Health News Roundup: Amgen to take 20.5% stake in BeiGene to expand in China; Measles 'destroys immune system memory'

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Amgen to take 20.5% stake in BeiGene to expand in China

Amgen Inc said on Thursday it will acquire a 20.5% stake in BeiGene Ltd in a deal that will enable the California-based biotechnology company to expand its presence in China, the world's second largest pharmaceutical market. Amgen said it will pay around $2.7 billion in cash, or $174.85 per BeiGene American depository share, for the stake in BeiGene, which agreed to commercialize three Amgen cancer drugs in China. The two companies will also collaborate on development of Amgen's oncology pipeline.

New York City Council votes to ban sale of foie gras

New York City, often viewed as the fine dining capital of America, on Wednesday became the latest U.S. locality to ban the sale of foie gras, prompting the country's largest producer of foie gras to vow to mount a court battle to overturn it. Foie gras, French for "fatty liver," is a delicacy produced from the enlarged livers of ducks and geese that have been force-fed corn.

Merck loses bid to revive $2.54 billion patent verdict against Gilead

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday dealt a major blow to Merck & Co Inc as it upheld a ruling that threw out a $2.54 billion jury verdict the drugmaker had won against Gilead Sciences Inc. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a determination by a federal judge in Delaware that the Merck patent at issue in the case, which relates to hepatitis C treatment, was invalid.

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 37, cases of illness to 1,888

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 1,888 confirmed and probable cases and 3 more deaths from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total death toll to 37. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 1,604 cases and 34 deaths from the illness and said the number of reported cases in the epidemic appears to be leveling off or declining.

European agency highlights blood clot risks from Pfizer's arthritis drug

Pfizer Inc's rheumatoid arthritis drug Xeljanz could increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs and in deep veins, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday. The agency said the drug should be used with caution in patients at high risk of blood clots and the latest recommendation is for people aged 65 or above.

Stress disorders tied to risk for life-threatening infections

People who have stress disorders like PTSD may be more vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infections, especially if they are diagnosed at younger ages or dealing with other psychiatric issues, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 144,919 people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorders common after a major life change like a death or move, and other stress-related conditions. They also looked at data for 184,612 siblings of these subjects who didn't have a stress disorder, along with more than 1.4 million unrelated individuals without these disorders.

Exclusive: J&J's own expert, working for FDA, found asbestos in Baby Powder

Ever since Johnson & Johnson disclosed this month that a government test had turned up asbestos in its Baby Powder, the company has attacked the validity of the result. On Tuesday, for example, J&J announced that other labs it hired ultimately found no asbestos in samples from the bottle tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or from the same production lot.

Infection amnesia: Measles 'destroys immune system memory'

Getting measles is even more dangerous than doctors had realized, because it destroys immunity that the victim has acquired to other diseases, researchers said on Thursday. The findings help to explain why children often catch other infectious diseases after having measles, and underscore the dangers of growing resistance to childhood vaccination in some countries, according to two studies published simultaneously.

Exclusive: WHO, Congo eye tighter rules for Ebola care over immunity concerns

The World Health Organization and Congolese authorities are proposing changes to how some Ebola patients are cared for, new guidelines show, after a patient's death challenged the accepted medical theory that survivors are immune to reinfection. There are many unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of the woman's death in Democratic Republic of Congo, which has not previously been reported.

Regular exercise before breast cancer tied to lower heart risk after treatment

Older breast cancer patients who exercised regularly before their cancer diagnosis may be better protected from the heart-harming effects of cancer treatment, a large U.S. study suggests. Among more than 4,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer when most were in their 60s or older, those who got regular exercise in the five years before diagnosis were up to 37% less likely than more sedentary women to develop and die of cardiovascular disease in the decade after diagnosis.

Also Read: UPDATE 1-Amgen third-quarter revenue falls 3%, biosimilar sales rise

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