Reuters Health Report: April 10, 2017

Roche's Alecensa notches trial win against Pfizer's Xalkori ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche's Alecensa kept people with a specific lung cancer alive longer without their disease progressing than Pfizer's Xalkori, the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday, as it seeks to move in on the U.S. company's share of early treatment of the disease.

Exclusive: Yum's KFC to curb antibiotic use in the chickens it buys LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Yum Brands Inc's U.S. KFC chain plans to curb the use of antibiotics in its chicken supply, making it the last of the big three chicken restaurants to join the fight against the rise of dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as superbugs.

Ex-New York assemblyman, doctors charged in illegal opioid prescription scheme: officials NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former New York assemblyman and a dozen pain clinic workers were arrested on Friday, accused of operating some of the largest "pill mills" in the northeastern United States and illegally prescribing more than 6 million opioid pills, law enforcement officials said.

Kidney transplant vouchers could address timing issues (Reuters Health) - - Creating kidney transplant vouchers for future transplants could reduce the long waiting list for organs in the United States, a new study suggests.

Lots of sleep tied to worse breast cancer survival odds (Reuters Health) - - Women with breast cancer who sleep at least nine hours a night may be more likely to die from their tumors than patients who get just eight hours of rest, a recent study suggests.

More prostate cancer patients get radiation when doctors own the equipment (Reuters Health) - - Men with prostate cancer that hasn't spread to surrounding tissues are more likely to get radiation therapy if they're diagnosed by doctors who own radiation machines, a Texas study suggests.

Texas expands Zika recommendations ahead of 2017 mosquito season CHICAGO (Reuters) - Texas health officials are expanding testing recommendations for pregnant women in South Texas as the advent of warm weather increases the risk for local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus that has been shown to cause severe birth defects.

California women have banned flame retardants in their bloodstreams (Reuters Health) - Two toxic chemicals banned in the U.S. in 2005 are still finding their way into the bloodstreams of California women, suggesting that sources of exposure persist in homes and in the environment, researchers say.

Sri Lanka protests cripple health services, dent investor sentiment COLOMBO (Reuters) - An island-wide protest on Friday by Sri Lankan doctors demanding closure of a private medical college crippled the health services, leaving thousands of patients unattended and threatening the investment climate.

Brazil beef exports seen returning to normal after scandal SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's beef exports should return to normal levels between April and May as the country's efforts to reverse import bans have started to bear fruit in the wake of a food safety