Reuters Health News Summary

09/21/2016 8:56

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China Vitamin C price-fixing verdict voided by U.S. appeals court

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday threw out a $147.8 million price-fixing verdict against two Chinese companies that were accused of conspiring to raise prices and lower supply of vitamin C sold to U.S. purchasers. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said the case should not have gone to trial after China, in a "historic act," formally advised that its laws required the vitamin C makers to violate the Sherman Act, a U.S. antitrust law.

Senate Republicans seek probe of Mylan EpiPen oversight

Mylan NV faced new scrutiny over price hikes for its anti-allergy EpiPen on Tuesday, with U.S. lawmakers calling for a probe of oversight of the company's rebates to government healthcare plans, while West Virginia said it was investigating whether Mylan defrauded its Medicaid department. Mylan is grappling with a growing backlash from U.S. consumers, lawmakers and prosecutors over EpiPen prices, which have risen from about $100 in 2007 to more than $600 for a pair of the devices. The EpiPen delivers a dose of epinephrine, an antidote to a severe and potentially deadly allergic reaction to anything from nuts to bee stings.

Just going on vacation may change gene activity

In a new study comparing a meditation retreat with just relaxing in the same locale, both options improved stress regulation, immune function and other cellular markers in the blood. Researchers measured gene activity, blood markers and reported wellbeing during the vacation and months afterward, and found a large and immediate "vacation effect" in all participants. For those who continued meditating, benefits were seen even 10 months later.

AstraZeneca pulls cancer drug application in Europe

AstraZeneca has pulled an application seeking European approval to sell its experimental cancer drug cediranib in combination with chemotherapy to treat ovarian cancer because of late-stage questions raised by regulators reviewing the product. However, the British company said on Wednesday that cediranib, a so-called VEGFR inhibitor, remained an important pipeline medicine and the decision did not affect its ongoing development in combination tests alongside other drugs.

Allergan to buy Tobira in push for fatty liver disease drugs

Botox maker Allergan Plc, in its third acquisition this month, said it would pay up to $1.7 billion for Tobira Therapeutics Inc to get a leg up in the race to develop therapies for NASH, an incurable fatty liver disease closely linked to obesity. Just hours later on Tuesday, Allergan announced it would also pay $50 million upfront and make future milestone payments for Akarna Therapeutics Ltd, a privately held company that is planning early-stage studies of a treatment for NASH.

Giving babies eggs and nuts early may avert allergies

Infants who get a taste of eggs and peanuts starting when they're as young as 4 months old may have a lower risk of developing allergies to those foods than babies who try them later, a research review suggests. With eggs, giving babies that first spoonful between 4 and 6 months was associated with 46 percent lower odds of egg allergies than waiting to introduce this food later.

Wearable activity trackers may not boost weight loss

For young adults on a long-term healthy diet and exercise program, tracking activity with a wearable device may not lead to additional weight loss, according to a new study. Over 24 months, people who used wearable activity trackers lost 2.4 kilograms (5.29 pounds) less than a group on a similar program but using a website to track their progress.

Zika no threat to plasma-derived drugs, says EU regulator

Patients who take medicines derived from blood plasma or urine are not at increased risk of catching Zika, even if the body fluids come from countries where the virus is prevalent, Europe's drugs regulator said on Wednesday. Plasma-derived products are used to treat some serious blood conditions and to help fight infections, while urine-based medicines include certain hormone treatments and therapies to help break up blood clots.

House committee launches review of FDA criminal office

A U.S. congressional committee has launched an examination of the Food and Drug Administration's criminal office, raising questions about the unit's management and handling of cases involving food, drugs and devices. The House Energy and Commerce Committee told FDA Commissioner Robert Califf it is "examining management concerns" and "possible morale concerns with the field offices" of the Office of Criminal Investigations. The September 20 letter, signed by committee chairman Fred Upton and Tim Murphy, chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, seeks answers to a detailed list of questions by October 12.

GlaxoSmithKline names insider Emma Walmsley as new CEO

GlaxoSmithKline said on Tuesday it had chosen its head of consumer healthcare, Emma Walmsley, as its new chief executive, after several months reviewing internal and external candidates. She will become the first woman to head a top global pharmaceutical company and will bring the number of female chief executives in Britain's FTSE 100 index to seven.

09/21/2016 8:56