Health News Roundup: Fresenius taps pre-dialysis kidney care as drugs promise treatment change; Pfizer COVID vaccine clears Japan panel for use with young children and more

The study, published on Thursday, found that 14 states no longer have any clinics providing abortions as of Oct. 2, which marked 100 days since the Supreme Court gutted the 1973 ruling that had guaranteed federal abortion rights. Rash of child deaths in Gambia linked to cough syrups made in India -WHO The deaths of dozens of young children in Gambia from acute kidney injuries may be linked to contaminated cough and cold syrups made by an Indian drug manufacturer, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Fresenius taps pre-dialysis kidney care as drugs promise treatment change

The world’s largest dialysis company is seeking out kidney disease patients long before they need the most acute form of care as it plans for growth of new drugs that attack the condition’s causes early on. For decades, Germany's Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) has been the biggest player in the $50 billion U.S. market providing dialysis and related machines that help filter out blood toxins for people whose kidneys have failed to function.

Pfizer COVID vaccine clears Japan panel for use with young children

A Japanese health ministry panel on Wednesday recommended approving Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old. Japan in January expanded the use of the vaccine to those as young as five years old. Last month, health authorities started to dispensing Pfizer and Moderna Inc booster shots that target the Omicron variant of the virus.

India probes deaths in the Gambia linked to India-made cough syrup -sources

India is investigating the deaths of dozens of children in The Gambia that the World Health Organization (WHO) said may be linked to a cough syrup made in the south Asian nation, two people from India's health ministry told Reuters on Thursday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday told reporters the U.N. agency was investigating the deaths from acute kidney injuries with India's drug regulator and New Delhi-based cough syrup manufacturer Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

U.S. judge temporarily blocks two state lawsuits over J&J talc marketing

A U.S. bankruptcy judge has blocked New Mexico and Mississippi from pursuing lawsuits accusing Johnson & Johnson of misleading consumers about the safety of its talc products, such as its baby powder, for now. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan in Trenton, New Jersey on Tuesday said the litigation must be paused while an appellate court reviews whether J&J can use the bankruptcy of subsidiary LTL Management to resolve claims it is facing alleging that its talc products caused cancer. He said he would revisit allowing the states' lawsuits to proceed at a hearing in December.

Over 60 clinics in 15 U.S. states ceased abortion care post-Roe - study

More than 60 abortion clinics across 15 states have stopped providing abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights advocacy research group. The study, published on Thursday, found that 14 states no longer have any clinics providing abortions as of Oct. 2, which marked 100 days since the Supreme Court gutted the 1973 ruling that had guaranteed federal abortion rights.

Rash of child deaths in the Gambia linked to cough syrups made in India -WHO

The deaths of dozens of young children in the Gambia from acute kidney injuries may be linked to contaminated cough and cold syrups made by an Indian drug manufacturer, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. The findings, announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, followed tests on several medicinal syrups that were suspected of causing 66 child deaths in the tiny West African country.

Factbox-New treatments hold the promise of slowing kidney damage

New breakthrough drugs that tackle obesity and kidney damage could make a dent in the $50 billion U.S. dialysis market. The following are facts about the new treatment options and what role they play in slowing the gradual progression of chronic kidney disease that can end in renal failure.

Biden, doctors say new abortion laws have a chilling impact

U.S. President Joe Biden and top White House officials announced new guidelines and grants to protect abortion and contraception rights on Tuesday and said women's rights have already been curtailed since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade 100 days ago. Speaking at a meeting of the reproductive rights task force, with Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden said the decision that rescinded women's constitutional right to an abortion has had frightening ripple effects in some states, including restricting a teen's access to medicine she needed for arthritis. "We're not going to sit by and let Republicans throughout the country enact extreme policies," he said.

Namibia records 54 cases of swine flu

Namibia has confirmed 54 cases of swine flu out of 190 suspected cases, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The central Otjozundjopa region and the area surrounding the capital Windhoek were the most affected, with 24 positive cases reported in each area.

Dutch order poultry farmers to confine their birds, fearing bird flu

The Dutch government on Wednesday ordered poultry farmers to confine their birds to contain the spread of a highly infectious strain of bird flu. "Unfortunately, the high number of infections makes it clear that extra precaution is needed", Dutch minister of agriculture Piet Adema said in a letter to the House, adding that there have been several outbreaks the past two months and that there are daily reports of dead wild birds in various regions in the Netherlands.

 

(With inputs from agencies.)