All you need to know about cancer drug trial,ebola treatments

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sports specialization tied to injuries in kids and teens

Children and teens who specialize in one sport may be more likely to get injured than those who play a variety of sports, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data from five previously published studies with a total of about 5,600 athletes age 18 or younger.

Pfizer, Astellas revise two cancer drug trial protocols to speed up results

Drugmakers Pfizer Inc and Astellas Pharma Inc said on Wednesday they would change protocols for two late-stage trials testing prostate cancer drug Xtandi to speed up completion. The companies now expect the ARCHES trial to end late this year, ahead of the previously anticipated completion date of April 2020, and the EMBARK trial to complete by mid-2020, earlier than the prior goal of March 2021.

Congo approves more experimental Ebola treatments

The Democratic Republic of Congo has approved four more experimental treatments against the deadly Ebola virus, the health ministry said as it raced to contain an outbreak in its violence-torn east. Health authorities last week started administering the U.S.-developed mAb114 treatment to Ebola patients, the first time such a treatment had been used against an active outbreak.

Life expectancy declines seen in the U.S. and other high-income countries

Life expectancy is declining in high-income countries worldwide, driven in part by the effects of the opioid epidemic on younger adults in the U.S. and the impact of a severe flu season on older adults in other nations, two new studies suggest. Life expectancy is a measure of the health and wellbeing of a population. Widespread or sustained declines in life expectancy may signal problems in a nation's social and economic conditions or in the provision or quality of its healthcare services, researchers write in The BMJ.

Missouri judge affirms $4.69 billion talc verdict, J&J vows to appeal

A Missouri trial court judge has affirmed the massive $4.69 billion verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in a case involving 22 women and their families who alleged the company's talc-based products, including its baby powder, contain asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer. J&J in a statement on Wednesday said it would continue to pursue all available appellate remedies. The company, which denies the allegations and says its talc is safe, previously said it was confident the verdict would be overturned on appeal.

U.S. appeals court says GSK cannot be sued over generic drug suicide

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday tossed a $3 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline over the suicide of an attorney who took a generic version of the company's antidepressant Paxil, finding the company could not be held liable for injuries allegedly caused by a generic copy. A unanimous three-judge panel at the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said claims against GSK were preempted by federal law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

China reports fourth African swine fever outbreak: ministry

China, home to the world's largest pig herd, reported its fourth outbreak of deadly African swine fever on Thursday, with more than 400 pigs infected on three farms, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement. The infection killed 340 hogs in the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, it said.

Exclusive: Pharma sector warns Saudis on German drug curbs

European and U.S. pharmaceutical associations have waded into a diplomatic row between Germany and Saudi Arabia, warning that ongoing restrictions on German-made drugs could hurt Saudi patients and dampen future investment in the kingdom. In a strongly worded letter to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a copy of which has been seen by Reuters, the associations highlighted the level of concern in Germany and elsewhere about restrictive procurement measures implemented by Riyadh in response to criticism of its policies.

Toxin at heart of drug recall shows holes in the medical safety net

A toxin inadvertently produced in the manufacture of a widely prescribed medicine but not spotted for years raises questions about regulators' ability to detect risks in a sprawling global drug supply chain increasingly reliant on factories in China. China's Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical, which produces bulk ingredients for drugmakers, told its customers in late June it had found NDMA in its valsartan, an off-patent blood pressure drug originally developed by Novartis.

U.S. appeals court finds Alabama abortion law unconstitutional

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a permanent injunction blocking Alabama from banning the most common method of second-trimester abortion. But two judges from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta used the 3-0 decision to cast doubt on the Supreme Court's abortion jurisprudence, including that terminating a pregnancy is a constitutional right.

(with inputs from Reuters)