Study: Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier (AP)
AP - Some advanced lung cancer patients already treated with chemotherapy might be able to skip some of the bad side effects of another series of chemo by taking a pill instead, a study suggests. An international study showed patients on Iressa, an expensive, newer targeted treatment, survived about as long as those on another course of chemotherapy.

HIV tests not yet as routine as cholesterol checks (AP)
AP - Two years after the government urged making HIV tests as common as cholesterol checks, there are small gains but still one in five people infected with the AIDS virus doesn't know it, scientists said Thursday.

Teen lives 4 months with no heart, leaves hospital (AP)

AP - D'Zhana Simmons says she felt like a "fake person" for 118 days when she had no heart beating in her chest. "But I know that I really was here," the 14-year-old said, "and I did live without a heart."

Insurers make pitch for health coverage mandate (AP)
AP - The health insurance industry said Wednesday it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions — but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage.

Surgeon who did first US heart transplant dies (AP)

AP - Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz, a cardiac surgeon who performed the nation's first human heart transplant and who also developed lifesaving medical implants, has died. He was 90. Kantrowitz died Friday in Ann Arbor of complications from heart failure, said his wife, Jean Kantrowitz.

Obese have right to 2 airline seats: Canada court (Reuters)
Reuters - Obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.

Pfizer drops bid to sell Viagra over the counter in Europe (AFP)

AFP - Pfizer has dropped its bid to market its potency pill Viagra over the counter in Europe, the US pharmaceutical giant announced Thursday.

Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 21, 2008 (HealthDay)
HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

Health Tip: Signs That a Child May Be Autistic (HealthDay)
HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Autism is a childhood developmental disorder that has no cure. Autistic children have problems with social interaction, communication, and may engage in repetitive behaviors.

Weight-Alzheimer link different for men and women (Reuters)
Reuters - Women who are heavy in their middle years are at greater risk of Alzheimer's disease, especially if they have large waists. However, for men, being underweight during that period of life actually increases the likelihood of developing the degenerative brain disease, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Iressa as Good as Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The cancer-fighting pill Iressa works as well as chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for lung cancer, researchers report.