Health Roundup: Pork back to Xiamen; Ebola trails; Mealworms in Hong Kong

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

FDA puts Zafgen's diabetes trial on hold

Zafgen Inc said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had placed a clinical hold on U.S. trials of its experimental diabetes drug, citing possible heart safety risks. Zafgen said it planned to assess the options put forward by the FDA in a letter last week and request a meeting with the agency to discuss the next steps with the clinical trial.

China's Xiamen Airlines puts the pork back on the menu after swine fever 'misunderstanding'

China's Xiamen Airlines has reversed a short-lived ban and resumed serving pork on flights after a "misunderstanding" about the measures being taken to tackle African swine fever, the deadly disease sweeping China's pig herd. The airline, a unit of state-owned China Southern Airlines Co Ltd, said on Friday it would stop serving pork on flights the following day due to swine fever outbreaks in China.

Congo approves clinical trials for Ebola treatments

Congolese authorities have authorized clinical trials for four experimental Ebola treatments, which will allow researchers to collect valuable data about their effectiveness, the health ministry said on Saturday. Health workers have already administered therapeutic treatments to more than 150 Ebola patients since August in an effort to contain the worst of Democratic Republic of Congo's 10 outbreaks of the hemorrhagic fever since 1976.

Chinese university to investigate after academic claims to have edited twins’ genes

A Chinese university said on Monday it will immediately launch an investigation after an associate professor released videos on YouTube claiming to have edited the genes of twins born earlier this month and defending the ethics of his work. The Southern University of Science and Technology in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen said it had been unaware of the research project and that the academic, He Jiankui, had been on leave without pay since February.

Make a meal of mealworms, Hong Kong startup says

Pasta prepared with mealworms raised in your own home? The unusual dinner idea could soon be a reality if Hong Kong entrepreneur Katharina Unger has her way.

Vectura drops severe asthma treatment after poor trial results

Britain's Vectura Group Plc will stop developing its treatment for severe uncontrolled asthma after a trial showed it failed to have a significant impact on the condition. The announcement is the latest setback for the loss-making drugmaker, which has faced a rocky two years since its $620 million acquisition of rival SkyePharma, which led to lower royalties and higher costs than expected.

(With inputs from agencies.)