EU drug regulator allows Novo Nordisk to include heart condition in Ozempic label
June 23 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab said on Monday the European drugs regulator has adopted a positive opinion for an update of the Ozempic label to include peripheral artery disease.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Aspirin could be prescribed to prevent bowel cancer for those in high-risk group
ASPIRIN could be prescribed to try to prevent bowel cancer for those in a high-risk group. A Cancer Research UK study found a small daily dose offers protection for people with Lynch syndrome. More than half of people with the genetic condition develop bowel cancer at some point in their life. Experts will apply for a prescription license to give 'baby' 75mg pills to the nearly 200,000 Brits with Lynch syndrome. CRUK said fewer than half of GPs knew they should prescribe aspirin to Lynch syndrome patients and many were worried about the dose size. The trial found a much smaller dose than the previously recommended 600mg would work, reducing the risk of side effects. Professor Sir John Burn, from Newcastle University, said: 'This tells us that aspirin can prevent bowel cancer at lower doses, minimising the chances of side-effects whilst offering vital protection for people with Lynch syndrome. 'Only a quarter of people with Lynch syndrome are currently taking aspirin and too many are missing out on a potentially life-changing opportunity to prevent cancer.' Lynch syndrome is estimated to cause about one in every 33 bowel cancer cases in the UK. Bowel tumours are one of the most common types, with 44,000 cases per year and 17,000 deaths. The 4 signs of bowel cancer that mean it's 'too late' - as doctor reveals cause of surge in young people being diagnosed 1 What are the red flag warning signs of bowel cancer? IT'S the fourth most common cancer in the UK, the second deadliest - yet bowel cancer can be cured, if you catch it early enough. While screening is one way of ensuring early diagnosis, there are things everyone can do to reduce their risk of the deadly disease. Being aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, spotting any changes and checking with your GP can prove a life-saver. If you notice any of the signs, don't be embarrassed and don't ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of patients with bowel problems. The five red-flag symptoms of bowel cancer include: Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo A change in your normal toilet habits - going more frequently for example Pain or a lump in your tummy Extreme tiredness Losing weight Tumours in the bowel typically bleed, which can cause a shortage of red blood cells, known as anaemia. It can cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness. In some cases bowel cancer can block the bowel, this is known as a bowel obstruction. Other signs include: Gripping pains in the abdomen Feeling bloated Constipation and being unable to pass wind Being sick Feeling like you need to strain - like doing a number two - but after you've been to the loo While these are all signs to watch out for, experts warn the most serious is noticing blood in your stools. But, they warn it can prove tricky for doctors to diagnose the disease, because in most cases these symptoms will be a sign of a less serious disease.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Map reveals where surging medical costs are leading people to early preventable deaths
Fresh data has revealed the most expensive countries to get routine medical care — and it's bad news for Americans. The report found US residents pay the most for 21 out of 24 common medical procedures — including a C-section, an ambulance ride or a night at the hospital. For each procedure, the cost in the US was compared to that in 24 similar countries, including Australia, Denmark, Sweden and South Korea. Among the most stark comparisons was that for an angioplasty, a minimally invasive 2.5-hour procedure carried out 1.2million times a year where doctors open blocked or narrowed blood vessels to slash the risk of a heart attack. Americans are slapped with a bill of $281,500 for the procedure, according to the report, about 727 times the $388 billed for the care in Australia, the cheapest country. Other examples include the daily price for a hospital bed, where the US was also the most expensive country at $6,500 — more than six times the bill in Denmark at $935 on average and 31 times that in Latvia at $200. And a hip replacement, for which the US charges on average $40,300, or more than five times the $7,800 charged in Turkey. With healthcare so expensive - both preventative and emergent - people may opt to skip life-saving care and treatment because they can't afford it, which could lead to a host of early and preventable deaths. The costs are based on data pulled from healthcare websites like — which tracks surgery costs — and — which tracks healthcare prices in several countries. The researchers say these are the latest numbers available. The report, from insurance company William Russell, says they reflect the total cost of a procedure, rather than only the amount paid by patients after health insurance. Out of the 24 procedures examined, the US was found to be the most expensive for some of the most common, including a heart valve replacement, a hip replacement, removal of hemorrhoids, and an MRI scan. There were only three procedures the US was not the most expensive: An appendectomy, which is more expensive in Colombia, cataract surgery, more expensive in Austria, and gastric sleeve surgery, more expensive in South Korea. Colombia charged $66,320 for an appendectomy, or appendix removal, which was about $20,000 more than what is billed in the US. Austria charged $7,880 for cataract surgery, compared to $3,000 in the US, while South Korea charges $17,970 for gastric sleeve surgery, compared to $16,00 in the US. It wasn't clear why these procedures were more expensive in these other countries compared to the US. But Colombia has a large private hospital system, which may drive up costs, while both Austria and South Korea will send foreigners to specialized centers for treatment that are more expensive. While the dataset revealed the stark difference between the US and other countries, some data was incomplete, with each country only compared to a select number of others rather than the full 24 countries. A spokesperson for William Russell said: 'The US is consistently the most expensive country for medical events, recording the highest cost for all but three of the 24 procedures we examined.' For over two decades, the United States has consistently had the highest healthcare costs in the world—largely due to its fragmented, predominantly private insurance system, where prices are often negotiated behind closed doors and vary widely depending on the insurer, provider, and location. About 26million Americans, or nearly one in 10 people, do not have health insurance because of the prohibitive costs. In many other similar nations, health systems have been nationalized or countries regularly negotiate with big pharmaceutical companies to reduce prices. Most recently, President Donald Trump is trying to bring down the price of medications under his most-favored-nation request, or request health insurance companies to price their drugs sold in the US at the same level as the lowest price paid in a select group of developed countries. It comes after a survey warned that a record number of Americans are now struggling to pay for basic healthcare, while insurance company profits reach new heights. Over a third of US adults (about 91 million people) could not access quality healthcare if they needed it today, based on the latest West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index. It also found that about four in 10 adults are saddled with debt from unpaid medical or dental bills, while 70million say they avoid visiting the doctor out of fear of high costs.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Colon cancer patient's intestines 'spontaneously' explode after common operation
A man was rushed into emergency surgery after his colon 'spontaneously' exploded out of his abdomen following a common surgery. The 83-year-old suffered a 'spontaneous evisceration' of his small intestine - when parts of the intestines burst outside of body - following a hernia repair. Over three feet of his small intestine had burst through a two-inch hole in the skin due to the hernia, when parts of an organ bulge through a weak muscle or tissue. The protruding bowel had also become twisted, cutting off crucial blood supply. Though evisceration of the bowel is rare, hernias strike 5million Americans a year. Over 1million hernia repairs are performed a year, making it one of the most common operations in the US. Recent similar cases have included patients whose intestines burst through their body because they coughed too hard or suffered trauma like a stab wound. However, the Romanian man's doctors said he had no history of coughing fits or trauma, though he had multiple hernias. It's estimated no more than 100 cases of evisceration have been reported in medical literature, and cases like the unnamed man's have been seen just a handful of times, the doctors said. Doctors treating the man wrote in a medical journal: 'Evisceration of intra-abdominal organs is a rare, serious event.' They wrote the condition is most often caused by traumatic injuries like stab or gunshot wounds or from a sudden increase in abdominal pressure. This may be caused by coughing or heavy lifting. These factors may thin and weaken the abdominal lining, making it less protective. The unnamed man was a rectal cancer survivor, and the hernia had formed near his stoma, a surgical opening that helps waste pass into a collection bag instead of through the anus. He had already had one of these hernias, a parastomal hernia, repaired two years prior. Surgeons fix a hernia by pushing the protruding tissue back in place and then closing up the weakened part of the abdominal wall. After seeing the extent of the man's evisceration, doctors transferred him to Military Clinical Emergency Hospital Sibiu in Romania from his local hospital in February 2025. By the time he was admitted, it had been six hours since the intestine initially burst. Despite the injury, he was conscious and alert the entire time. Doctors removed the last part of the small intestine, the ileum, and connected it to the large intestine - the colon - to repair the damage. They also corrected the opening in the man's stoma. The man was discharged eight days after surgery. The doctors treating the man said only a handful of cases have been reported of spontaneous evisceration from a parastomal hernia. Most of them involved patients with rectal cancer who had to receive a colostomy bag, and many suffered the injury due to intense coughing. In one 2012 case, a 62-year-old rectal cancer survivor from Turkey was admitted to the hospital after suffering abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting and swelling around the site of his colostomy operation. The vomiting and coughing caused the spontaneous evisceration. The 2012 case was believed to be the first official report of parastomal evisceration.
