Category Archives: Health

Liberal frontbencher backs Hastie on immigration – as it happened

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James Paterson says Hastie move to backbench part of Liberals’ ‘debate and contest about ideas’

The sooner the Liberal party can sort out its differences the better but it may take a while after Andrew Hastie’s departure to the back bench, according to one of the rogue MP’s closest colleagues.

But we do have to make sure we go through our processes. We have to make sure we have those debates.

One of the reflections we’ve all had about the last parliamentary term is that there wasn’t enough debate and contest about ideas, that we need to robustly contest policy before we settle on it.

On the back bench, I’ll continue to advocate for things I believe in.

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Costco to sell weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy at half-price

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The move comes as GLP-1 drug prices have soared as supply continues to be increasingly limited

Costco has struck an agreement with drugmaker Novo Nordisk to make anti-obesity GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy available to its members at roughly half the usual cost.

Through the store’s prescription program, members with a valid prescription can buy a four-week supply of the injectables for $499. The offer is available only to those paying out of pocket, since many insurers still do not cover these medications.

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‘Stranded’ aged care or disability patients occupy up to one in 10 hospital beds in Australia, report finds

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State and territory treasurers who commissioned the report say it shows need for federal government to pay bigger share of public hospital funding

Up to one in 10 public hospital beds are taken by “stranded” patients awaiting alternative accommodation in aged care and supported disability accommodation, a new report shows – bolstering calls for more federal health funding.

The report on the drivers of public hospital costs was commissioned by state and territory treasurers to inform negotiations on the next national health reform agreement (NHRA) with the commonwealth government.

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Anti-abortion groups furious as FDA approves generic abortion pill

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Abortion rights supporters hail win for evidence-backed medicine as Evita Solutions’ generic version of mifepristone given approval

In a move that has left anti-abortion advocates reeling, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly approved a request to manufacture a new abortion pill earlier this week.

Thanks to the approval, a company called Evita Solutions will be able to manufacture its generic version of mifepristone, one of two drugs typically used in most US medication abortions. A generic version of mifepristone, which was first approved as a brand-name drug in 2000, is already available on the market.

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Australia news live: retired admiral criticises Aukus deal; decision expected in NSW psychiatrists pay dispute

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Peter Briggs says relying on overseas construction is ‘folly’; industrial relations commission to rule this morning on government’s stoush with doctors. Follow the latest news live

The former head of Australia’s submarine squadron has urged Australia against outsourcing boat construction overseas, as bureaucrats express confidence the US won’t scuttle Aukus, Australian Associated Press reports.

A parliamentary inquiry yesterday ran the rule over the Geelong treaty, a 50-year Aukus cooperation agreement between Australia and the UK signed in July.

There is no minimum protection in the treaty for a guaranteed work share for genuine Australian industry.

The Collins project has established a viable submarine supply chain within Australia.

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Sunbeds should be banned in UK, skin cancer experts say

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Campaigners urge ministers to close tanning salons across country over dangers posed by UV radiation

Sunbeds are so dangerous they should be banned in the UK, cancer experts and campaigners say.

They have urged ministers to order the closure of the thousands of tanning salons operating across Britain, using public funds to compensate owners if necessary.

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UK accused of ‘stark injustice’ as woman from Montserrat refused free NHS care

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Cherry Brown, 69, a British overseas territory citizen, was left sleeping rough after being sent to England for treatment

The UK has been accused of a “stark injustice” for failing to provide health services and humanitarian support to citizens of British overseas territories after a woman from the Caribbean island of Montserrat was refused free NHS care and left homeless.

Council officials found Cherry Brown, 69, sleeping rough in a park in Swanley, Kent, in April. Brown had been funded by the Montserratian government – whose budget is largely subsidised by the UK – to travel to England to receive treatment from the NHS that was not available at home.

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Starmer gives keynote speech at Labour party conference, introduced by Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall – UK politics live

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Prime minister will focus on economic growth as an ‘antidote to division’ in address that will seek to strike a more combative, hopeful tone

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that Tony Blair could play a positive role in Gaza helping to lead the administration there proposed under Donald Trump’s peace plan.

In an interview on LBC, Streeting said that Blair’s decision to involve the UK in the Iraq war was “a catastrophic error” that had “devasting consequences”. He said that he personally opposed it at the time.

I also think about Tony Blair’s other legacy, great legacy, which is Northern Ireland, and there he showed that he could bring together sworn enemies to broker a lasting peace.

So if Tony Blair can put those skills to use, if he’s got the confidence of both the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the regional players, as seems to be the case, then great. If he can make that contribution, and that can be another legacy, a positive legacy under his belt, then so much the better.

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Hundreds of US women charged with pregnancy-related crimes since fall of Roe

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Study finds prosecutors targeting low-income women mainly in US south – and figure likely to be an undercount

In the first two years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, prosecutors in 16 states charged more than 400 people with pregnancy-related crimes, new research released on Tuesday found.

Of the 412 cases tracked by Pregnancy Justice, the vast majority took place in the US south, targeted low-income women and involved allegations that women broke laws against child abuse, endangerment or neglect, according to the research, which was compiled by the reproductive justice group. About 300 prosecutions took place in Alabama and Oklahoma. In 16 cases, law enforcement charged women with homicide.

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Base formulation may be linked to 20 sunscreens falling short of SPF claims, drug regulator finds

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TGA investigation also finds some testing laboratories may be more reliable than others

The same base formulation has been identified in 20 sunscreens that Australia’s medicines regulator has warned are unlikely to have a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of more than 21, with some products as low as SPF 4.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Tuesday identified sunscreens sold by 17 different companies using a base formulation made by manufacturer Wild Child Laboratories as likely to fall far short of their sun protection factor claims.

Aspect Sun SPF50+ Physical Sun Protection

Aspect Sun SPF50+ Tinted Physical Sun Protection

Aesthetics Rx Ultra Protection Sunscreen Cream

New Day Skin Good Vibes Sunscreen SPF50+

New Day Skin Happy Days Sunscreen SPF50+

Allganics Light Sunscreen SPF50+

Beauti-FLTR Lustre Mineral SPF50+

Found My Skin SPF 50+ Tinted Face/Body Cream

Ethical Zinc Daily Wear Light Sunscreen

Ethical Zinc Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Dark)

Ethical Zinc Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Light)

Endota Mineral Protect SPF50 Sunscreen

We are Feel Good Inc Mineral Sunscreen SPF50+

GlindaWand The Fountain of Youth Environmental Defence Cream SPF50+

Ultra Violette Velvet Screen SPF50 (product export only - not available in Australia)

People4Ocean SPF 50+ Mineral Bioactive Shield Lightly Tinted Cream

McoBeauty SPF50+ Mineral Mattifying Sunscreen

Naked Sundays Collagen Glow Mineral Sunscreen

Outside Beauty & Skincare SPF 50+ Mineral Primer

Salus SPF50+ Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum

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Cannabis stocks soar after Trump shares video promoting drug’s use for seniors

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Video posted on Truth Social touts CBD as a ‘gamechanger’ and promotes Medicaid coverage of CBD products

Cannabis stocks are on a high after Donald Trump shared a video on Sunday promoting cannabis use for seniors and Medicaid coverage of CBD products.

The nearly three-minute-long video, posted on the president’s Truth Social platform, touts the usage of hemp-derived CBD as a “gamechanger” that is a pain and stress reliever for seniors.

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Lions coach hails AFL grand final win as ‘better than last year’ – as it happened

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PM brushes off Coalition criticism for attending UK Labour party’s national conference

Returning to Albanese’s appearance on Sky News this morning, the PM has shrugged off criticism from the Coalition that he is spending too much time engaging in international diplomacy after he attended the UK Labour party’s national conference.

What I do is work very hard representing Australia.

In Liverpool, I’ll be having discussions with ministers, not just with prime minister Starmer, about Aukus and about that progress, taking the opportunity to sit down with government ministers.

I think you can be strong on borders without being weak on humanity, and that’s what drives my government.

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Farage endangering women by failing to condemn paracetamol claims, says Bridget Phillipson

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Labour deputy leader candidate criticises ‘scaremongering’ on autism and says party must be firmer in tackling Reform

Nigel Farage is “endangering women’s health” by failing to condemn Donald Trump’s claims that using paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism, Bridget Phillipson has said.

The education secretary and minister for women said she had used the painkiller throughout her second pregnancy, and she warned that Reform’s connections with medical conspiracy theories including anti-vaccine rhetoric made the party a danger to public health.

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News live: Marles ‘confident’ about future of US relationship; Australian doctor joins Gaza flotilla

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Parents need boost to lift flagging vaccination rate

Parents need practical strategies such as easier access to appointments and bulk-billing to help reverse a concerning decline in childhood vaccination rates, research has found.

The top barriers were mostly around ability to get appointments easily, being able to prioritise their child’s vaccination over all of the other things that they have to get done, the cost of getting their child vaccinated.

We now know that that will be on the 20th of October. The point here is that they had spoken a number of times by phone. The relationship is conducted at many, many levels. It is going well.

We’ve got the lowest tariff rate. Aukus is happening at a pace. And so we’re really confident … about the progress of our relationship with the US.

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Grieving mother asks doctors to listen to parents after toddler’s death at Monash

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As coroner finds that Melbourne hospital could have done more, Miranda Jowett recalls her desperation before her three-year-old died from sepsis

A grieving mother has pleaded with doctors to “truly listen to parents” after she recalled watching her toddler die from sepsis as clinicians stuck to their diagnosis that she had a fever.

“I will never forget the desperate attempts to resuscitate her tiny body,” Miranda Jowett said on Thursday after the conclusion in Melbourne of an inquest into her daughter’s death.

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Supercentenarian gives scientists insight on secrets of healthy old age

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Tests on Maria Branyas Morera, who was world’s oldest person before she died last year aged 117, gave doctors a trove of discoveries

The nonagenarian actor Dame Joan Collins may have been on to something when she declared “age is just a number”.

The deepest dive yet into the biology of a supercentenarian has revealed that even extreme old age can be reached without the brain necessarily faltering or the usual illnesses mounting up.

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Andy Burnham says Britain needs ‘wholesale change’ as Labour MPs prepare for conference – UK politics live

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Manchester mayor urges Keir Starmer to reveal plans to deliver reform but denies he is plotting to replace PM

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has described Nigel Farage over his comment implying Donald Trump might be right about paracetamol posing a risk to pregnant women. (See 10.23am.)

Dangerous and irresponsible.

This man is a snake oil salesman and it’s time people stopped buying.

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Huntington’s disease treated successfully for first time in UK gene therapy trial

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Surgical procedure to treat devastating illness slowed progress of disease by 75% in patients after three years

Huntington’s disease, a devastating degenerative illness that runs in families, has been treated successfully for the first time in a breakthrough gene therapy trial.

The disease, caused by a single gene defect, steadily kills brain cells leading to dementia, paralysis and ultimately death. Those with a parent with Huntington’s have a 50% chance of developing the disease, which until now has been incurable.

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Australia news live: Albanese heads to Trump reception in New York; number of regular gamblers rising

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US president berates Australia and others for recognising Palestine, but agrees to Albanese meeting in October. Follow today’s news live

Albanese to make case for US capital to flow to Australian economy

Anthony Albanese and Australia’s ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd, are preparing to attend a major investment event in New York in the next few hours.

American capital and Australian manufacturing are a natural fit. And if we move now, we can make them an unbeatable combination. We can put our investment partnership at the centre of a defining global opportunity.

The world’s shift to clean energy represents the biggest change since the industrial revolution. We are looking at ever-increasing global demand for clean energy and the technology that generates and stores it.

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Australian health experts warn Trump’s unfounded autism claims about paracetamol may harm pregnant women

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TGA confirms drug is safe for use in pregnancy as doctors worry about effect of White House misinformation

Australia’s peak body for obstetricians and gynaecologists fears pregnant women will not take paracetamol when they need it and suffer harm from unmanaged fever after the Trump administration made unfounded claims linking it to autism.

They encouraged women to talk to their doctor rather than rely on the White House announcement on Tuesday, which they described as “not a no-harm scenario”.

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