JOHANNESBURG Thousands of South African protesters marched on the U.S consulate Thursday to demand the U.S increase its AIDS funding for Africa, weeks after U.S officials said their biggest AIDS fund would not substantially rise.The protesters, clad in green T-shirts emblazoned with the words HIV-Positive, marched before the consulate in a wealthy northern suburb of Johannesburg to demand t
ATLANTA For the first time, emergency room visits from the abuse of medicines have become as common as those from illegal drugs.According to a new government report, ERs in 2008 saw about 1 million visits from the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter medicines — mostly painkillers and sedatives.That was about the same number of visits from people overdosing on heroin, cocaine and othe
LONDON (Reuters) Sex education should be taught to children from the age of five to give them the skills and confidence to delay sexual intimacy until they are ready, a British health watchdog said on Thursday.Inadequate sex education at a young age is widely seen as contributing to Britain's steep rate of teenage conception, still amongst the highest in Europe despite a 13 percent fall over the
WASHINGTON (AFP) A pink pill marketed by German drug firm Boehringer Ingelheimas a libido-booster for women has produced inconclusive results in two clinical trials, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.Originally intended as an anti-depressant, the drug flibanserin in the form of a pink pill began being tested years ago as a potential libido aid after women said it failed to fight t
WASHINGTON The patient is alive and kicking.A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds public support for President Barack Obama's new health care law has risen to its highest point.The nation remains divided, with 45 percent in favor and 42 percent opposed to the president's signature domestic accomplishment.Still, the shift in public sentiment was significant.Opposition to the overhaul increased af
WASHINGTON A pink pill designed to boost sex drive in women — the latest attempt by the drug industry to find a female equivalent to Viagra — fell short in two studies, federal health regulators said Wednesday.The Food and Drug Administration is considering Boehringer Ingelheim's drug flibanserin for premenopausal women who report a lack of sexual desire, a market that drugmakers hav
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) The U.S Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Wednesday it is reviewing its coverage of anemia drugs used to treat patients with kidney disease.The drugs, Epogen and Aranesp made by Amgen Inc and Procit made by Johnson & Johnson, have come under increased scrutiny after data from trials showed they could raise the risk of heart problems.The move was expe
BELLEFONTE, Pa. A Pennsylvania man with hearing loss and eager to pursue a career in law enforcement filed a federal lawsuit against the state police over guidelines that he says exclude qualified candidates who need hearing aids.Bill Furman's lawyers filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania asking that the rule forbidding the use of hearing a