Blog

More time outside tied to less nearsightedness in children

By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) – For primary school children in China, spending an extra 45 minutes per day outside in a school activity class may reduce the risk of nearsightedness, or “myopia,” according to a new study. In some parts of China, 90 percent of high school graduates have nearsightedness, and rates are lower but increasing in Europe and the Middle East, the authors write. “There were some studies

XenoPort's psoriasis drug shows higher side effects; shares fall

XenoPort Inc’s psoriasis drug showed high rates of gastrointestinal-related side effects, overshadowing its success in a mid-stage study. XenoPort should stop spending limited resources on a drug that, while active, appears to be inferior to the standard of care in psoriasis, Cowen & Co analyst Eric Schmidt wrote in a note. The drug’s profile compares poorly to Celegene Corp’s Otezla, which was approved last year for psoriasis, and Biogen Inc’s