Health Highlights: Jan. 10, 2017

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

No Evidence Prevagen Improves Memory: Government Lawsuit

There’s no scientific evidence to support claims that the dietary supplement Prevagen improves memory, a government lawsuit says.

The lawsuit was filed Monday by the New York Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission against Prevagen maker Quincy Bioscience. It seeks a ban on further claims about the product’s effectiveness, refunds for consumers and civil penalties, the Associated Press reported.

Prevagen is marketed as being “clinically shown” to support “clearer thinking” and to “improve memory within 90 days,” but those claims are based primarily on a single study that did not show a statistically significant improvement in memory, according to New New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

In a statement, Quincy Bioscience, based in Madison, Wisc., said it “vehemently disagrees” disagrees with the allegations, the AP reported.

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CDC Launches Latest ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ Campaign

The latest installment of a successsful anti-smoking campaign featuring former smokers was launched Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Tips From Former Smokers campaign is back for the sixth year and will run for at least 20 weeks. It features 15- and 30-second ads on cable and network television and online, as well as print ads.

Additional television, radio, and billboard ads will be featured in 30 regions with higher rates of cigarette smoking, the CDC said.

Since it first appeared in 2012, the campaign has helped at least 500,000 smokers quit and inspired millions more to try to quit. The former smokers featured in the ads give a voice to the more than 16 million Americans living with a smoking-related disease, the CDC said.

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. and smoking-related diseases cost the nation nearly $170 billion a year in health care spending, according to the CDC.

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