FDA confirms benefits of Crestor in more patients
9:56
Federal scientists say AstraZeneca's cholesterol pill Crestor lowers the risk of heart attack, death and stroke in patients without a history of heart disease, though some safety concerns remain. The Food and Drug...
Chinese health officials step up flu prevention
4:25
China's Health Ministry warned Friday that the swine flu outbreak in the country could peak over the next several months, especially as hundreds of millions of people return home for the traditional Chinese New Year. ...
CDC: About 1 in 6 Americans have had swine flu
5:48
Swine flu has sickened about 50 million Americans, and killed about 10,000, according to new estimates released by federal health officials on Thursday. That means about 1 in 6 Americans have had the illness, said Dr....
Studies: Bone drugs may help prevent breast cancer
5:00
New results from a landmark women's health study raise the exciting possibility that bone-building drugs such as Fosamax and Actonel may help prevent breast cancer. Women who already were using these medicines when the...
Ho-ho-healthy? Parents struggle to watch kid diets
4:07
Pam Vetter's 15-year-old son balked when she told him she was opting for a healthier holiday season this year: fish rather than turkey, fewer carbs and sweets. He threatened to purchase a turkey, stuffing, potatoes and...
FDA panel backs inhalable drug for lung infection
3:50
Federal health advisers are recommending the use of an experimental Gilead Sciences drug to treat a form of lung infection. A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 15-2 in favor of the safety and effectiveness of...
Mozart's music may help preemies gain weight
1:12
Is Mozart good for babies? A group of Israeli doctors have plunged into this long-running debate with a small study that found the soothing sounds of the 18th century composer may help premature babies grow faster. ...
Britain: Swine flu less deadly than first thought
12:36
Swine flu is far less dangerous than originally feared, British officials said Thursday _ about 100 times less lethal than the 1918 Spanish flu. To determine how deadly the virus is, the British health department...
Netherlands reports 6 human deaths from Q fever
9:42
The Dutch government said Thursday it will vaccinate all goats and sheep in the country against Q fever and kill many pregnant goats to rein in an outbreak that has caused the deaths of six people in 2009. Q fever is a...
Drug-resistant swine flu cluster on Vietnam train
5:35
Health officials in Vietnam are reporting what appears to be the largest cluster yet of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cases _ seven people who traveled together on a long train ride. Six were from a group of students,...
WHO: Smoking kills 5 million every year
8:58
Tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year, a figure that could rise if countries don't take stronger measures to combat smoking, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. In a new report on tobacco use...
GAO: FDA yet to make safety changes post-Vioxx
6:59
The Food and Drug Administration still hasn't restructured its staff to better monitor drug safety, more than three years after experts recommended key changes in the wake of the Vioxx scandal. That's according to...
Swine flu toll includes a few pets
3:22
A handful of pets have been sickened with swine flu in recent weeks, but here are doctors' orders: Wash your hands and don't panic. The virus, also known as H1N1, has been diagnosed in only a few cats and ferrets since...
British researchers: little evidence Tamiflu works
2:54
British researchers say there is little evidence Tamiflu stops complications in healthy people who catch the flu, though public health officials contend the swine flu drug reduces flu hospitalizations and deaths. ...
US tops world in health care spending, results lag
10:57
The United States ranks near the bottom in life expectancy among wealthy nations despite spending more than double per person on health care than the industrialized world's average, an economic group said Tuesday. Life...
Experts: Colon cancer deaths could make big drop
8:16
Colon cancer deaths could drop dramatically in the next decade because of better screening and treatment, according to an optimistic new prediction by top researchers. The estimate was made in an annual report that...
Groups try simple steps to avoid hospital rebound
3:16
Talk about unnecessary misery: One in five Medicare patients winds up back in the hospital within a month _ even worse, one in four patients with heart failure. A major push is under way around the country to cut...
Experts: Colon cancer deaths could make big drop
9:40
Colon cancer deaths could drop dramatically in the next decade because of better screening and treatment, according to an optimistic new prediction by top researchers. The estimate was made in an annual report that...
CDC: Pet frogs source of salmonella outbreak
6:36
Pet frogs are being blamed for a national salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 48 people. The illnesses occurred from June through November, with reports coming in from 25 states. Health officials investigating...
FDA investigating more dangerous brain scans
4:18
Federal health regulators are investigating reports of dangerous radiation levels at two more California hospitals, following earlier unsafe medical scans at a Los Angeles facility. The Food and Drug Administration is...
South Africa to treat all HIV-positive babies
3:23
South Africa announced ambitious new plans Tuesday for earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive babies and pregnant women, a change that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in the nation hardest hit by the...
Groups try simple steps to avoid hospital rebound
3:01
Talk about unnecessary misery: One in five Medicare patients winds up back in the hospital within a month _ even worse, one in four patients with heart failure. A major push is under way around the country to cut...
CDC: Swine flu is widespread only in 25 states
11:46
Swine flu infections continue to wane, just as vaccine is becoming plentiful enough that some communities are allowing everyone to get it, not just those in priority groups. Swine flu was widespread in only 25 states...
FDA warns of problems with sterilization device
4:27
Doctors and hospitals should stop using a device from Steris Corp. to sterilize surgical tools after reports of malfunction, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The company's modified SS1 sterilizer device...
Brazil officials visiting Germany get swine flu
2:53
Two Brazilian officials accompanying President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a trip to Germany have been diagnosed with swine flu. Brazil's official Agencia Brasil news agency says the presidential security guard and an...
Drugmakers, FDA move to curb painkiller abuse
2:04
Pharmaceutical executives laid out plans Friday to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers, under pressure from regulators trying to stop hundreds of fatal overdoses each year. But Food and Drug Administration...
Embargo as genocide? US disputes Cuban claim
12:37
It was a story meant to captivate the United Nations: A dozen Cuban children with heart defects were forced to endure unnecessary surgery because the U.S. embargo blocked them from receiving American-made catheters. ...
Glaxo's swine flu shot may give kids fever
8:15
The European Medicines Agency warns that young children given GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu shot may get a fever after their second dose. In a statement issued Friday, the European drug regulator said data from...
CDC warns of fake swine flu e-mails
5:24
Health officials are warning the public about fake e-mails inviting people to sign up for swine flu vaccine registrations. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials this week put out an advisory about...
Surgeon general: More minority doctors needed
5:02
The new U.S. Surgeon General on Thursday called for stepped-up efforts in increasing the number of minority physicians. In what was one of her first speeches to a large crowd since she was sworn in Nov. 3, Dr. Regina...
Cambodian moms-to-be chew tobacco for nausea
3:14
When pregnant Cambodian women suffer morning sickness, they often reach for an unlikely source of relief: a wad of chewing tobacco. Many become hooked, and the World Health Organization warned Thursday it is a...
Study finds hospitals speeding heart attack care
9:26
Hospitals are giving faster care to lots more heart attack patients, a speed-up sure to be saving lives. More than three-quarters of people suffering major heart attacks are getting their blocked arteries reopened...
Experts: Man controlled robotic hand with thoughts
5:06
An Italian who lost his left forearm in a car crash was successfully linked to a robotic hand, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial limb and control it with his thoughts, scientists said Wednesday. During...
Study finds hospitals speeding heart attack care
5:00
Hospitals are giving faster care to lots more heart attack patients, a speed-up sure to be saving lives. More than three-quarters of people suffering major heart attacks are getting their blocked arteries reopened...
South Africa to treat all HIV-positive babies
7:50
South Africa announced ambitious new plans Tuesday for earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive babies and pregnant women, a change that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in the nation hardest hit by the...
FDA cites unsafe conditions at Tyson Foods plant
3:37
U.S. health regulators have warned Tyson Foods about unsanitary conditions at a Texas plant that makes seafood soups. In a warning letter posted online Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration said its inspectors...
Weak economy puts new spotlight on medical pricing
12:38
Consumers are increasingly turning to the Web to compare medical fees as the economy and less generous health benefits squeeze household budgets. Shopping around for lower-priced medical care has never been easier....
WHO approves Glaxo's swine flu shot
6:19
Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline says one of its swine flu vaccines has been certified by the World Health Organization, making it available for donors to buy for developing countries. In a statement issued Tuesday,...
CDC: Swine flu less widespread, down to 32 states
4:39
Swine flu infections seem to be dropping, but the number of children who died with the illness rose by about 30, according to a government report released Monday. Widespread infections of swine flu were reported in 32...
Anatomy training facts, how to donate
1:15
Learning anatomy with cadavers is a centuries-old rite of passage that once again is getting a face-lift as medical schools struggle to mix this core knowledge with an explosion of new information from the genetics...
Doctors in training still learn from cadavers
1:14
Color-coded denim cloths cover the row upon row of black body bags atop cold metal tables. Blue means a body that eventually will go into a common grave. Tan, the family wants those remains back for burial, eventually. ...
Doctors in training still learn from cadavers
4:31
Color-coded denim cloths cover the row upon row of black body bags atop cold metal tables. Blue means a body that eventually will go into a common grave. Tan, the family wants those remains back for burial, eventually. ...
Autism treatment works in kids as young as 18 mos.
3:12
The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis. The study was small _ just 48...
Anatomy training facts, how to donate
12:02
Learning anatomy with cadavers is a centuries-old rite of passage that once again is getting a face-lift as medical schools struggle to mix this core knowledge with an explosion of new information from the genetics...
WHO: Treat HIV patients sooner
7:45
People infected with the virus that causes AIDS should start treatment earlier than currently recommended, the World Health Organization said Monday. The U.N. agency issued new guidance advising doctors to start giving...
Employers play Dr. Mom to limit swine flu impact
5:02
Big businesses are spending serious time and money trying to limit the swine flu pandemic's impact on operations, from bankrolling video on good hygiene to training employees to cover for co-workers with critical jobs. ...
China tries to fix crumbling health care system
2:56
Unable to rely on China's broken health care system, the Ji family was desperate. Doctors had taken 15-year-old Ji Xiaoyan off a ventilator and discharged her because her family could no longer pay her hospital bills....
Ways businesses seek to blunt swine flu's impact
1:44
Some common strategies employers are using or planning to limit the spread of swine flu among their work force and keep operations going normally: _ Posting information about the swine flu, including tips on hygiene...
Understanding the pros and cons of health overhaul
3:22
Maybe you've been reading the health care bill in your spare time. Then perhaps you can answer this question: If Congress makes history and puts a bill on President Barack Obama's desk by Christmas, how long before the...
Food stamps estimate raises debate over 'poverty'
2:09
The estimate was startling, and made headlines around the country: Almost half of all U.S. kids will be on food stamps at some time during childhood. How could it be true in the land of plenty, in the midst of an...