Cancer risk linked to arthritis drugs
Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking Humira or Remicade face triple the risk of developing several kinds of cancer and double the risk of getting serious infections, a study led by the Mayo Clinic found.
The analysis builds on previous reports about the risks associated with Abbott Laboratories’ Humira and Centocor’s Remicade. But the earlier research focused mostly on one kind of cancer – lymphoma – and infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia.
The new study found an apparent link to other cancers, too, including skin, gastrointestinal, breast and lung tumors. It also quantifies the risks and says high doses appear to be the riskiest.
The study appears in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
Atlanta
Judge invalidates gay marriage ban
A judge has struck down Georgia’s ban on same-sex marriages, saying a measure overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004 violated a provision of the state constitution that limits ballot questions to a single subject.
The ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell had been eagerly awaited by gay-rights supporters who filed the court challenge in November 2004, soon after the constitutional ban was approved.
Russell said the state’s voters must first decide whether same-sex relationships should have any legal status before they can be asked to decide whether same-sex marriages should be banned.
Methuen, Mass.
One fatality found after flooding
Driving rains that caused the worst flooding in New England since the 1930s finally eased up Tuesday, but washed-out roads and the danger of dam breaks prevented many people from returning to their homes.
More than a foot of rain fell across New Hampshire, Massachusetts and southern Maine from Friday to Tuesday, with up to 17 inches in some places. Police reported a single fatality, a 59-year-old man whose body was found in a partially submerged car north of Boston.
Gov. Mitt Romney said the damage would reach tens of millions of dollars in Massachusetts alone. And more rain was forecast for the weekend.