Health News Roundup: U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 55, pneumonia outbreak and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Chinese court sentences 'gene-editing' scientist to three years in prison

A Chinese court sentenced the scientist who created the world's first "gene-edited" babies to three years in prison on Monday for illegally practising medicine and violating research regulations, the official Xinhua news agency said. In November 2018, He Jiankui, then an associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, said he had used gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to change the genes of twin girls to protect them from getting infected with the AIDS virus in the future.

Exclusive: Drugmakers from Pfizer to GSK to hike U.S. prices on over 200 drugs

Drugmakers including Pfizer Inc, GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Sanofi SA are planning to hike U.S. list prices on more than 200 drugs in the United States on Wednesday, according to drugmakers and data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. Nearly all of the price increases will be below 10%, and around half of them are in the range of 4 to 6%, said 3 Axis co-founder Eric Pachman. The median price increase is around 5%, he said.

Large study of heart stenting vs surgery sparks controversy

A dispute over how to define a heart attack has prompted some European doctors to back away from the findings of a major study that concluded bypass surgery and stents are equally good at preventing heart disease deaths when a major heart artery is clogged. Stents - tubes that reopen a narrowed artery - have become increasingly popular because patients recover faster than after surgery. But questions have lingered over whether stenting is as effective as bypass surgery over the long term when the left main coronary artery is blocked.

Chinese officials investigate cause of pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan

Chinese health authorities said they are investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, after rumors on social media suggested the outbreak could be linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Of the people infected, seven were in critical condition and 18 were in stable condition, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Tuesday on its Weibo social media account. The condition of two other patients had improved to the point where they would be discharged soon, it said.

Auto plant closures tied to surge in opioid overdose deaths

Opioid overdose deaths have spiked in the wake of automotive assembly plant closures across the U.S. South and Midwest, a new study suggests. Plant closures were associated with an 85% surge in opioid overdose mortality rates among working-age adults five years later, compared with what would have been expected if these factories had remained open, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 55, cases of illness to 2,561

U.S. health officials said on Tuesday one more death occurred since last week from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total toll to 55. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reported 2,561 cases from the illness associated with use of e-cigarettes, or vaping products, as of Dec. 27.

Trump says vaping decision coming shortly, hopes flavors can return to market fast

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration would be unveiling a decision shortly on vaping, and said certain flavors would still come off the market but hopefully then return soon. "We have to protect our families. At the same time it's a big industry, we want to protect the industry," Trump told reporters.

U.S. appeals court upholds risk payments to health insurers

A U.S. appeals court upheld the validity of a federal program governing the payment of billions of dollars to insurers under the Affordable Care Act, reversing a lower court ruling that had prompted the White House to temporarily suspend payments. Tuesday's 3-0 decision by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver is a victory for insurers that feared the Feb. 2018 lower court ruling and payments suspension could drive up premium costs and cause market turmoil.

China approves home-grown vaccines, offering alternative to global drugmakers' products

China has approved a pneumonia vaccine developed by Chinese drugmaker Walvax Biotechnology's unit, its National Medical Products Administration said in a notice on Tuesday, offering an alternative to one of Pfizer's best-selling products Prevnar 13. Pfizer's Prevnar 13, which was approved in China in 2016, was the only pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine available around the world before Walvax's product, the notice said.

AstraZeneca, Merck score win with Lynparza approval for pancreatic cancer

AstraZeneca and Merck's ovarian cancer drug Lynparza has received U.S. regulatory approval for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer, cementing its lead in a niche category of cancer treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug's use as a first-line maintenance therapy for patients with BRCA gene mutations whose cancer had spread beyond the pancreas and whose tumors did not worsen after chemotherapy of at least 16 weeks, the British drugmaker said on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies.)