03/02/2012Bupa, AXA PPP, WPA and Aviva will cover prostate cancer drug AbirateroneAfter we previously reported that prostate cancer drug abiraterone has been deemed by NICE as too expensive for use on the NHS, health insurers are now coming forward to offer cover for the drug. NICE had...
03/02/2012Pre-sliced watermelons from Brazil linked to deadly salmonella outbreakA deadly salmonella outbreak has been linked to pre-sliced watermelons from Brazil, says the Health Protection Agency. Since December, one person has died and 50 more have fallen ill with a Salmonella Newport...
03/02/2012Patients are more likely to die in an NHS hospital at the weekendA large scale study has shown that you are more likely to die if you are taken into hospital at the weekend. Researchers from University College London, commissioned by the Department of Health, looked at...
02/02/2012'Promising' breast cancer vaccine uses immune system to fight the diseaseA vaccine to treat breast cancer using a patient’s own cells has been developed by scientists, with promising results. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania looked at 27 patients suffering from a...
02/02/2012USA300, deadly strain of superbug MRSA, increasing in the UKPotentially deadly strains of MRSA that can be passed between people outside of hospitals are increasing in the UK, warn experts. In a new research paper published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases,...
02/02/2012Prostate cancer drug Abiraterone turned down by NICE, but available for patients with private medical coverAbiraterone, a drug that extends the life of prostate cancer sufferers, has been provisionally rejected for use on the NHS. However, it will still be available to patients with private medical insurance . ...
31/01/2012Prostate cancer discovered in 2,200 year old mummy Prostate cancer has been discovered in the body of a 2,200 year old mummy, indicating that the disease was caused by genetics, not the environment. Researchers studied the unnamed Ptolemaic mummy, which is...
31/01/2012Number of patients dying with bedsores rises by over 50 per centNew statistics show that the number of people dying with bedsores or infected wounds has risen by over 50 per cent over the past decade. Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, are a type of injury that affect areas...
30/01/2012Patients with metal hip implants at risk of poisoningMetal hip implants in more than 30,000 patients are being investigated amid fears that they could be poisoning them. In 2010, two hip implants made by company DePuy were withdrawn under concerns about their...
30/01/2012Black leaf tea lowers high blood pressure and cuts risk of heart diseaseA new study shows that drinking 8 cups of tea a day lowers high blood pressure and cuts the risk of heart disease. The health benefits of green tea are already widely known- its high level of antioxidants...