Health News Roundup: Qiagen expects coronavirus test to be ready this month: CEO; China virus toll nears 500 and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Qiagen expects coronavirus test to be ready this month: CEO

Genetic testing specialist Qiagen should have a targeted test for the coronavirus ready this month and is extremely active in providing products to disease control institutions in China, its interim CEO said on Wednesday. But while Qiagen could boost profits by focusing on products identifying the coronavirus it will continue to bet on growth in its molecular diagnostics business, rather than uncertain one-off gains, CEO Thierry Bernard told a results conference call.

China virus toll nears 500, airlines cut Hong Kong flights, cases found on cruise ship

The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in China passed 490 on Wednesday, as two U.S. airlines suspended flights to Hong Kong following the first fatality there and 10 cases were confirmed on a quarantined Japanese cruise ship. China's National Health Commission said another 65 deaths had been recorded on Tuesday, bringing the toll on the mainland to 490, mostly in and around the locked-down central city of Wuhan where the virus emerged late last year.

WHO: 'no known effective' treatments for new coronavirus

The World Health Organization played down media reports on Wednesday of "breakthrough" drugs being discovered to treat people infected with the new coronavirus, which is causing an epidemic in China and has spread to at least 20 other countries. A Chinese TV report said researchers at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug for the virus, while Britain's Sky News said researchers had made a "significant breakthrough" in developing a vaccine. Oil prices jumped on the reports.

Eating eggs may not impact heart health at all

People who eat an egg a day are no more likely than those who rarely eat eggs to have high cholesterol, heart attacks, and strokes or to die prematurely, a large study suggests. "Previous studies on egg consumption and diseases have been contradictory because most of these studies were relatively small or moderate in size and did not include individuals from a large number of countries," said lead study author Mahshid Dehghan of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

Drugmakers see long road ahead in coronavirus vaccine race

Drugmakers racing to find a vaccine or effective treatment for the deadly new coronavirus in China cautioned that they have a long way to go. That runs counter to reports of a supposed "breakthrough" that on Wednesday boosted financial markets and spurred optimism not necessarily backed by reality.

Merck to slim down with asset spinoff, focus on Keytruda, vaccines

Merck & Co Inc said on Wednesday it will spin off its women's health, biosimilar drugs, and older products into a separate publicly-traded company as it tightens its focus on growth drivers like cancer drug Keytruda and vaccines. The new company's assets currently makeup around 15% of Merck's total sales and around half of its drugs that treat people.

British scientist makes breakthrough in race for coronavirus vaccine: Sky

A leading British scientist has made a significant breakthrough in the race for a coronavirus vaccine by reducing a part of the normal development time from "two to three years to just 14 days", Sky News reported. Robin Shattock, Head of mucosal infection and immunity at Imperial College London, said he is now at the stage to start testing the vaccine on animals as early as next week with human studies in the summer if enough funding is secured, Sky said.

Nestle invests $200 million more in Aimmune after peanut allergy drug approval

Aimmune Therapeutics Inc said on Wednesday the health science arm of Nestle SA will invest an additional $200 million, days after the drugmaker won U.S. approval for its peanut allergy therapy, touted as a potential blockbuster. The funding brings Nestle's total investment to $473 million, increasing the Swiss company's stake to 19.9% of Aimmune's outstanding stock and voting power.

Data suggests virus infections under-reported, exaggerating fatality rate

Fatalities from the coronavirus epidemic are overwhelmingly concentrated in central China's Wuhan city, which accounts for over 73% of deaths despite having only one-third the number of confirmed infections. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease, one person has died for every 23 infections reported. That number drops to one on 50 nationally, and outside mainland China, one death has been recorded per 114 confirmed cases.

Biogen shares soar 27% on patent win over Mylan for MS drug

Shares of Biogen Inc surged about 27% on Wednesday after the drugmaker won a favorable U.S. patent ruling for its multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera in a battle with Mylan NV. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board, an administrative court run by the U.S. Patent And Trademark Office, said Mylan had failed to demonstrate that some claims were not patentable.