Nestle to buy medical device company Phagenesis in stages

ZURICH (Reuters) - Nestle on Thursday announced a deal to buy Phagenesis, a British medical device company working on a new treatment for dysphagia, a condition where patients are unable to swallow safely.

Six Bangladeshi nationals in Singapore infected with Zika

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Six Bangladeshi nationals have been tested positive with the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Singapore, the High Commission of Bangladesh said on Thursday.

Malaysia confirms first case of Zika in woman who visited Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia confirmed on Thursday the first cases of Zika in the Southeast Asian country in a woman who recently traveled to Singapore for three days on August 19.

China says 21 of its nationals in Singapore infected with Zika

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that its embassy in Singapore had been informed by the island state's health ministry that 21 Chinese nationals in the country are confirmed to have been infected with Zika.

Many factors influence parental decisions about throat surgery

(Reuters Health) - Better communication from doctors may help parents struggling with the decision to have their child undergo throat surgery for sleep disordered-breathing conditions, a small study suggests.

Study finds strong link between Zika and Guillain-Barre

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A comparison of rates of Guillain-Barre syndrome before and after Zika arrived in seven countries has found a strong association between the virus and the illness, researchers from the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Online tools help people improve their health but need more study

(Reuters Health) - Mobile apps and web-based programs do help people reach health goals like exercising more, losing weight and quitting smoking, but studies need to follow-up longer to see how sustainable these interventions are, according to a recent review of existing research.

Yellow fever outbreak in Congo, Angola bigger than thought: WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 6,000 people in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to be infected with yellow fever, six times the number of confirmed cases, but no new infections have been confirmed since July 12, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Novartis to disband cell & gene therapy unit, 120 jobs to go

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis is folding activities of its Cell and Gene Therapy unit into other business and research locations, eliminating 120 positions, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday.

U.S. FDA adds new warning about opioid/sedative combination

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday warned of the danger of combining opioid painkillers and cough medicine with benzodiazepines, a common class of sedatives.

What do patients know about generic biotech drugs?

(Reuters Health) - Many patients haven’t heard of “biosimilars,” generic versions of complex biotech drugs, and even some who say they’re familiar with these medicines may still be confused about them, a small European survey suggests.

Psoriasis may carry clogged-arteries risk similar to that with diabetes

(Reuters Health) - People with psoriasis may be at increased risk of calcium buildup in the arteries – an indicator of heart disease risk – comparable to that of people with diabetes, according to a new study.

Swedish hospital behind Nobel prize criticized over medical scandal

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The reputation of the Karolinska Institute, one of Sweden's top hospitals that awards the Nobel prize for medicine, has been badly damaged by allegations patients died as a result of a surgeon performing experimental operations without clearance, an official report said.