Health

TRENTON, N.J. – Fewer new prescription drugs will be approved in the U.S. this year than the 30 approved in 2011, a ratings agency forecasts, adding to the many stresses on the pharmaceutical industry. The Food and Drug Administration approved only 14 innovative drugs in the first half of this year, down from 18 in the first half of 2011, according to a report released Wednesday by Fitch Ratings.

A Kansas woman's victory in a religious freedom case came too late for a life-saving liver transplant.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul will shrink rather than increase the nation’s huge federal deficits over the next decade, Congress’ nonpartisan budget scorekeepers said Tuesday, supporting Obama’s contention in a major election-year dispute with Republicans. About 3 million fewer uninsured people will gain health coverage because of last month’s Supreme Court ruling granting states more leeway, and that will cut the federal costs by $84 billion, the Congressional Budget Office said in the biggest changes from earlier estimates.

Nearly 10 percent of employers anticipate dropping health coverage for their workers in the next three years as medical costs keep rising, according to a new survey by consulting firm Deloitte. The vast majority of companies, 81 percent, said they plan to continue providing health benefits even as new rules begin in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. An additional 10 percent of employers said they weren’t sure, the survey said.

A rash of local drownings in recent weeks has led to a new effort to emphasize water safety in the Spokane area.

Q. If I am unable to speak for myself when health care decisions are needed, what steps must I take now to be certain my wishes are followed? A. The first steps can be remembered as the two T’s.

New listings Summer Zumba Classes – For ages 14 and older. 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through August at West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt St. $5 per class. Call (509) 625-6200 or visit www.spokaneparks.org for more information.

TRENTON, N.J. – An experimental Alzheimer’s treatment has failed to slow the disease in one late-stage study. Pfizer, which is testing bapineuzumab with partner Johnson & Johnson, said the injected drug didn’t slow mental or functional decline in patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The study included about 1,100 patients who carry a gene called ApoE4, which gives people a higher risk of developing the memory-robbing disorder.

A workshop that starts Thursday aims to help people’s bodies move better – starting with their brains. The Alexander technique operates on the principle that people develop physical habits that inhibit their movement or coordination or cause pain, said William Conable, of Cheney, who will lead the workshop along with other instructors.

DEAR DOCTOR K: I love saunas, but my wife worries they’re dangerous. Is she right? DEAR READER: Many cultures use heat for relaxation and therapy. One of the oldest – and hottest – of these techniques is the sauna.

West Virginia officials are looking into updating or repealing a state law that allows for the involuntary sterilization of "mentally incompetent" people.