Health News Roundup: US FDA approves Merck's therapy for rare lung condition; US Supreme Court appears skeptical of challenge to abortion pill access and more

Former Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director David Clinton withdrew their previous not guilty pleas during hearings in Hampshire Superior Court and admitted there were facts sufficient to find them guilty of the charges against them, prosecutors said. US FDA approves Merck's therapy for rare lung condition The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Merck's treatment for adults with high blood pressure due to constriction of lung arteries, adding another potential blockbuster drug to the pharmaceutical giant's portfolio.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

European regulators close in on Big Tobacco's new tea sticks

European governments are weighing the introduction of tougher rules on cigarette makers' new zero-tobacco heat sticks, moving to close the loopholes they were designed to exploit just months after their launch. Big tobacco companies including Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco announced the launch of the sticks, made from nicotine-infused substances like rooibos tea, late last year as a way to counter an incoming European Union ban on flavoured heated tobacco products.

Ex-leaders of Massachusetts veterans' home avoid prison over COVID outbreak

Two former leaders of a Massachusetts veterans' home that was the site of one of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks at a U.S. long-term care facility on Tuesday resolved criminal neglect charges against them without having to go to prison. Former Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director David Clinton withdrew their previous not guilty pleas during hearings in Hampshire Superior Court and admitted there were facts sufficient to find them guilty of the charges against them, prosecutors said.

US FDA approves Merck's therapy for rare lung condition

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Merck's treatment for adults with high blood pressure due to constriction of lung arteries, adding another potential blockbuster drug to the pharmaceutical giant's portfolio. Shares of Merck were up more than 4% in extended trading.

J&J can contest evidence linking its talc to cancer, US judge rules

Johnson & Johnson will get a new chance to contest the scientific evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, potentially disrupting more than 53,000 lawsuits the company is now facing over its talc products. In a brief written order, U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton, New Jersey, who is overseeing the lawsuits that have been consolidated in his court, said recent changes in the law and new scientific evidence require a fresh review of the evidence that linked J&J products to ovarian cancer.

US Supreme Court appears skeptical of challenge to abortion pill access

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled that it is unlikely to limit access to the abortion pill as the justices appeared skeptical that the anti-abortion groups and doctors that are challenging the drug have the needed legal standing to pursue the case. The justices heard arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's ruling in favor of the plaintiffs that would limit how the medication, called mifepristone, is prescribed and distributed. The case places reproductive rights back on the Supreme Court's agenda in a presidential election year.

British satisfaction with healthcare drops to new low ahead of election

British satisfaction with the state-owned National Health Service (NHS) dropped to a record low for 2023, showing the challenge for the government over a key concern for voters ahead of an election expected this year. The British Social Attitudes survey found that 24% of people were satisfied with the service in 2023, five percentage points down from last year and the lowest level recorded since people were first asked in 1983.

Viking Therapeutics' weight-loss tablet shows promise in small study

Viking Therapeutics' experimental tablet reduced weight by as much as 3.3% when tested in volunteers enrolled in a small early-stage trial, meeting Wall Street expectations and sending the company's shares up 15% in premarket trading on Tuesday. Popular market leaders from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are administered under-the-skin, with companies also testing oral versions that they hope will offer patients a more convenient option.

UnitedHealth offers over $3.3 billion in loans to providers hit by attack on unit

UnitedHealth Group said on Wednesday it has advanced more than $3.3 billion in loans to care providers impacted by a cyberattack on the U.S. healthcare conglomerate' tech unit last month. Earlier this month, UnitedHealth launched a temporary funding program for providers after a ransomware attack on Feb. 21 on Change Healthcare delayed their insurance claims processing, causing a severe cash crunch for them.

Boat Race rowers told to avoid the water as UK sewage dumping surges

Victorious rowers in Britain's University Boat Race have been warned not to jump into the River Thames this weekend due to alarming levels of E. coli bacteria, as official data showed sewage spills hit a record high in 2023. Regular dumping of raw sewage in rivers and seas has sparked anger in Britain, with privatised water companies accused of failing to invest in infrastructure, meaning they are routinely dumping sewage in waterways.

U.S. FDA approves Akebia's anemia drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Akebia Therapeutics' drug, vadadustat, to treat anemia caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dialysis patients, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. The drug will be available under the brand name Vafseo, it added.

(With inputs from agencies.)