“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

(Reuters) – The World Health Organization has endorsed using HIV medicines among people who do not have the infection but are at high risk of getting it and suggested that poor and wealthy countries alike set up pilot projects to better understand the benefits.The United Nations agency made its sugg

PMAC 2016 Side Event (SE 014): Advanced Workshop in Methods for HTAThe methods of HTA have developed rapidly in the last decade. This is particularly the case in assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions using modelling methods and in undertaking uncertainty analysis to guide decisions. Deci

PrePex, a bloodless circumcision device for adults, will be tested in at least nine African countries in the next year, according to the backers of the tests.The device, above, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in January, and World Health Organization approval is expected soon. No su

A drug which can extend the lives of men with incurable prostate cancer has been approved for use in Scotland.Scotland was the only part of the UK where abiraterone was not yet available on the NHS.But the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has now given doctors the green light to prescribe it.The

A drug user has died in a Lancashire hospital after being infected with anthrax, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.It is understood the victim is a man from north-west England. The HPA said the death happened in Blackpool and the person had injected drugs.It is the eighth case recently rep

The Disease Control Department is seeking to ease public fears over a disease found in Thailand with HIV-like symptoms, saying it is not contagious.The disease, identified by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last Thursday, has been found

Coconut oil attacks the bacteria behind tooth decay and could be used in dental care products, according to research.Scientists found that coconut oil which had been treated with enzymes stopped the growth of Streptococcus bacteria – a major cause of tooth decay.Tooth decay affects 60% to 90% of chi

People with highly stressful jobs but little real control over decision making are running a 23% increased risk of a heart attack, according to authoritative research.Many people in today’s world, where the pace of life is fast and money is tight, may consider themselves stressed at work, but the de

(Reuters Health) – People who smoke or drink heavily may develop pancreatic cancer at an earlier age than folks who avoid those habits, a new study suggests.It’s long been known that smoking is a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer – a disease that is rarely caught early and has a grim prog