Healthcare

The latest medical, medicare and medical insurance news from the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors in the Middle East

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Pro-Pharmaceuticals to commercialise cancer drug
US-based Pro-Pharmaceuticals, a company developing targeted therapeutic compounds to treat serious disease, has announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Yiaco Medical Co of Kuwait for the commercialisation of Davanat for the treatment of colorectal and biliary cancer. Yiaco Medical serves 18 countries and represents 80 healthcare companies in the Middle East and North Africa. Davanat is a proprietary carbohydrate polymer. Davanat's mechanism of action is based upon binding to lectins on the diseased cell surface. It targets specific lectin receptors (Galectins) that are over-expressed on cancer cells.
Kuwait: Wednesday, April 09 - 2008 at 08:27

1st robotic arm surgery in UAE
The first robotic arm-assisted surgery in the UAE will occur on Friday at Rashid Hospital when foreign experts perform the surgery on three UAE patients, reported Gulf News. The procedure will be broadcast live to an audience at the hospital auditorium, part of a three-day laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical conference organised by the Emirates Medical Association. Robotic surgery is performed by a specially designed robot controlled by a surgeon in another room. The method lessens the risks of infection and requires fewer people to perform a surgery.
United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, April 08 - 2008 at 07:48 |

Qatar only wants healthy beef
Qatar is the only GCC country which does not import beef from the United States, reported The Peninsula. According to the US Department of Agriculture Attache based in Dubai, the issue is being dealt with for seven years now as the Qatari guidelines require at the time beef should be from healthy animals, from animals not exceeding 18 months of age, fed with feed free of animal protein, subject to examination by vets before and after slaughter, free from suspected infection source parts and free from meat around the cow's backbone. The 18 months of age has been amended to 30 months in December last year.
Qatar: Monday, April 07 - 2008 at 10:02 |

Paediatrics get CME credit hours
The Harvard Medical School Dubai Center Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research has awarded 13 credit hours to paediatricians in the region who participated in the Continuing Medical Education initiative in pediatrics. These credits are recognized by the Ministry of Health as well as Dubai and Abu Dhabi Health Authorities.
United Arab Emirates: Sunday, April 06 - 2008 at 09:46

Mozarella cancer scare in Qatar
Qatar has taken samples of the popular Italian white cheese mozzarella from the local market to carry out extensive laboratory tests to find out if it contains cancer-causing bacteria, reported The Peninsula. Qatar's National Health Authority will test the samples to find out if the levels of dioxin in the cheese has exceeded the permitted levels, which may cause cancer.
Qatar: Saturday, April 05 - 2008 at 08:41 |

Sterilisation for UAE women now legal at private hospitals
Women in the UAE can now be sterilised at private hospitals following permission from the emirate's health authority, reported Gulf News. A 2006 ban on the private sector performing sterilisation procedures on men and women was lifted two weeks ago, allowing private hospitals which offer maternity services to offer tubal ligation, in which a woman's fallopian tubes are severed and sealed to prevent fertilisation, and hysterectomy, the removal of a woman's womb. Male sterilisation is still illegal.
United Arab Emirates: Thursday, April 03 - 2008 at 10:14 |

Sharjah issues smoking ban
The UAE emirate of Sharjah will soon implement a new law that will prohibit people from smoking in enclosed public areas, including shopping centres, restaurants, and public transport, reported WAM. The ban will take effect in two months.
United Arab Emirates: Thursday, April 03 - 2008 at 07:28

ME smokers develop lung disease at younger age
A new study has found that people from Middle Eastern countries are developing lung disease at a younger age, reported Gulf News. The 46-country Greatest International Antibiotic Trial (Giant) studied the prevalence of acute exacerbate chronic bronchitis, a form of lung disease, and the effectiveness of Bayer Schering Pharma's antibiotic in treating it. It found a majority of the 4,300 subjects in the Middle East were reporting the disease at 48.5 years old, the youngest compared to other regions. The average age for lung disease in Latin America was 63.1 years, followed by Europe at 60.5 and Asia-Pacific with 57.1 years.
Wednesday, April 02 - 2008 at 07:39 |