NeuroDerm shares double as Parkinson's drug shows promise

(Reuters) - NeuroDerm Ltd's shares more than doubled in value on Tuesday, after the company said data from a mid-stage study suggested that a higher dose of its Parkinson's drug could provide an alternative to treatments that require surgery. The trial evaluated two liquid formulations of the drug, levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD), in 16 patients with an advanced form of the disease to assess its capacity to reduce Parkinson's-related motor complications, the Israel-based company said.Delivered through a belt-worn pump, the two versions of the drug,...

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Nearly 6.5 million people in 2015 HealthCare.gov plans: U.S. agency

A man looks over the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) signup page on the HealthCare.gov website in New York in this October 2, 2013 photo illustration. (Reuters) - Nearly 6.5 million people either selected or were enrolled in a new individual insurance plan for 2015 on the HealthCare.gov website through Dec. 26, the U.S. government health agency said on Tuesday. HealthCare.gov sells plans for 37 states...

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Nurse becomes first Ebola victim diagnosed in Britain

An Ebola patient is transferred on to a Hercules transport plane at Glasgow Airport in Scotland December 30, 2014, to be transported to London. LONDON (Reuters) - A health worker who has become the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in Britain was being treated at a London hospital on Tuesday after contracting the disease in West Africa. The woman arrived from Scotland at the Royal Free hospital, Britain's designated...

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Design of non-pharmaceutical intervention strategies for pandemic influenza outbreaks

Background As seen during past pandemic influenza outbreaks, pharmaceutical interventions (PHIs) with vaccines and antivirals are the most effective methods of mitigation. However, availability of PHIs is unlikely to be adequate during the early stages of a pandemic. Hence, for early mitigation and possible containment, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) offer a viable alternative. Also, NPIs may be the only available interventions for most underdeveloped countries. In this paper we present a comprehensive methodology for design of effective...

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Media actors’ perceptions of their roles in reporting food incidents

Background Previous research has shown that the media can play a role in shaping consumer perceptions during a public health crisis. In order for public health professionals to communicate well-informed health information to the media, it is important that they understand how media view their role in transmitting public health information to consumers and decide what information to present. This paper reports the perceptions...

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