Health Highlights: May 15, 2008

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Thursday, May 15, 2008; 12:00 AM

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors ofHealthDay:

Large Increase Predicted in Cancer Drug Spending

Compared to all other drugs, spending on cancer medicines worldwide will grow twice as fast in coming years because emerging nations such as China, Russia and Brazil are boosting spending on diagnosing and treating cancer, according to a report released Thursday by the health care research firm IMS Health.

The overall global drug market is expected to grow by 6.4 percent a year through 2012, while cancer drug spending is expected to increase between 12 percent and 15 percent a year, reaching $75 billion to $80 billion by 2012, theAssociated Pressreported.

In addition to increased cancer spending by emerging nations, cancer is a priority among drug firms with multibillion-dollar research and development budgets.

"Oncology is the top of the bill when it comes to new products in development. Oncology R&D dwarfs all other research efforts within these organizations," the wire service quoted Titus Pattel, an IMS vice president, as saying.

This year, worldwide cancer drug sales are expected to reach $48 billion.

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Court Overturns Vioxx Verdict

A multimillion dollar verdict in a Vioxx lawsuit has been overturned by a Texas court.

The family of 71-year-old Leonel Garza was awarded $32 million two years ago, although damage caps reduced the amount to about $8 million. Garza had been taking Vioxx for less than a month when he died, theAssociated Pressreported.

But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals said Garza's family failed to prove that a 23-year battle with heart disease wasn't the cause of his fatal 2001 heart attack.