stroke

Money woes don't just make it harder to pay for prescriptions and doctors' visits -- they can also make you more susceptible to a host of health problems. Dr. Travis Stork of 'The Doctors' offers some tips for how to save money while still taking care of yourself.

When Merck halted a late-stage study of its potential clot-preventing drug vorapaxar in stroke victims last week, it didn't explain why. Now, the company has confirmed it stopped the study after concerns that the drug increased the risk of bleeding in some patients.

The first stroke patient ever to be treated with stem cell therapy has reportedly been discharged from the hospital and is doing well. Stem-cell technology is viewed as a highly promising new area of medical science, but it is also highly controversial because of the source of the cells.

Drug and medical-device maker Abbott Laboratories announced Friday that it will voluntarily withdraw its controversial obesity drug Meridia, (sibutramine) from the U.S. market at the request of the FDA, due to concerns it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The New England Journal of Medicine called Meridia "another flawed diet pill" -- two weeks before government advisers are scheduled to review the drug -- after a study finds it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke in users with heart problems.

Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb said on Thursday that they've decided to halt a clinical trial several months early because data so far suggested the experimental drug apixaban was more effective than aspirin in preventing strokes among patients.

AstraZeneca scored a win on Tuesday, when a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended broader use of Crestor, the company's cholesterol-lowering drug. The panel recommended that those with low cholesterol use the drug, following studies finding that Crestor reduces the risk of heart disease even in those with normal cholesterol levels.