One in eight residents of the United States has used GLP-1 analogue drugs such as Ozempic, according to the latest report by the American research organisation RAND Corporation. They are most commonly used by women aged 50-64, although men predominate in older age groups.more
A Covid variant is slipping under the radar, presenting symptoms that could easily be dismissed as the new strain rapidly spreads through the population. Health experts recorded 1,541 new infections in England in the first week of September, with the Stratus variant (also known as XFG), believed to be behind a large number of new cases.more
Tens of thousands of prescriptions have been issued in England for a promising and non-addictive new sleeping pill, but doctors say NHS uptake is being held back by cost and patchy awareness.more
Doctors have launched a clinical trial of a £100 blood test for Alzheimer’s disease in the hope of transforming diagnosis of the devastating condition in the NHS.more
More than half of women having a baby in Britain now do so with the help of medical intervention, an audit of NHS maternity care has revealed.
Of the 592,594 births that took place in 2023, 50.6% involved either a caesarean section or the use of instruments such as forceps or a ventouse suction cup.more
The Spanish government approved a draft anti-smoking law at its Tuesday meeting, which equates the smoking of traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes, and also prohibits smoking on terraces of bars and restaurants, beaches and stadiums, among other places.more
Millions of Britons face a higher risk of stroke or heart failure because of dirty air where they live.
People living in areas of the UK with the worst levels of air pollution are 27% more likely to develop heart failure, compared with people in areas with the cleanest air, a study suggests.more
Drug deaths in Scotland have fallen to their lowest levels in eight years, figures have shown.
Deaths from drug misuse in 2024 dropped by 13% – or 155 deaths – to 1,017, according to the National Records of Scotland (NRS).more
The government is planning a new law in England to stop anyone under the age of 16 buying energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and Prime from shops, restaurants, cafes, vending machines and online.
Up to a third of UK children are thought to consume these types of drinks every week, despite most supermarkets having already introduced a voluntary ban.more
An AI-enabled stethoscope can help doctors pick up three heart conditions in just 15 seconds, according to the results of a real-world trial part-funded by us and presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress in Madrid. more
Corridor care in the NHS is now a year-round crisis, experts have warned, as analysis showed nearly 3 million patients attended A&E over the first two months of the summer.more
All young children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine by the NHS from January next year.
It will be given as two doses, at 12 and 18 months of age, combined with the existing MMR jab which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.more
Britain must brace for a rat invasion this winter after a warmer than usual summer has caused a boom in numbers. According to experts, we are seeing more rodents and they are getting bigger thanks to an increased access to food waste.more
Minors who smoke e-cigarettes are three times more likely to become smokers when they grow up, according to the world's largest analysis of scientific research on vaping among young people, conducted by British experts, Sky News reported.more
Baby food manufacturers must cut levels of salt and sugar in their products and stop promoting snacks for babies under the age of one, the government has said.
The new guidance would also restrict the use of marketing claims that suggest health benefits without scientific evidence.more
Sales of Ozempic in the UK have increased by over 500 per cent following the announcement that the price of Mounjaro, the country's most popular weight loss drug, is set to rise by 100 per cent from 1 September, according to “The Times”.more
The NHS waiting list has risen again as it is “struggling to keep pace with demand”.
The backlog rose by 10,000 to 7.37 million as of the end of June, compared with the previous month, driven by an increase in the number of patients being referred for appointments.more
There has been a significant increase in the number of UK cases of a mosquito-borne virus that can cause sudden fever and joint pain and is normally only found in Africa and southern Asia.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says more than 70 cases of the chikungunya virus were reported in the first six months of this year, more than double than in the same period last year.more
Experts warn extreme weather is a growing public health emergency, urging urgent action to protect vulnerable populations and strengthen health systems amid rising heat-related deaths and disease outbreaks.
more
Around 150 people were evacuated from the basement and ground floor of a building at Guy's Hospital in central London after reports of a chemical incident, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
The brigade sent two fire engines, two fire rescue units, a command unit and specialist hazardous materials officers after being called to the hospital, near London Bridge railway station, at 08:49 BST.more
Attacks on A&E nurses have almost doubled over the last six years, with incidents often involving patients frustrated at waiting so long for care.
Nurses have been punched, spat at, pinned up against a wall, had a gun pointed at them and been threatened with having acid thrown at them, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).more
Microplastics are all around us – in the air we breathe, in seas and rivers, they're found in the guts of sharks, and inside growing plants.
They’re also inside humans, too: in our blood, accumulating in our brains, and even in our testicles.more
Ethnic minorities and people living in the most deprived areas of England are at increased risk of dying due to excess heat, according to research.
A study, published in BMJ Public Health, is the first of its kind to assess the role of socio-environmental factors in the risk of heat-related deaths.more
Fake Viagra is the UK’s most seized counterfeit drug according to data obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
7.5 million doses of counterfeit Viagra (sildenafil) have been seized in the UK since April 2023, according to data secured by Oxford Online Pharmacy.more
