Trending News Today: Breast Cancer Drug Shows Survival Benefit

Wearable activity trackers have “little benefit” on chronic disease health outcomes, according to an analysis from the American Journal of Medicine. Only 1 of 6 studies found that people who wore the devices lost significant weight and no significant reduction was discovered in cholesterol or blood pressure. The devices may motivate people to move more, but this increased movement didn't lead to major health outcome changes when used without input from a doctor or trainer, according to the study.

The Trump administration has begun the process of allowing the importation of medicines from Canada in an effort to lower prescription drug prices, Reuters reported. The initiative, through the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA, proposes a rule that authorizes states and other groups to pursue pilot projects related to importing drugs from Canada. Analysts noted that implementation is still far away given the technical steps of rule-making and that the proposal will face challenges, according to the article.

Eli Lilly has announced that interim data from a phase 3 shows proof of a survival benefit with their breast cancer drug abemaciclib (Verzenio) among women with metastatic disease, according to BioPharmaDive. The trial enrolled 669 previously treated pre- and postmenopausal women to compare abemaciclib monotherapy versus abemaciclib administered with an older endocrine therapy, fulvestrant. The company plans to disclose full results at an upcoming medical meeting, as well as submit the data to regulators, according to the article.