catholic Ireland are among the strictest in the world and next month Prime Minister Enda Kenny will call a citizens' assembly to advise the government on whether a vote should be held to boost access to abortion. Demonstrators marched in the rain on government buildings from Dublin's main thoroughfare of O'Connell Street, bringing traffic to a standstill by the River Liffey as they chanted, beat drums and held placards saying "My Body, My Choice".
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UK doctors call off strike action
 The British Medical Association (BMA) had planned a full withdrawal of labor by junior doctors on Oct. 5-7 and 10-11, Nov. 14-18 and Dec. 5-9, which would have been the longest stoppages in the nearly 70-year history of the National Health Service. Junior doctors - a term covering recent medical school graduates right through to doctors who have been working for well over a decade - have staged a series of walkouts over a new work contract the government plans to impose next month. The BMA said its decision to suspend the action follows feedback from doctors, patients and the public, and discussions with NHS England about the ability of the NHS to maintain a safe service if industrial action were to go ahead.
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Doctors 'prescribe' fresh produce with help from food banks
 OAK FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The idea is simple: Load fresh fruits and vegetables into a refrigerator truck and drive it to a health clinic, then have a doctor write a "prescription" for food to improve the diets of low-income people with diabetes and high blood pressure.
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Aid delivered to four besieged towns in Syria: ICRC
Seventy trucks of humanitarian aid were delivered on Sunday to four besieged towns in Syria for the first time in almost six months, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. The aid organisation said convoys were delivered to Madaya and Zabdani near Damascus and to the villages of al Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province in the north west. Kefraya and al-Foua, in Idlib province in northwest Syria, have around 20,000 people, according to U.N. estimates, and have been surrounded by insurgents since April 2015.
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