Health News Roundup: Fresenius taps pre-dialysis kidney care as drugs promise treatment change; India vows action if cough syrup proved to be behind Gambia deaths and more

For decades, Germany's Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) has been the biggest player in the $50 billion U.S. market providing dialysis and related machines that help filter out blood toxins for people whose kidneys have failed to function. India vows action if cough syrup proved to be behind Gambia deaths India is testing samples of cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals after the World Health Organization said its products were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, a government official said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Fresenius taps pre-dialysis kidney care as drugs promise treatment change

The world’s largest dialysis company is seeking out kidney disease patients long before they need the most acute form of care as it plans for growth of new drugs that attack the condition’s causes early on. For decades, Germany's Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) has been the biggest player in the $50 billion U.S. market providing dialysis and related machines that help filter out blood toxins for people whose kidneys have failed to function.

India vows action if cough syrup proved to be behind Gambia deaths

India is testing samples of cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals after the World Health Organization said its products were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, a government official said on Thursday. The deaths of 66 children in the West African country is a blow to India's image as a "pharmacy of the world" that supplies medicines to all continents, especially Africa. The cough syrup was made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, the WHO said.

U.S. judge temporarily blocks two state lawsuits over J&J talc marketing

A U.S. bankruptcy judge has blocked New Mexico and Mississippi from pursuing lawsuits accusing Johnson & Johnson of misleading consumers about the safety of its talc products, such as its baby powder, for now. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan in Trenton, New Jersey on Tuesday said the litigation must be paused while an appellate court reviews whether J&J can use the bankruptcy of subsidiary LTL Management to resolve claims it is facing alleging that its talc products caused cancer. He said he would revisit allowing the states' lawsuits to proceed at a hearing in December.

Over 60 clinics in 15 U.S. states ceased abortion care post-Roe - study

More than 60 abortion clinics across 15 states have stopped providing abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights advocacy research group. The study, published on Thursday, found that 14 states no longer have any clinics providing abortions as of Oct. 2, which marked 100 days since the Supreme Court gutted the 1973 ruling that had guaranteed federal abortion rights.

India's Maiden Pharma: trying to find out about cough syrup-linked deaths in Gambia

Indian cough syrup manufacturer Maiden Pharmaceuticals is trying to find out from its buyer in Gambia details related to the deaths of children which the World Health Organization said may have been linked to its products, one of its directors said on Thursday. "We are trying to find out the situation because it cropped up only today morning," Naresh Kumar Goyal told Reuters. "We are trying to find out with the buyer and all that what has happened exactly. We are not selling anything in India."

New treatments hold promise of slowing kidney damage

New breakthrough drugs that tackle obesity and kidney damage could make a dent in the $50 billion U.S. dialysis market. The following are facts about the new treatment options and what role they play in slowing the gradual progression of chronic kidney disease that can end in renal failure.

Eli Lilly to start rolling submission for obesity drug approval this year

Eli Lilly and Co said on Thursday it plans to start a rolling submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year to get an approval for its obesity drug tirzepatide. The data it will submit will include that from two late-stage trials, one of which is expected in April.

Europeans face big mental health issues despite COVID easing - survey

The number of Europeans reporting "bad" or "very bad" mental health soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, even beyond the end of lockdowns, new polling showed on Thursday. European Union agency Eurofound's surveys of 200,000 people found that those reporting "bad" or "very bad" mental health doubled from 6.4% in March 2020 at the onset of the crisis to 12.7% two years later even as restrictions were eased.

UK nurses begin biggest strike ballot in more than 100 years

More than 300,000 members of Britain's largest nursing union will begin voting on Thursday over a strike to demand a pay rise that keeps up with soaring inflation, the biggest ballot in its 106-year history. The Royal College of Nursing said it had been forced into the move after years of real-terms wage cuts deterred people from joining the state-funded National Health Service (NHS), leaving huge staffing gaps across the service.

Pfizer COVID vaccine clears Japan panel for use with young children

A Japanese health ministry panel on Wednesday recommended approving Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old. Japan in January expanded use of the vaccine to those as young as five years old. Last month, health authorities started to dispensing Pfizer and Moderna Inc booster shots that target the Omicron variant of the virus.