Health
Obesity drugs don't make WHO's essential list, but Ebola, MS drugs added
Obesity drugs will not join the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest essential medicines list, but treatments for diseases, including Ebola and multiple sclerosis will, documents published by the U.N. agency show. The WHO's essential medicines list is a catalogue of the drugs that should be available in all functioning health… Read
Quest Diagnostics launches Alzheimer's blood test for consumers
Quest Diagnostics on Monday launched the first direct-to-consumer blood test to detect abnormal levels of beta amyloid, a key Alzheimer's protein which can appear years before dementia symptoms arise. The $399 test, called AD-Detect, uses the same technology as a blood test the company launched for use by doctors in… Read
Moderna/Merck begins late-stage study of skin cancer vaccine combination
Moderna and its partner Merck said on Wednesday that they had begun enrolling patients in a late-stage study testing their personalized mRNA-based skin cancer vaccine in combination with the immunotherapy Keytruda. Data from a mid-stage study in 157 patients had shown that the vaccine combination cut the risk of recurrence… Read
Childhood vaccination rates begin to recover post-pandemic - but not everywhere, U.N. says
Efforts to vaccinate children worldwide against deadly diseases such as measles and diptheria began to recover in 2022 after a historic backslide caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). But the recovery remains uneven, with… Read
Alzheimer's diagnosis revamp embraces rating scale similar to cancer
Alzheimer's disease experts are revamping the way doctors diagnose patients with the progressive brain disorder - the most common type of dementia - by devising a seven-point rating scale based on cognitive and biological changes in the patient. The proposed guidelines, unveiled by experts on Sunday in a report issued… Read
Fujitsu launches new cloud-based platform for healthcare sector
Fujitsu has announced the launch of a new cloud-based platform that allows users to securely collect and leverage health-related data to promote digital transformation in the medical field. Fujitsu said the new offering represents part of its ongoing efforts to contribute to the creation of a healthy society as part… Read
Fujitsu, Sapporo Medical University launch project to realize data portability in healthcare field
Fujitsu and Sapporo Medical University have announced the launch of a joint project starting in April 2023 to realize data portability for patients' healthcare data including electronic health records (EHRs) and personal health records (PHRs). As part of the joint project, Fujitsu will develop a mobile app that enables users… Read
Hitachi High-Tech Solutions, Keio University begin research to discover drugs using 'Chemicals Informatics'
Hitachi High-Tech Solutions Corporation, in collaboration with Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is commencing joint research that uses Materials Informatics (MI) to improve the efficiency of the development of small molecule drugs (1). Hitachi High-Tech Solutions will be using the "Chemicals Informatics (CI)" MI tool not… Read
Coffee stand hopes to promote understanding of mental illness in Japan
The Yoyogi neighborhood in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, is home to a unique new coffee stand called Hideaway. Hideaway serves excellent coffees and teas, a variety of other drinks like matcha lattes, and a selection of food such as croissants, baked goods, soups like clam chowder, and a variety of tasty… Read
Tokyo hospitals and clinics welcoming birth partners
When my partner and I first considered getting pregnant again in Japan, I knew that finding a clinic that would meet my requirements would be tricky. After a challenging experience in Canada, I really wanted to create a peaceful environment for my second experience of giving birth. One of my… Read
