Shoppers Drug Mart faces proposed class action for alleged ‘unethical corporate practices’

A former Shoppers Drug Mart franchise owner has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the Canadian retail pharmacy chain, and its parent company Loblaw, alleging the companies imposed “unsafe and unethical” corporate practices on franchise owner pharmacists to increase profits. The claim was filed in Ontario Superior Court last week and intends to cover … Read more

Dentists can bill for federal dental plan patients without signing up for program, government says

The federal government announced Wednesday that oral health care providers who provide services to Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) clients can bill the insurance company directly without formally signing up for the program. In early April, provincial dental associations told CBC News that Ottawa was requiring dental care providers to sign contracts to join the … Read more

Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella reveals aggressive brain cancer diagnosis

Best-selling British author Sophie Kinsella announced Wednesday that she has glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. The 54-year-old author, whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham, wrote in a statement posted to her social media accounts that she was diagnosed in 2022. She said she’d had surgery and is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. “I’ve wanted for a long time to … Read more

Can retraining the brain help silence tinnitus? Some scientists are trying to find out

The Current23:55Retraining the brain to silence tinnitus For nearly 40 years, Ken Jones has heard a very loud hissing in his ears.  “It sounds like [an] electrical power line,” he told The Current‘s Matt Galloway. “Mine is at about 92 dB on the decibel scale” — as loud as hairdryers and power tools. The sound … Read more

Wildfires made Canada’s air quality worse than the U.S. for the first time

Canada’s record-setting wildfire season hiked the country up global pollution rankings — and for the first time made its air quality worse than the U.S., according to a new report by air quality technology company IQAir. “In previous years, Canada had the cleanest air quality in all of North America,” said Glory Dolphin Hammes, CEO of … Read more

Why is it so hard to deliver a European health data deal? – POLITICO

It was supposed to be the final political negotiation to get a deal on a European health data sharing law over the line before the EU election. Instead, negotiators turned in at 5 a.m. Friday morning empty-handed, and by lunchtime, accusations were flying from tired attendees who sought to explain why they failed to reach … Read more

A look ahead – POLITICO

Twenty years ago. 2004. The year the Olympics returned to their birthplace of Athens. I was also returning home to Italy to commence a new job in the biopharmaceutical sector, then and now a critical European industry.  It was also the year, in Brussels, that two directives — governing medicinal products for human use, and … Read more

Eliminating cervical cancer to save women’s lives – POLITICO

In an unprecedented era of medical breakthroughs, we now have the possibility to eliminate cervical cancer in Europe. The ‘Advancing Cervical CancEr ScreeningS’ (ACCESS) International Consensus Group on Cervical Cancer, a multidisciplinary coalition at the forefront of this battle, is calling for urgent political action to ensure that this historic opportunity is not lost. Cervical … Read more

Massive new survey finds widespread frustration with access to primary health care

A Toronto-based research team met with and surveyed some 10,000 Canadians about the state of the health-care system — and what they found is deep dissatisfaction and frustration with primary care as the country grapples with a severe shortage of family doctors. The OurCare Initiative — led by Dr. Tara Kiran, a family doctor and scientist … Read more

Israel pounds Gaza, formally rejects ‘unilateral recognition’ of Palestinian statehood – POLITICO

“Both yesterday and the day before, the WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite reaching the hospital compound to deliver fuel alongside partners,” he said. He estimated that there are still “about 200 patients” in the hospital with 20 in urgent … Read more