Reuters Health News Summary

09/02/2016 0:59

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Kidney donors don't always get priority when they need a transplant

Living kidney donors are supposed to get priority on the waiting list if they ever need a transplant themselves, and when a recent study found that wasn't always happening, regulators put new policies and programs in place to reduce delays. "We were surprised to find that some donors did not immediately receive their (prior living donor) priority on the waiting list," said Jennifer Wainright, of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, Virginia. "We found this while we were working on another project. It wasn't something we expected to find, and it was a serious problem. We immediately put the original project on hold to address it," she added.

Singapore Zika outbreak a concern for Formula One

Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Singapore and Malaysia have barely registered with Formula One drivers due to race there this month but there is some concern behind the scenes. Five of the last eight rounds of the championship are in regions where Zika has been reported -- Singapore and Malaysia before Texas and Mexico in October and Brazil in November.

Florida finds first local mosquitoes with Zika virus

Florida officials on Thursday said they have trapped the first mosquitoes that tested positive for the Zika virus in the Miami area, further confirming reports of local U.S. transmission of the illness that can cause severe birth defects. Three mosquito samples tested positive from a small area in Miami Beach where increased trapping and intensified mosquito control measures are being implemented, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.

Proton therapy demand wave drives expansion of Belgium's IBA

When Yves Jongen stood at the controls of his proton therapy machine fifteen years ago to treat a cancer patient for the first time he was petrified. Now Jongen's company IBA is hiring 400 engineers to cope with demand for the technology, increasing its workforce by a third, and expanding its production capacity to make up to 30 machines a year, from a maximum of eight now.

Third U.S. patent on Teva's MS drug Copaxone invalidated

U.S. patent officials on Thursday invalidated a third patent covering Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' $4 billion multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone, after canceling two other patents on the drug last week. The ruling came in a challenge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Mylan NV , which is trying to bring out a generic version of the 40-milligram injectable drug, taken three times a week. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Copaxone is protected by five patents in total.

Hurricane Hermine will complicate Florida's Zika fight: experts

Hurricane Hermine, set to cause flooding and damage when it hits Florida overnight, will make it harder for the state to fight Zika, a mosquito-borne virus shown to cause birth defects, experts in infectious diseases and mosquitoes said on Thursday. Forecasters are warning of potentially life-threatening storm surges and as much as 20 inches of rain. Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in most of Florida's 67 counties ahead of the first hurricane to strike the state in more than a decade.

Weak Mylan board fosters EpiPen 'debacle': New York comptroller

New York City's comptroller on Thursday criticized what he said are "exorbitant" price increases for Mylan NV's allergy auto-injector EpiPen and said weak board oversight of management decisions had undermined the company's reputation and its stock price. Scott Stringer said the price hikes, six times what the device cost when Mylan took it over in 2007, have prompted a public backlash and are partly responsible for a nearly 10 percent decline in Mylan's share price in the past month alone. Stringer manages about $163 billion in pension funds for the city, including 1,059,357 shares of Mylan common stock worth about $45 million, he said.

Singapore Zika cases top 150; China steps up arrivals checks

China intensified its checks on people and goods arriving from Singapore on Thursday, as an outbreak of the Zika virus in the small city-state was confirmed to have spread to at least one person in neighboring Malaysia. Authorities in Singapore, a leading regional financial center and busy transit hub for people and cargo, said they had detected 151 people with the Zika virus, including a second pregnant woman, as of midday Thursday. The first locally-transmitted Zika infection was reported on Saturday.

Takeda joins effort to develop Zika vaccine with U.S. funding

Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co on Thursday said it is developing a vaccine to prevent the Zika virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects, and has secured funding from a U.S. government agency. Takeda, which is also working on vaccines for other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, said it would initially receive nearly $20 million over the next 18 months to fund pre-clinical research and manufacturing in preparation for early human trials.

Study leads to insulin injection recommendations

Many people who inject themselves with insulin to control diabetes are improperly performing this vital task, according to a large new study. Based on the results, experts have crafted recommendations for people who use insulin that touch on everything from what type of needle to use to where the shot should be administered.

09/02/2016 0:59