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Indian court rejects Novartis cancer patent bid

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - Apr. 01 (News Report) - Healthcare activists welcome landmark ruling they say will give poor patients continued access to cheap medicines India's supreme court has rejected drugmaker Novartis AG's attempt to patent a new version of a cancer drug in a landmark decision that healthcare activists say ensures poor patients around the world will get continued access to cheap versions of lifesaving medicines. Novartis had argued it needed a patent to protect its investment in the cancer drug Glivec, while activists said the company was trying to use loopholes to make more money out of a drug whose patent had expired. The decision has global implications since India's $26bn (£17bn) generic drug industry supplies much of the cheap medicine used in the developing world. The ruling sets a precedent that will prevent international pharmaceutical companies from obtaining fresh patents in India on updated versions of existing drugs, said Pratibha Singh, a lawyer for the Indian generic drug manufacturer Cipla, which ...

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Novartis denied cancer drug patent in landmark Indian case

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Sarah Boseley - Apr. 01 (News) - The Indian supreme court has refused to allow one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies to patent a new version of a cancer drug, a decision campaigners hailed as a major step forward in enabling poor people to access medicines in the developing world. Novartis lost a six-year legal battle after the court ruled that small changes and improvements to the drug Glivec did not amount to innovation deserving of a patent. T

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Inadequate Treatment of Ovarian Cancer

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By By THE EDITORIAL BOARD - Mar. 14 (Editorial) - A study that shows widespread failure in ovarian-cancer treatment suggests a need for new ways to help patients and doctors find specialists who can help them.

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A Can of Soda a Day Can Increase the Risk of Cancer for Men by 40 Percent?

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Scott Thill - Jan. 23 (News Report) - sodas have zero redeeming nutritional value. But they have had lethal additives like 4-methylimidazole, the ammonia-sulfite caramel coloring that is also a known animal carcinogen. The flavorless die brought nothing to products like Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and more that carried it, and was toxic enough to activate a new California law requiring disclosure of cancer risk -- which, in turn, was enough to motivate Coke and Pepsi to quickly discard it while protesting the controversy as "scientifically unfounded." An appeal to the FDA for ban from the Center for Science in the Public Interest likely helped. But 4-methylimidazole is just one soda headache among many.

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TSA Finally Investigating Cancer Risk of X-Ray Body Scanners

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Mother Jones - By By Michael Grabell, ProPublica - Dec. 19 (Investigative Report) - Following months of congressional pressure, the Transportation Security Administration has agreed to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study the health effects of the agency's X-ray body scanners. But it is unclear if the academy will conduct its own tests of the scanners or merely review previous studies.

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Study Linking Monsanto Corn to Cancer Must Be Taken Seriously by Regulators

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

readersupportednews.org - By John Vidal - Sep. 29 (News Report) - last week, Seralini brought the whole scientific and corporate establishment crashing down on his head. In a peer-reviewed US journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology, he reported the results of a €3.2m study. Fed a diet of Monsanto's Roundup-tolerant GM maize NK603 for two years, or exposed to Roundup over the same period, rats developed higher levels of cancers and died earlier than controls. Séralini suggested that the results could be explained by the endocrine-disrupting effects of Roundup, and overexpression of the transgene in the GMO.

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Leslie Michelson: Doctor to the 1% (and Maybe Someday to You)

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Joseph Rago - Sep. 22 (Interview) - You know how the affluent hire investment and tax specialists to run their finances? Leslie Michelson does the same for their health care.

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Well: Sleep Apnea Tied to Increased Cancer Risk

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Anahad O'connor - May. 21 (Opinion) - Two new studies associate a common disorder of sleep that causes pauses in breathing with a higher risk of cancer.

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With Billions in Grant Money, Leverage to Curb Smoking

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Reeve Hamilton - Feb. 19 (News) - With billions of dollars at its disposal, a Texas state agency is finding an effective path in getting tobacco-free policies established — notably, at university campuses.

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APNewsBreak: Komen official quits breast cancer charity over Planned Parenthood dispute

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Washington Post - By Associated Press - Feb. 07 (News Report) - A high-ranking official resigned Tuesday from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity after a dispute over whether the group should give funding to Planned Parenthood, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Karen Handel, the charity’s vice president for public policy, told Komen officials that she supported the move to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood. She said the discussion started before she arrived at the organization and was approved at the highest levels of the charity.

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I Will Not Be Pinkwashed: Komen's Race Is For Money, Not Cure

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Emily Michele - Feb. 05 (News Analysis) - I don’t know about you, but I would never expect directors of a charitable “non-profit” organization to make more than most doctors, lawyers, or even politicians. Their CEO and president, Hala G. Moddelmog, made $531,924, plus $26,683 in change. That's more than President Obama makes.

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Why the FDA Okays Eating Seafood 10,000 Times Over the Safe Limit for Dangerous Carcinogens

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Brad Jacobson - Dec. 19 (News Report) - The FDA downplayed the risk of contamination and ignored staff members who proposed higher levels of contamination protection while providing no scientific evidence to back up its policy.

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A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Mona Simpson - Oct. 31 (Opinion) - I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives (and our not yet furnished apartment) and help us. Later, after I’d met my father, I tried to believe he’d changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people.

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'Fatty apron' fuels ovary cancer

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

BBC News - Oct. 30 (News) - In 80% of cases, it has spread to this apron, called the omentum, by the time it is diagnosed. The Nature Medicine research found once ovarian cancer cells reach the omentum, they take it over. UK experts said the study was important in aiding understanding of ovarian cancer, the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK. The omentum lies in the upper abdomen near the stomach. It helps support the organs nearby, but it is not essential.

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Koch-Owned Georgia-Pacific Plant Linked To High Cancer Rates, Film Alleges

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Lucia Graves, Jordan Howard - Oct. 13 (News Report) - David Bouie, a 64-year-old resident of Crossett, Ark., says something isn't right on Penn Road. In the 15 homes on his street, 11 people have recently died of cancer.

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Zimbabwe to probe Mugabe cancer claim

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

OpenGlobe - By Tempodivalse, OpenGlobe contributors - Oct. 13 (News Report) - The party of Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, Zanu-PF, has created a committee to investigate claims made by Wikileaks regarding Mugabe's health. The leaked cables claimed that party officials told US diplomats the president contracted prostate cancer.

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Michele Bachmann says HPV vaccine can cause mental retardation

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

PolitiFact - By Angie Drobnic Holan, Louis Jacobson - Sep. 16 (Fact Check) - After criticizing Texas Gov. Rick Perry for mandating a vaccine for school girls, Rep. Michele Bachmann added some scary charges: She claimed to have just met a woman whose daughter suffered mental retardation from the vaccine, that it has "very dangerous consequences" and that it puts "little children's lives at risk." In the CNN/Tea Party Express debate in Tampa on Sept. 12, 2011, Bachmann blasted Perry for mandating a vaccine for school girls to guard against human papilloma virus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. The vaccine can prevent the virus, but the virus is sexually transmitted, which makes ...

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Pediatricians Fact-Check Bachmann's Bashing of HPV Vaccine

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

NPR - By Scott Hensley - Sep. 13 (Fact Check) - The American Academy of Pediatrics said there is no validity to statements that a vaccine against cervical cancer is dangerous and can lead to mental retardation. Now the nation's pediatricians have waded deep and early into the race for the presidency. In an unusual instance of political fact-checking of a candidate's statements by physicians themselves, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a tough prescription for Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann: Get your facts straight on the HPV vaccine. In case you missed it, she sparred with Texas Gov. Rick Perry Monday night over his executive order that would have mandated vaccination of state schoolgirls against human papillomavirus, a cause of cervical cancer.

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Atomic Cover-Up: The Hidden Story Behind the U.S. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman, George Weller - Aug. 09 (Special Report) - As radiation readings in Japan reach their highest levels since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant meltdowns, we look at the beginning of the atomic age. Today is the 66th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which killed some 75,000 people and left another 75,000 seriously wounded. It came just three days after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing around 80,000 people and injuring some 70,000. By official Japanese estimates, nearly 300,000 people died from the bombings, including those who lost their lives in the ensuing months and years from related injuries and illnesses. Other researchers estimate a much higher death toll.

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Formaldehyde Added to “Known Carcinogens” List Despite Lobbying By Koch Brothers, Chemical Industry

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 14 (News Report) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has added formaldehyde to a list of known carcinogens, despite years of lobbying by the chemical industry. Formaldehyde is found in plastics and often used in plywood, particle board, mortuaries and hair salons. The government also said Friday that styrene, which is used in boats, bathtubs and in disposable foam plastic cups and plates, may cause cancer. The conservative billionaire Koch brothers have led the lobbying effort against labeling formaldehyde as a carcinogen, and Georgia-Pacific, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, is one of the country’s top producers of formaldehyde.

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Ralph Nader: Koch Brothers Led Fight to Defend Formaldehyde Despite Carcinogenic Evidence

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 13 (Investigative Report) - The government has added formaldehyde to a list of known carcinogens, despite years of lobbying by the chemical industry. Formaldehyde is found in plastics and often used in plywood, particle board, mortuaries and hair salons. The government also said Friday that styrene, which is used in boats, bathtubs and in disposable foam plastic cups and plates, may cause cancer. The conservative billionaire Koch Brothers have led the lobbying effort against labeling formaldehyde as a carcinogen. Georgia Pacfic, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, is one of the country’s top producers of formaldehyde. We get reaction from longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader.

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FDA panel against use of Avastin for breast cancer

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

San Francisco Chronicle - By Catherine Larkin - Jun. 02 (News Report) - A panel of cancer experts ruled Wednesday that Avastin - the world's best-selling cancer drug, developed by Genentech in South San Francisco - should no longer be used in breast cancer patients because of concerns the medicine didn't work as well in follow-up studies and may cause deadly bleeding. Outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 6-0 against Avastin's use in breast cancer at a first-of-its-kind hearing in Silver Spring, Md. Their recommendations will be sent to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who will make the final ruling on an unspecified date. Avastin will remain on the market because it's approved for four other types of tumors.

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Harvard scientists reverse the ageing process in mice – now for humans

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By Ian Sample - Nov. 28 - Harvard scientists were surprised that they saw a dramatic reversal, not just a slowing down, of the ageing in mice. Now they believe they might be able to regenerate human organsScientists claim to be a step closer to reversing the ageing process after rejuvenating worn out organs in elderly mice. The experimental treatment developed by researchers at Harvard Medical School turned weak and feeble old mice into healthy animals by regenerating their aged bodies.The surprise recovery of the animals has raised hopes among scientists that it may be possible to achieve a similar feat in humans – or at least to slow down the ageing process.An anti-ageing therapy could have a dramatic impact on public health by reducing the burden of age-related health problems, such as dementia, stroke and heart disease, and prolonging the quality of life for an increasingly aged population."What we saw in these animals was not a slowing down or stabilisation of the ageing process. We saw a dramatic reversal – and that was unexpected," said Ronald DePinho, who led the study, which was published in the journal Nature."This could lead to strategies that enhance the regenerative potential of organs as individuals age and so increase their quality of life. Whether it serves to increase longevity is a question we are not yet in a position to answer."The ageing process is poorly understood, but scientists know it is caused by many factors. Highly reactive particles called free radicals are made naturally in the body and cause damage to cells, while smoking, ultraviolet light and other environmental factors contribute to ageing.The Harvard group focused on a process called telomere shortening. Most cells in the body contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, which carry our DNA. At the ends of each chromosome is a protective cap called a telomere. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres are snipped shorter, until eventually they stop working and the cell dies or goes into a suspended state called "senescence". The process is behind much of the wear and tear associated with ageing.At Harvard, they bred genetically manipulated mice that lacked an enzyme called telomerase that stops telomeres getting shorter. Without the enzyme, the mice aged prematurely and suffered ailments, including a poor sense of smell, smaller brain size, infertility and damaged intestines and spleens. But when DePinho gave the mice injections to reactivate the enzyme, it repaired the damaged tissues and reversed the signs of ageing."These were severely aged animals, but after a month of treatment they showed a substantial restoration, including the growth of new neurons in their brains," said DePinho.Repeating the trick in humans will be more difficult. Mice make telomerase throughout their lives, but the enzyme is switched off in adult humans, an evolutionary compromise that stops cells growing out of control and turning into cancer. Raising levels of telomerase in people might slow the ageing process, but it makes the risk of cancer soar.DePinho said the treatment might be safe in humans if it were given periodically and only to younger people who do not have tiny clumps of cancer cells already living, unnoticed, in their bodies.David Kipling, who studies ageing at Cardiff University, said: "The goal for human tissue 'rejuvenation' would be to remove senescent cells, or else compensate for the deleterious effects they have on tissues and organs. Although this is a fascinating study, it must be remembered that mice are not little men, particularly with regard to their telomeres, and it remains unclear whether a similar telomerase reactivation in adult humans would lead to the removal of senescent cells."Lynne Cox, a biochemist at Oxford University, said the study was "extremely important" and "provides proof of principle that short-term treatment to restore telomerase in adults already showing age-related tissue degeneration can rejuvenate aged tissues and restore physiological function."DePinho said none of Harvard's mice developed cancer after the treatment. The team is now investigating whether it extends the lifespan of mice or enables them to live healthier lives into old age.Tom Kirkwood, director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University said: "The key question is what might this means for human therapies against age-related diseases? While there is some evidence that telomere erosion contributes to age-associated human pathology, it is surely not the only, or even dominant, cause, as it appears to be in mice engineered to lack telomerase. Furthermore, there is the ever-present anxiety that telomerase reactivation is a hallmark of most human cancers."Medical researchAgeingBiologyUnited StatesCancerCancerIan Sampleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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An unforgettable lesson on true generosity

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Los Angeles Times - By Sandy Banks - Nov. 27 (Opinion) - A woman who received an outpouring of donations passes along her bounty to those even more in need.

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For Dying Cancer Patients, Geography is Destiny

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Miller-McCune - By Joanne Kenen - Nov. 18 () - It’s not what you want; it’s where you go. Dartmouth study finds cancer patients’ end-of-life care is determined by their hospital, not their hopes.

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