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Lansley’s GP budget-holding plans blocked by treasury, NICE u-turn on rheumatoid arthritis drug, and why Granny was right all along

By Gareth Iacobucci

Our roundup of health news headlines on Friday 25 June.

Significant news in The Guardian this morning, which is reporting that the Treasury is stonewalling over the publication of the NHS white paper - after Whitehall sources told the paper that health secretary Andrew Lansley's plans did not include enough provision for making GPs accountable to the public, given they would control 80% of the £100bn NHS budget.

A good old-fashioned U-turn in the Mail, which reports thousands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis will be given access to new treatments after a NICE change of heart.

The Telegraph reports that Rose Gibb, the former head of the NHS trust with Britain's worst hospital superbug outbreak - has won more than £190,000 damages after a court ruled that she had been treated as a scapegoat for the crisis.

Also in the Telegraph, we read of a major official review of scientific evidence that suggests the human foetus cannot feel pain before 24 weeks.

The Independent reports on new research which suggests that pregnant Muslim women who fast during Ramadan are likely to have smaller babies who will be more prone to learning disabilities in adulthood.

Swine flu - remember that? Well, according to the Council of Europe, threats of a swine flu pandemic were 'vastly over-rated ' by the World Health Organisation.

And finally, the Mail reports that Granny was right all along, you really do get wiser with age. According to research, although the brain slows down over time, this simply helps older men and women develop greater insight. Good news for the Pulse editorial team then..

Spotted something we've missed? Let us know and we'll update the digest throughout the day...

Daily Digest - 25 June 2010