The government has rejected British Medical Association claims that the NHS is risking patients’ health by rationing drugs and operations.BMA head Dr Mark Porter told the Guardian that financial pressure on the NHS meant its “offer” had shrunk and it was no longer a comprehensive service.Fears patie

Fertility doctors have called for a debate around whether freezing embryos should become the main option for IVF treatment in the future.An analysis of 13,000 IVF pregnancies suggested the freezing process might be better for the mother and the baby’s health.However, some fertility specialists argue

Investors cheered the news, sending shares of the drugmaker soaring 50 percent to $4.59 on the Nasdaq on Friday afternoon.The Phase 2 trial, involving 121 previously treated non-small cell lung cancer patients, found that those given a lower dose of bavituximab plus chemotherapy lived for a median o

STOCKHOLM — Andemariam Beyene sat by the hospital window, the low Arctic sun on his face, and talked about the time he thought he would die.Two and a half years ago doctors in Iceland, where Mr. Beyene was studying to be an engineer, discovered a golf-ball-size tumor growing into his windpipe. Despi

Middle-aged men are now the group at highest risk of committing suicide in England, statistics reveal.Key reasons could be job or money worries due to the recession, says a new government strategy to reduce the number of suicides.Suicide rates among young men – previously the most at-risk group – ha

The majority of people with diabetes are not controlling cholesterol levels effectively – putting them at increased risk of heart disease, a charity warns.Diabetes UK says 90% of people with the disease are having annual checks which will show up problems.But it says the most recent national diabete

Philadelphia (CNN) — Beth Rutstein rolls up the sleeves of her T-shirt, juggles a stack of fliers and knocks on the door of a stranger’s home. She’s on a mission to save lives.After wiping sweat from her face beneath the sweltering afternoon sun on a recent Thursday, she ascends another set of stair

(Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Novartis told India’s top court it had demonstrated the improved efficacy of its cancer drug Glivec as the final hearing began on Tuesday of a patent case that could change the rules for the country’s healthcare sector.A patent would recognize Novartis’ property rights, i

(Reuters Health) – When people with chronic health conditions have lower out-of-pocket costs for medications, they are more likely to actually fill their prescriptions, according to a new research review.The findings, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, sound logical. But they lend some har

Hospitals in England could be on the brink of collapse because of rising demand and the increasing complexity of patients’ conditions, doctors warn.The Royal College of Physicians’ report said the number of beds had been cut by a third over the past 25 years.It said at the same time emergency admiss