Reuters Health Report: May 12, 2017

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Key AstraZeneca drug shown to reduce risk of death from lung cancer LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's key immunotherapy drug durvalumab was shown to reduce the risk of stage III lung cancer worsening or causing death in a trial, the pharmaceutical company said on Friday.

U.S. candymakers band together to reduce calories NEW YORK (Reuters) - Five major chocolate and candy companies announced a joint commitment on Thursday to reduce calories in many sweets sold on the U.S. market, a rare example of cooperation in a competitive industry and testament to a rising consumer distaste for sugar.

Illinois lawmakers delay bill to expand abortion as veto looms CHICAGO (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers in Illinois on Thursday said they have placed on hold a bill that expands state-funded coverage of abortions for low-income residents and state employees but faces a likely veto from the state's Republican governor.

WHO wants transparency, market revamp for fairer drug pricing (Reuters) - The world needs greater transparency on the pricing of medicines, and an overhaul of some approaches, in order to increase access to life-saving drugs, global health experts said on Thursday.

U.S. hepatitis C cases soar on spike in heroin use (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said new cases of hepatitis C rose nearly 300 percent from 2010 to 2015, despite the availability of cures for the liver disease, fueled by a spike in the use of heroin and other injection drugs, according to a report released on Thursday.

China H7N9 bird flu death toll fell to 24 in April: health authority BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported 24 human fatalities from H7N9 bird flu in April, the national health authority said on Friday, compared with 47 deaths in March.

Smoke alarm: Indonesians take tiny steps against Big Tobacco JAKARTA (Reuters) - A neighborhood in the Indonesian capital has informally declared itself a smoke-free zone as students plan further protests against what they see as an increased effort by cigarette companies to target the young.

Smoking only in social situations may still be tied to heart problems (Reuters Health) - So-called social smokers who only light up on special occasions may have some of the same risks for heart disease as people with a daily cigarette habit, a U.S. study suggests.

Prisoners care for abused animals as part of rehab program PHOENIX (Reuters) - Kristina Hazelett had cats, birds and hamsters growing up, but she never knew much about dogs until she started serving a several-month jail sentence for drug possession.

Chinese artist offers flower, kitten tattoos to mums with birth scars (Reuters) - After trying cosmetic creams and surgery, Wang Jing placed her hopes in the skilled hands of a tattoo artist to make the scar on her belly finally disappear.