Health News Roundup: Russia logs foot-and-mouth disease; China virus deaths rise to 170 and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Russia logs foot-and-mouth disease on a farm in the far east

Russia has registered an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in cattle and pigs on a farm in the far eastern Zabaikalsk region, officials in the region said in a statement on Thursday. The disease was found in 58 cattle and 18 pigs, the officials said. The infected animals were destroyed.

EU court sets criteria for GSK case on 'pay-for-delay' drug deals

The European Union's top court set criteria on Thursday to resolve a dispute in Britain over deals GlaxoSmithKline struck with rival drugmakers to delay the launch of generic drugs. The court said these deals in themselves do not constitute a breach of competition rules but their impact needed to be assessed because they could harm competition.

China virus deaths rise to 170 as hit to global economy looms

Hundreds of foreign evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan entered quarantine on Thursday as deaths from a fast-spreading virus rose to 170 and markets shuddered at the impact of an inevitable big hit to the world's No. 2 economy. All eyes were on the World Health Organization (WHO), which has held off declaring the flu-like coronavirus a global emergency but was to reconsider that later in the day.

Get us out of here, plead foreign students at China virus epicenter

Foreign students stuck in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak, are launching social media campaigns, making phone calls and writing letters urging their governments to get them out as soon as possible. Governments globally are grappling with the challenge of how to get their citizens out of China's Hubei province, where 60 million residents now live under virtual lockdown.

U.S. evacuees from China placed on 72-hour 'hold' at California military base for medical evaluation

Nearly 200 Americans airlifted from China in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak arrived on Wednesday at a U.S. military base in California, where they will remain isolated for at least 72 hours of medical evaluation, public health officials said. The group, mostly U.S. diplomats and their families, were evacuated from Wuhan at the epicenter of the outbreak aboard a U.S. government-chartered cargo jet that stopped to refuel in Alaska on Tuesday night before flying on to March Air Reserve Base, about 60 miles (97 km) east of Los Angeles.

Eli Lilly profit tops estimates on diabetes drug strength

Eli Lilly and Co reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by strong demand for its diabetes drug, Trulicity, and psoriasis treatment, Taltz. Shares of the company, which reiterated its full-year adjusted profit forecast, rose 1.5% in trading before the opening bell. On eve of Brexit, Britain faces a critical test to defend drug trial crown

It's in 2023. Britain's brightest and best drug researchers are packing their bags as clinical trials start to dwindle, leaving a nation renowned as a global leader in pharmaceutical development to face a future in the slow lane. This is a worst-case scenario outlined by some scientists and industry experts in the wake of Brexit, which they say could deprive the country of its role as Europe's leader in early-stage drug research, designing and hosting pan-EU trials.

Biogen beats profit estimates on demand for multiple sclerosis drug

Biogen Inc beat Wall Street expectations for quarterly profit on Thursday, driven by demand for its top-selling multiple sclerosis drug, Tecfidera. Tecfidera revenue rose 4.5% to $1.16 billion, ahead of Street estimates of $1.12 billion and at a time when the drug faces patent challenges and increasing competition from newer treatments, including Roche Holding AG's Ocrevus.

Altria takes $4.1 billion charges on Juul investment, revises investment terms

Altria Inc took a $4.1 billion charge in the fourth quarter for its investment in Juul Labs Inc and said it was revising terms of the agreement with the embattled e-cigarette maker that includes restructuring Juul's board. The Marlboro maker has recorded $8.6 billion in impairment charges for the investment in 2019, reducing the value of the investment to $4.2 billion as of Dec. 31.

Trump launches coronavirus task force as the U.S. readies more Wuhan evacuations

The Trump administration launched a task force with a brief to protect the United States from the fast-spreading coronavirus, as the country prepared to evacuate more of its citizens from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. In a statement on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said Washington would arrange extra evacuation flights from Wuhan with capacity for private U.S. citizens, on or about Feb. 3.