Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Just $2 per person a year could halt deadly superbugs, OECD says

Halting the rise of deadly drug-resistant "superbug" infections that kill millions around the world could cost just $2 per person a year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday. Describing drug resistance as "one of the biggest threats to modern medicine", the OECD said, however, that if nothing is done, superbugs could kill some 2.4 million people in Europe, North America and Australia alone over the next 30 years.

Foamix's treatment for common skin condition meets late-stage trial goals

Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd said on Wednesday its experimental foam treatment for rosacea, a common skin condition that causes acne-like bumps and redness on the face, met the main goals of two late-stage clinical trials. The treatment, code-named FMX103 and made up of an antibiotic commonly used to treat infections, significantly reduced inflammatory lesions, compared to a foam without the antibiotic, minocycline.

Endo targets 2020 for launch of cellulite treatment

Endo International Plc said on Thursday it expects to launch its treatment for cellulite in the second half of 2020, a day after the company announced results from two late-stage trials testing the drug. The generic drugmaker, which beat third-quarter revenue and profit estimates, has pushed into other segments of its business, such as medical aesthetics, to cushion the impact of large retail pharmacies gaining more negotiating power for generics pricing.

Israel's Intec Pharma eyes revenue from Parkinson's drug in 2019

Israel's Intec Pharma, which is conducting a late stage trial for its long-lasting pill to treat Parkinson's disease, expects to start earning money from the program sometime in 2019. Intec recently completed enrolling 462 patients for a Phase III trial for the pill that opens up like an accordion, with the levodopa drug remaining in the stomach for 8-12 hours, requiring fewer doses a day. Results are expected in mid-2019.

Encourage teens to discuss relationships, experts say

Healthcare providers and parents should begin talking to adolescents in middle school about healthy romantic and sexual relationships and mutual respect for others, a doctors' group urges. Obstetrician-gynecologists, in particular, should screen their patients routinely for intimate partner violence and sexual coercion and be prepared to discuss it, the Committee on Adolescent Health Care of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises.

U.S. companies team up with hospitals to reduce employee maternity costs

General Electric Co and other large companies are trying to chip away at rising childbirth costs for U.S. employees, working directly with hospitals to reduce cesarean sections and related complications. The efforts are in very early stages, with few details on their impact outside of cost savings of a few million dollars so far. But they illustrate yet another path companies are taking to bring down U.S. medical costs by working with doctors and hospitals to set health goals.

Regulators investigate salmonella infections linked to Conagra's cake mixes

U.S. health regulators said https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm625148.htm?utm_campaign=CFSAN%20Outbreak%3A%20Duncan%20Hines%20Cake%20Mixes%20Potentially%20Linked%20to%20Salmonella%20Agbeni%20Illnesses&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua on Wednesday they were investigating Conagra Brands Inc's facility that makes cake mixes after a sample of the product that contained Salmonella agbeni matched the strain that had infected five people. Conagra on Monday had recalled four varieties of the cake mix after officials in Oregon found Salmonella agbeni in a box of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix.

High blood pressure before age 40 tied to earlier strokes, heart disease

People who develop high blood pressure before age 40 have a higher risk of heart disease and strokes in middle age, two new studies suggest. One of the studies followed 4,800 young adults in the U.S. and found elevated blood pressure before age 40 associated with up to 3.5 times greater risk of heart disease and strokes over about 19 years of follow-up.

China reports new African swine fever outbreaks in three provinces

China found three new African swine fever cases on pig farms in Hunan, Jilin and Jiangxi provinces, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. A combined of 194 pigs were killed out of 1,093 in these three provinces, said the ministry.

Cardiac devices can cost six times more in U.S. than in Europe

Implanted heart devices like pacemakers and stents can cost two to six times more in the U.S. than in Germany, where costs are among the lowest in Europe, a recent study suggests. Medical devices account for about 6 percent of health expenditures in the U.S. and 7 percent in the European Union. But far less is known about pricing for devices than is known about drug costs, researchers note in Health Affairs. For the current study, they examined data on device prices at hospitals in the U.S., France, Germany, Italy and the UK from 2006 to 2014.

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