Scientists have assembled a “timeline” of the unseen progress of Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear.A team at Washington University School of Medicine looked at families with a genetic risk of the disease.Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, they say signs appeared up to 25 years before t

Merck, the second-biggest U.S. drugmaker, on Wednesday said outside monitors recommended that its late-stage study of odanacatib, a new type of treatment, be stopped early because data has already shown it reduces fractures. Shares of Merck rose 4.2 percent on Thursday, on boosted hopes for the medi

(Reuters) – At an ill-fated press conference in 1984, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler boldly predicted an effective AIDS vaccine would be available within just two years.But a string of failed attempts – punctuated by a 2007 trial in which a Merck vaccine appeared to make p

(Reuters) – Republican governors bent on rejecting the healthcare law’s expanded insurance coverage for millions of low-income Americans may see their gambit backfire if their party fails to sweep the November elections.Five governors have vowed to opt out of the Medicaid expansion for low-income pe

(Reuters) – AstraZeneca is to conduct a new global clinical trial of key new heart drug Brilinta involving 11,500 patients with peripheral artery disease, Britain’s second biggest drugmaker said on Tuesday.Peripheral artery disease affects around 27 million people in Europe and North America, with s

Two days after Debra Demidon underwent in vitro fertilization, she gained more than 30 pounds in fluid and suddenly was struggling to breathe.Doctors diagnosed severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a complication seen in some women who undergo fertility treatment. It landed Ms. Demidon in

(Reuters) – Fewer people infected with HIV globally are dying as more of them get access to crucial antiretroviral drugs, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the United Nations AIDS program said on Wednesday.The United Nations estimates that about 34 million people are living with the human immunode

A drug already on the market that treats immune disorders may help stabilize patients with Alzheimer’s disease for up to three years, according to the results of a tiny study presented at a conference on Tuesday.All four patients who received the optimal dose of the drug, Gammagard from Baxter Inter

(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

A few years ago, my daughter sprained her ankle at dance camp. What happened next offers a glimpse into some of the problems in our nation’s health care system.For years, we’ve been hearing that the United States spends more on health care than any other country, even as it lags far behind other cou