Roche announces late-stage trial for heart drug

Reuters - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG said on Wednesday it would conduct a new late-stage trial to evaluate the effect of one of its drug candidates in combating a thickening of the arteries in patients.

Folic acid supplements raise cancer risk: study

Reuters - Heart patients in Norway -- where unlike many countries foods are not enriched with folic acid -- were more likely to die from cancer if they took folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements compared with those who did not take them, Norwegian researchers said on Tuesday.

Heart disease a killer in psychotic individuals

Reuters - People with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are more likely to die of heart disease than mentally healthy individuals, a study in US veterans indicates.

Texting helps people get sun-smart

Shockwave therapy shows promise for ED

Reuters - It sounds painful, but shockwave therapy may be an effective treatment for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a small study showcased here at the European Society for Sexual Medicine.

High cholesterol under treated in many Americans

Reuters - A US study on cholesterol released today contains both good and bad news:

Treating depression after surgery speeds recovery

Reuters - A simple telephone intervention improved mood, physical functioning, and overall quality of life in patients who were depressed after heart bypass surgery, researchers reported in a late breaking clinical trial here at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

Crestor shows equal or better benefit to women

Reuters - A fresh look at data from a landmark study showed that AstraZeneca's powerful cholesterol fighter Crestor dramatically cut deaths, heart attacks and strokes in women at least as much as in men, providing new evidence of the drug's benefits in a previously understudied population.

Many in U.S. still lack cholesterol tests, drugs

Reuters - Many people in the United States are still not being screened for high levels of so-called bad cholesterol, and when they are found to have it, are often never treated, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.