MITRA-MANDAL- PAGE: Reuters Health Report: December 6, 2016

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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Global prescription drug spend seen at $1.5 trillion in 2021: report

(Reuters) - Global spending on prescription medicines will reach nearly $1.5 trillion by 2021, although the annual rate of growth will decrease from recent years, according to a forecast by Quintiles IMS Holding released on Tuesday.

All of France placed on 'high risk' restrictions over bird flu

PARIS (Reuters) - France widened "high risk" restrictions to the entire country after the detection of several cases of the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu strain in farms in southwest France and in wild ducks in northern France, the farm ministry said on Tuesday.

South Korea expands poultry cull to fight bird flu

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea plans to cull more chickens and ducks as it tries to contain an outbreak of bird flu, with a total of around 8 percent of the nation's poultry population expected to be slaughtered.

U.S. court puts Obamacare case on hold until Trump takes office

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday brought to an end President Barack Obama's bid to overturn a ruling that threatens to gut his signature healthcare law by putting the case on hold until after President-elect Donald Trump, who aims to repeal Obamacare, takes office.

AstraZeneca pill slashes lung cancer progression in study

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's pill Tagrisso cut the risk of lung cancer progressing by 70 percent compared to standard chemotherapy in a major clinical trial, lifting prospects for a drug that is key to the company's lofty long-term sales goals.

Asia-Pacific loses steam in efforts to end hunger: study

HONG KONG (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Even as malnutrition killed millions of children worldwide last year - with many deaths in Asia-Pacific, the region's progress toward defeating hunger has slowed down, a new study has found.

U.S. attorneys argue Aetna-Humana deal violates antitrust law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Justice Department attorney told a federal judge on Monday that health insurer Aetna Inc's planned acquisition of Humana Inc would break antitrust law by reducing competition in Medicare Advantage and Obamacare exchange businesses, kicking off a trial expected to last weeks.

Even with one cigarette a day, odds of early death are higher

Smokers who go through much less than a pack of cigarettes a day still have a higher risk of an early death than non-smokers, a new study suggests.

Pfizer blood cancer drug tops standard therapy for untreated patients

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said on Monday its cancer drug, Bosulif, was found superior to Novartis AG's Gleevec in a late-stage study on untreated patients with a form of blood and bone marrow cancer characterized by abnormal white blood cells production.