Reuters Health News Summary


Reuters | Updated: 24-09-2018 18:28 IST | Created: 24-09-2018 18:28 IST

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Regulate: ex-world leaders' solution to 'failed' drug war

More governments should turn away from a repressive war on drugs that has "failed" and look to proven strategies to implement regulated markets for risky substances, a group of former presidents and leaders said in a report published Monday. Since the group that includes 12 former heads of state began advocating for an end to drug prohibition in 2011, a growing number of countries and U.S. states have created medical or recreational markets for marijuana.

With new blood test, Roche dives deeper into personal cancer care

Swiss drugmaker Roche upped its bet on personalized cancer treatment on Monday, saying it is now ready to sell a blood test around the world that can identify common gene mutations from solid tumors from a patient's blood. The blood test, called FoundationOne Liquid, is among initial products to emerge from Foundation Medicine after Roche spent $2.4 billion on the U.S.-based genetic profiling company this year on the conviction that future cancer treatment will be tailored to individual characteristics of a patient's tumor.

Endo puts Vasostrict case against U.S. FDA on hold

Endo International Plc on Monday said it would stay its lawsuit against the U.S. Food And Drug Administration until the end of the year after the FDA made new commitments on the regulation surrounding the active ingredient in its blood pressure medicine Vasostrict. Endo's lawsuit, filed by its subsidiaries in a district court in Columbia last year, accused the agency of improperly authorizing the bulk compounding of hundreds of drugs, including "essentially a copy" of Vasostrict.

Boston Scientific's drug-coated stent gets FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Boston Scientific Corp's drug-coated stent Eluvia to treat narrowed arteries in the leg. The medical device maker intends to launch Eluvia in the fourth quarter, Jeff Mirviss, president of Boston Scientific's Peripheral Interventions division, told Reuters.

Special Report: High-nicotine e-cigarettes flood market despite FDA rule

The sleek Juul electronic cigarettes have become a phenomenon at U.S. high schools, vexing educators and drawing regulatory scrutiny over their sweet flavors and high nicotine content. Now, a new wave of lower-priced Juul knock-offs is showing up at convenience stores, vape shops and online - despite a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule banning the sale of new e-cigarette products after August 2016 without regulatory approval.

AstraZeneca diabetes drug cuts heart risks in major study

AstraZeneca's diabetes drug Farxiga met a key goal in a major clinical study designed to show its heart-protecting benefits in a wide range of patients, potentially distinguishing it from rivals in a crowded marketplace. Diabetics are at increased risk of heart problems, making the cardiovascular (CV) profile of medicines to treat the condition an important focus for doctors and patients.

As China builds biotech sector, cash floods U.S. startups

For three whirlwind days in June, U.S. scientist Zhi Hong went shopping at the Boston Bio Conference to find drugs to fill the pipeline of his two-week-old drug company. Crammed in tight, four-person booths executives use for private conversations, the former GlaxoSmithKline PLC executive pitched dozens of U.S. biotech companies to partner with his start-up, Brii Biosciences.

China says new African swine fever outbreak reported in Inner Mongolia

China said on Monday it has confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of northern China, as authorities struggle to contain the highly contagious disease. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said a slaughterhouse in the city of Hohhot reported the outbreak, adding that four pigs were infected with, and two had died from, African swine fever.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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