(Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline is holding talks this weekend with Human Genome Sciences to agree a deal to acquire it for some $2.6 billion, after pursuing the U.S. biotech company for three months, sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.The British pharmaceutical giant could sweeten its pr

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first drug shown to reduce the risk of H.I.V. infection, a milestone in the 30-year battle against the virus that causes AIDS. The agency approved Truvada, a pill made by Gilead Sciences, as a preventive measure for people who are at high risk

(Reuters) – AstraZeneca is to conduct a new global clinical trial of key new heart drug Brilinta involving 11,500 patients with peripheral artery disease, Britain’s second biggest drugmaker said on Tuesday.Peripheral artery disease affects around 27 million people in Europe and North America, with s

US health regulators have for the first time approved a drug to prevent HIV infection.Truvada can be used by those at high risk of infection and anyone who may engage in sexual activity with HIV-infected partners, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Studies showed the drug reduced the risk o

“polypill” combining a statin with blood pressure drugs could prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes every year, according to researchers.A UK study of 84 over-50s, published in the journal PLoS One, showed the pill could cut blood pressure and levels of “bad” cholesterol.They called for the

Wales’ health minister says it was “entirely appropriate” for her civil servants to be in contact with the author of a report into the NHS.Lesley Griffiths defended emails between senior officials and the academic behind the report.Officials were also challenged about why local health boards thought

Two days after Debra Demidon underwent in vitro fertilization, she gained more than 30 pounds in fluid and suddenly was struggling to breathe.Doctors diagnosed severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a complication seen in some women who undergo fertility treatment. It landed Ms. Demidon in

A drug already on the market that treats immune disorders may help stabilize patients with Alzheimer’s disease for up to three years, according to the results of a tiny study presented at a conference on Tuesday.All four patients who received the optimal dose of the drug, Gammagard from Baxter Inter

Claims that three NHS staff assaulted “vulnerable” patients at a hospital in east London have been passed to prosecutors, Scotland Yard has said.Patients at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone were alleged to have suffered “physical and verbal abuse”, Barts Health NHS Trust said.The heal

(Reuters) – An international health panel has recommended for the first time that all HIV patients be treated with antiretroviral drugs, even when the virus’s impact on their immune system is shown to be small.The nonprofit International Antiviral Society-USA cited new evidence that untreated infect