For Thursday, Nov. 16, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including:

New drug may kill pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer migrates rapidly and easily to other organs and the tumors have a unique biology resistant to many current therapies. 

University of Rochester Medical Center doctors say they are thrilled to be launching a clinical trial for a drug their studies show kills pancreatic cancer cells and stops them from spreading.  

The drug NP137 will be given to patients in the new year to test its safety and efficacy. 

It targets an essential gene involved in pancreatic, breast and colon cancers.  

The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 12%.

1 in 10 kids taken by ambulance experienced a behavioral health emergency

Suicidal thoughts are a true teenage emergency. 

Lurie Children’s Hospital researchers revealed more than one in 10 kids brought to the hospital by ambulance were suffering a behavioral health emergency. 

The majority of those in crisis were 12 to 17 years old. 

There are currently no emergency medical services guidelines to manage patients with mental health challenges.  

Patients as young as six have been restrained and some have been medicated to calm them in their crisis. 

Marijuana increases chances of premature birth

A warning for pregnant women about the impact of using marijuana while expecting. 

Infants exposed to cannabis in the womb are more likely to be born prematurely. 

Pre-term babies have many health complications that can linger throughout their lives. 

When mothers use marijuana during pregnancy, their babies also have a greater chance of ending up in the neonatal intensive care unit.