Health News Roundup: Macron seeks remedy for 'healthcare deserts'; UK health service risks 350,000 staff gap by 2030

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

United Therapeutics to develop, sell Arena Pharma's hypertension treatment

United Therapeutics Corp on Thursday signed a deal potentially worth up to $1.2 billion for the rights to develop and sell Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc's pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment(PAH). The two companies said the deal for Arena's late-stage experimental treatment, ralinepag, includes milestone payments of up to $400 million based on certain regulatory events in addition to an upfront payment of $800 million.

In rural France, Macron seeks remedy for 'healthcare deserts'

When Joelle Dupas falls ill, she goes to a medical centre in her hometown in rural western France where all 12 doctors have come out of retirement. The 66-year-old tried for months to find a doctor after retiring to Laval, a quiet town of 50,000 residents surrounded by rolling fields. Her search ended at the simple centre managed by the 12 veteran doctors, aged between 67 and 70, on the ground floor of an apartment bloc.

Merck drug Keytruda succeeds in late-stage esophageal cancer trial

Merck & Co's blockbuster drug Keytruda met the main goal of a late-stage trial testing the treatment in patients with cancers of the digestive tract, the U.S. drugmaker said on Wednesday. Keytruda, among a class of medicines called PD-1 inhibitors, is Merck's top-selling drug and has already been approved to treat several forms of cancer including skin and lung cancer.

UK health service risks 350,000 staff gap by 2030: thinktanks

Lack of staff now represents a bigger challenge to Britain's health service than funding and the system could face a 350,000 personnel shortage by 2030, leading health thinktanks warned on Thursday. The situation is deteriorating in part due to "restrictive immigration policies exacerbated by Brexit", as well as the high numbers of doctors and nurses leaving their jobs early.

Stricter state gun laws linked to fewer child deaths from gunshot wounds

Twice as many U.S. children die from gunshot wounds in states with lax gun laws, compared to those with stricter rules, researchers told the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Orlando, Florida. "We found that stricter gun laws on the state level did result in fewer children dying from guns," said Dr. Stephanie Chao, a pediatric surgeon at Stanford School of Medicine in California, who presented her team's results on November 5.

Novartis 'completely committed' to Sandoz, has no split-off plan

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is "completely committed" to its $10 billion-per-year Sandoz generics business, a spokesman said on Thursday, after a newspaper reported Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan planned to split the unit off. "We're completely committed to the Sandoz business, and we're looking at transforming it and making it as strong as it can be in the global generics business," Novartis spokesman Sreejit Mohan told Reuters.

Jury clears J&J of liability in California talc cancer case

A California jury on Wednesday cleared Johnson & Johnson of liability in a case involving a woman who alleged that the company's talc-based products, including its baby powder, contain asbestos and caused her cancer, the company said. The jury in Humboldt County Superior Court in Eureka, California rejected claims by Carla Allen who said that her mesothelioma, a tissue cancer closely linked to asbestos exposure, was caused by the company's talc products, including Johnson's Baby Powder.

Pfizer loses drug patent fight in UK top court, may face claims

Pfizer lost the final round in a lengthy patent battle in Britain on Wednesday after the country's highest court ruled against it in a case involving its $5 billion-a-year pain drug Lyrica, exposing the company to possible financial claims. The Supreme Court decision is a blow for the U.S. drugmaker -- which had sought to affirm a secondary medical use patent for the product -- and a win for generic drug companies Actavis, now renamed Allergan, and Mylan.

China confirms new African swine fever outbreak in Hubei province

China's agricultural ministry said on Thursday it had confirmed a new African swine fever outbreak near the city of Huangguang in the central province of Hubei. The outbreak occurred on a farm of 636 pigs in Xishui county, it said, adding that 13 had already died and a further 24 were sick.

Low emission zones improve city air, but not enough: Study

London's low emission traffic zone has modestly reduced residents' exposure to diesel engine pollution, but the better air quality has not brought improved lung health among the capital's children, the research found on Wednesday. The results suggest that while air pollution levels may be reduced by low emission zones that are now in place in around 200 cities across Europe, extra measures are needed to deliver air clean enough to improve health.