Washington state reaches a nearly $150 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over opioid crisis

Washington state reaches a nearly 0 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over opioid crisis

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state attorney general announced a $149.5 million settlement Wednesday with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, more than four years after the state sued the company over its role fueling the opioid addiction crisis. “They knew what the harm was. They did it anyway,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson told reporters Wednesday. The … Read more

6 Deaf Children Can Now Hear After a Single Injection

6 Deaf Children Can Now Hear After a Single Injection

To get the new genetic material into cells, they engineered harmless viruses to carry it. Doctors carefully injected a tiny amount of liquid containing the viruses into a part of the children’s inner ears called the cochlea, a spiral-shaped chamber that contains hair cells. The first patient in the trial received the gene therapy in … Read more

Millions in the UK are being urged to get vaccinations during a surge in measles cases

Millions in the UK are being urged to get vaccinations during a surge in measles cases

LONDON — U.K. health officials on Monday urged millions of parents to book their children for missed measles, mumps and rubella shots during a sharp increase in the number of measles cases and the lowest vaccination rates in a decade. The National Health Service is launching a publicity campaign after figures showed there were about … Read more

A blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease? Here’s how it may look – National

A blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease? Here’s how it may look – National

A simple blood test has the potential to accurately screen for Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms start to show, according to a recent study. The study, published in JAMA Neurology Monday, found the blood test can identify key plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, with up to 97 per cent accuracy. “Plasma biomarkers have emerged as important tools … Read more

European human rights court condemns Greece for naming HIV-positive sex workers in 2012

European human rights court condemns Greece for naming HIV-positive sex workers in 2012

ATHENS, Greece — The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that authorities in Greece violated the privacy rights of a group of women who were arrested and publicly identified in 2012 as HIV-positive prostitutes who allegedly endangered public health. The case was brought to the Strasbourg, France-based court by 11 Greek women, 10 of … Read more

Canadians have little faith health-care system will improve soon: poll – National

Canadians have little faith health-care system will improve soon: poll – National

Most Canadians don’t think the quality of health care in their province is likely to improve, a new survey suggests, despite new federal health accords with several provinces designed to quell the health-care crisis unfolding across Canada. The poll by Leger comes nearly a year after the federal government offered a $196-billion health accord to … Read more

Bill would revise Tennessee’s decades-old law targeting HIV-positive people convicted of sex work

Bill would revise Tennessee’s decades-old law targeting HIV-positive people convicted of sex work

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee would no longer be the only U.S. state to impose a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” on anyone convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV under a proposal that advanced Tuesday in the legislature. The controversial statute still on the books is being challenged in federal … Read more

Mississippi restrictions on medical marijuana advertising upheld by federal judge

Mississippi restrictions on medical marijuana advertising upheld by federal judge

JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary who sued Mississippi over state regulations that he says censor business owners by preventing them from advertising in most media. In a Monday ruling, U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills said he agreed with Mississippi’s argument … Read more

Memphis utility lifts boil-water advisory after 5 days following deep freeze that burst pipes

Memphis utility lifts boil-water advisory after 5 days following deep freeze that burst pipes

Memphis’ water company lifted a boil-water advisory for more than 600,000 people Tuesday that was in place for five days due to freezing temperatures that caused pipes to break throughout the southern city. Memphis Light, Gas and Water said water quality tests have met state and federal standards, and home and business customers no longer … Read more