Health News Roundup: US FDA adds 'boxed warning' for Amgen's bone loss drug Prolia; Mother and son survive Zambia's deadly cholera outbreak and more

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has declared a national incident, signalling a growing public health risk. Ex-Pfizer employee convicted of insider trading on COVID drug trial A former employee of Pfizer Inc was convicted of insider trading on Thursday for buying stock options in November 2021 just before Pfizer announced clinical trial results for the COVID antiviral drug Paxlovid, federal prosecutors said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA adds 'boxed warning' for Amgen's bone loss drug Prolia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a serious warning on the prescribing information for Amgen's drug Prolia to treat bone loss as it increases the risk of severely low calcium levels in certain patients. The so-called boxed warning, issued on Friday, comes after the health regulator in 2022 started a review into the risk of very low blood calcium in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, particularly ones on dialysis, and Prolia.

US FDA declines to approve Shin Nippon Biomedical's migraine drug

The U.S. health regulator has declined to approve Japan-based Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' treatment for acute migraine late on Wednesday, citing manufacturing concerns.

Japan-listed stock of Shin Nippon (SNBL), which acquired the drug through its purchase of Satsuma Pharmaceuticals in April last year, was down 12.2% at 1,721 yen ($11.64) at Thursday's close.

Chinese embassy warns of plastic surgery risks in South Korea

China's embassy in Seoul has warned citizens against the dangers of having plastic surgery done in South Korea, from the risk of death to major facial changes that make it difficult to pass through immigration checks. South Korea is one of the world's most popular destinations for medical tourism, canvassing foreign patients in the past decade, the bulk of whom come from China and the United States, data provider Statista says.

Exclusive-US FDA finds new manufacturing lapses at Eli Lilly plant

U.S. inspectors recently uncovered new manufacturing problems at an Eli Lilly plant that has been under scrutiny by federal investigators, according to government records obtained by Reuters. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection in July at Lilly's Branchburg, New Jersey, plant detected eight separate deficiencies. They included problems in tracking manufacturing process and quality controls, as well as lapses in its calibration of equipment and failure to properly maintain facilities and equipment, the inspection report shows.

Mother and son survive Zambia's deadly cholera outbreak

Sandra Nyendwa used to drink unfiltered water in Zambia's capital Lusaka without concern, until she and her seven-year-old son got cholera in an outbreak sweeping the country. Both fell badly ill last week, joining more than 10,000 people infected by the disease that has killed at least 432 since October, according to government figures.

US CDC expands probe into charcuterie meats as salmonella cases rise

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned against some more brands of charcuterie meat sold at Costco and Sam's Club as the agency expands a probe into a multi-state salmonella outbreak. The CDC, in an updated post on Thursday, asked people to throw away all the packs of Fratelli Beretta's Antipasto Gran Beretta charcuterie meat bought at Costco and Busseto's Charcuterie Sampler bought at Walmart's Sam's Club.

UK health agency warns 'very real risk' measles outbreak spreads

Britain's public health agency warned on Friday that an outbreak of measles in central England could spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to boost vaccination uptake. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has declared a national incident, signalling a growing public health risk.

Ex-Pfizer employee convicted of insider trading on COVID drug trial

A former employee of Pfizer Inc was convicted of insider trading on Thursday for buying stock options in November 2021 just before Pfizer announced clinical trial results for the COVID antiviral drug Paxlovid, federal prosecutors said. A federal jury in Manhattan found Amit Dagar, 44, of Hillsborough, New Jersey, guilty on one count of securities fraud, prosecutors said. Prosecutors alleged Dagar had traded and tipped a friend on Nov. 4, 2021, the day before the drug maker announced that Paxlovid had performed well in the trial.

Minority children in US get poorer healthcare, analysis finds

The quality of healthcare for minority children in the United States is universally worse than it is for white children, even after accounting for insurance coverage, an analysis of dozens of recent studies found. The pattern was similar across all medical specialties, including newborn care, emergency medicine, primary care, surgery, hospital care, endocrinology, mental health care, care for developmental disabilities, and palliative care, researchers said.

(With inputs from agencies.)