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

Ronald Reagan Dies at Age 93

Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died at his home in Bel Air, Cal., Saturday, after his condition -- long ravaged by Alzheimer's disease -- worsened within the prior 24 hours. Early reports indicated the 93-year-old former actor and California governor had contracted pneumonia.

According to a number of wire service and network reports, members of Reagan's family began arriving at the house early Saturday, and President Bush's White House staff had been notified.

Last month, Reagan's wife Nancy hinted that her husband had begun to fail.

"Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him," she told an audience at a fundraiser for human embryonic research.

An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, which results in progressive loss of mental functioning, including memory, and can eventually prove fatal.

The Associated Press reports that the White House had been told early Saturday that Reagan's condition had significantly deteriorated.

President Bush was in Europe participating in ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the Allies' landing at Normandy in France.

At the fundraiser last month, Mrs. Reagan publicly broke ranks with the Bush administration over stem cell research. She said she believes the use of embryonic stem cells could help find a cure for diseases like Alzheimer's. President Bush has opposed most embryonic stem cell use and has signed an executive order limiting some stem cell experimentation.

The White House Web site offers this biography of President Reagan.

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Chemotherapy Benefits Some Lung Cancer Patients

Early-stage lung cancer, which traditionally has been treated surgically, also responds well to chemotherapy, researchers conclude from two new studies.

The findings, presented over the weekend in New Orleans at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, may significantly change the way lung cancer is treated, the Associated Press reports. Most patients who undergo surgery to remove lung tumors discovered during the earliest stages of cancer don't undergo chemotherapy. But the studies involving non-small lung cancer -- the most common form of lung cancer -- showed major differences from those who had only surgery.

The post-operative patients in the clinical trial had their tumors treated with a combined regimen of bevacizumab (Avastin) and erlotinib (Tarceva).

About 20 percent of patients on the drug combination saw their tumors shrink in size by more than half, and median survival was 12.5 months, the researchers said. By contrast, about 10 percent of patients who received only surgery or erlotinib alone had significant tumor shrinkage, and their average survival time was just six to eight months.

"This will translate into thousands of lives saved every year," Dr. Bruce Johnson, a lung cancer expert at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told the AP.

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Head and Neck Cancer Drug May Double Survival Time

An anti-cancer drug with a controversial past apparently extends the lives of people who suffer from head and neck cancer.

Erbitux (cetuximab), made by the pharmaceutical company ImClone, when used in conjunction with radiation therapy, extended life by an average of 24 months compared to people who received only radiation therapy, researchers told the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans.

The drug -- at the center of the Martha Stewart scandal -- won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval last February for the treatment of colorectal cancer in combination with other drugs.

According to a news release from the University of Wisconsin, one of the principal investigators, Dr. Paul M. Harari, reported that the research was promising. "A drug that appears to nearly double survival time with relatively minor side effects is very good news for patients with head and neck cancer," he said. Harari is a University of Wisconsin radiation oncologist.

The international study, which used 424 head and neck cancer patients, was led by Dr. James A. Bonner of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The researchers reported: "Median survival was nearly twice as long in the Erbitux group (54 months vs. 28 months). In addition, more of the Erbitux patients were alive at two years (62 percent vs. 55 percent) and three years (57 percent vs. 44 percent). Side effects among the Erbitux patients were relatively minor compared with conventional chemotherapy, with skin reactions being the most common."

In 2001, the FDA rejected ImClone's first application for Erbitux approval, saying the firm's clinical trials were poorly designed and conducted. Martha Stewart was convicted on charges she lied to the government about why she sold ImClone's stock shortly before the FDA announced the rejection. The company's former president is in jail for his role in the scandal.

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FDA Rejects Ill. Petition to Buy Canadian Drugs

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he wasn't surprised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rejection of his petition to start a pilot program to buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.

"Our review indicates that such state pilot projects are not authorized under current law and present added safety concerns," Lester Crawford, the FDA's acting commissioner, wrote in a letter to Blagojevich's office, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA says it's against importing Canadian drugs because it can't guarantee that they're safe.

The Illinois pilot project to buy Canadian prescription drugs for state employees and retirees could save the state $91 million, Blagojevich has said.

He and officials in other states have been trying to persuade the Bush administration to allow importation of Canadian drugs. Many states say such a move would help them save on drug costs.

Blagojevich hopes a citizen's petition delivered last month to the FDA will result in federal approval of importation of Canadian drugs, the AP reported.

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First-Time High in June and July

Insects aren't the only source of major buzz in June and July.

More American teenagers first try marijuana in those two months than at any other time of the year, according to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health report released Friday.

The survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found a 40 percent increase in first-time pot use by youth during June and July compared to the rest of the months.

Each day in those two months, an average of 6,300 teens try marijuana for the first time.

"Kids may equate summer with freedom, but for parents, it's when they need to be even more involved in their teens' lives. As soon as they pack up their locker for the year and step out of school, kids are much more likely to try marijuana. By keeping teens busy, knowing who they're with, and making sure they're supervised, parents can help prevent their teen's summer from going to pot," John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy, said in a prepared statement.

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