American healthcare is the most expensive in the world, but as much as a quarter of medical spending is being wasted. It’s a figure that amounts to costs of $760 billion to $935 billion per year. That’s according to a study from researchers at Humana, a for-profit American health insurance company. The study, published in JAMA,
Regulators in the U.S. and Europe are investigating why traces of a possible carcinogen were found in certain heartburn drugs, including Zantac, more than a year after the same impurity was found in some blood pressure pills, a revelation that has raised questions about the safety of the pharmaceutical supply chain. At issue is NDMA,
Approximately 2.3 Million Fractures Suffered by 2 Million on Medicare; Proven Preventive Measures Go Largely Unused Source NOF A new report released today by the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) finds that despite the existence of proven preventive measures, approximately 2 million Americans on Medicare suffered 2.3 million osteoporosis-related bone fractures in 2015. These totals mean osteoporotic
Taxing sugary snacks like cookies and cakes may have a substantially larger impact in fighting obesity than levies on sweetened drinks, suggests a new study. Using economic modeling, UK researchers found that increasing sugary snack prices by 20% had an effect on annual calorie intake, body mass index (BMI), and obesity prevalence much greater than that of a
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first spinal tether device intended to be used in children and adolescents to correct the most common form of scoliosis, called idiopathic scoliosis, that has not responded to conservative treatment options, such as external bracing. The device, called The Tether – Vertebral Body Tethering System, is
Alternate-day fasting (ADF) had positive effects on body weight, cardiovascular measures, and molecular markers of aging when assessed in a randomized controlled trial among healthy adults without obesity or diabetes, researchers report in a study published online August 27 in Cell Metabolism. ADF is a different approach to control weight than the common caloric restriction (CR) or intermittent fasting (IF)
People who eat more plant-based protein may live longer than those who get more protein from meat, a Japanese study suggests. Researchers followed almost 71,000 middle-aged Japanese adults for an average of almost two decades. Compared to people who consumed the smallest amount of plant protein, participants who consumed the largest amount were 13 per
A provocative new study is suggesting a blood test tracking 14 different biomarkers can predict a person’s risk of dying within the next 10 years better than any conventional models. The research is still a long way off being broadly deployed in clinical environments and the test may be of most use in human drug
Researchers at Stanford University in the US have developed new sensors that can be adhered to the skin for wireless health monitoring. The sensors are designed to identify the physiological signals that the skin emanates, such as pulse. These readings will be wirelessly transmitted to a receiver clipped onto clothing. The sensor and receiver system
The agency said Friday that it had approved Celgene’s Inrebic (fedratinib), the first new drug approved for the disease – a type of rare blood cancer – since the approval of Incyte’s Jakafi. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first new drug for a type of rare blood cancer in nearly a decade.
