Health News Roundup: Cancer-causing chemical found in Clinique, Clearasil acne treatments, U.S. lab reports; Dengue outbreaks on rise in Brazil as vaccine rollout lags and more

Valisure has also filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, calling on the regulator to recall the products, conduct an investigation and revise industry guidance, the New Haven, Connecticut-based lab said on Wednesday. Factbox-Who and what is the hack of UnitedHealth's tech unit affecting? The Feb. 21 ransomware hack at UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare technology unit, which processes insurance claims and payments for the industry, has disrupted healthcare across the United States.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Plastic lodged in arteries may be linked to higher risk of heart disease and death

Minuscule pieces of plastic lodged in the fatty deposits that line human arteries may be linked with higher risks for heart disease, strokes, and death, Italian researchers reported on Wednesday. Among 304 patients who underwent procedures to clear a major artery in the neck, 58% were found to have microscopic and nanoscopic "jagged-edged" pieces of plastic in the plaque lining the blood vessel, including polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride containing chlorine, Dr. Raffaele Marfella at the University of Campania in Naples and colleagues reported.

Cancer-causing chemical found in Clinique, Clearasil acne treatments, U.S. lab reports

High levels of cancer-causing chemical benzene were detected in some acne treatments from brands including Estee Lauder's Clinique, Target's Up & Up and Reckitt Benckiser-owned Clearasil, said independent U.S. laboratory Valisure. Valisure has also filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, calling on the regulator to recall the products, conduct an investigation and revise industry guidance, the New Haven, Connecticut-based lab said on Wednesday.

Factbox-Who and what is the hack of UnitedHealth's tech unit affecting?

The Feb. 21 ransomware hack at UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare technology unit, which processes insurance claims and payments for the industry, has disrupted healthcare across the United States. The Change unit processes about 50% of medical claims in the U.S. for around 900,000 physicians, 33,000 pharmacies, 5,500 hospitals and 600 laboratories. The following are some of its largest businesses and UnitedHealth's plans for how and when to fix them:

Dengue outbreaks on rise in Brazil as vaccine rollout lags

Drones fly high above Sao Paulo in search of mosquito-ridden puddles in an effort to tackle the spike in dengue cases around Brazil, as experts say current vaccine supplies will not be enough to fully curb infections any time soon. Cases of the mosquito-borne illness have surged during Brazil's hot, rainy season causing authorities nationwide to take emergency measures. On Tuesday, Sao Paulo's state department of health declared a state of emergency, estimating 300 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants.

Patients or payroll? US healthcare hack creates hard choices

Nearly two weeks after the ransomware attack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare unit that has disrupted claims processing across the U.S., doctors are beginning to face a no win choice - stop treating patients or stop paying staff. The attack, which was disclosed on Feb. 21, shut down the system that many doctors depend on to verify insurance coverage, file claims and get paid, sparking a campaign by hospitals and doctors for the U.S. government to provide financial relief as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Novo kidney trial finds Ozempic cuts cardiac deaths in diabetics

Novo Nordisk's widely used diabetes drug Ozempic delayed progression of chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients, a large late-stage study found, cutting the risk of death from that and major cardiac events by 24%. The trial results are the latest indication that drugs from the GLP-1 class, which suppress appetite by mimicking gut hormones, have medical benefits for conditions beyond type 2 diabetes and weight-loss, their initial purposes.

Elizabeth Carr, America's first IVF baby, hopes to educate at State of the Union

Elizabeth Carr, who 42 years ago became the first U.S. baby born through in vitro fertilization, hopes that her presence at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday will encourage lawmakers to learn more about the procedure. Alabama's state Supreme Court kicked off a furor last month when it ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children, prompting at least three providers to halt the procedure and sending Republican candidates scrambling to distance themselves from the decision by a panel of elected Republican judges.

Britain plans new tax on vaping from 2026

British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said he plans an extra tax on vaping products from October 2026 to make the habit more expensive and deter non-smokers from taking it up. Hunt said the government would introduce a one-off increase in tobacco duty at the same time to maintain the financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.

AstraZeneca to invest 650 million pounds in UK to boost 'pandemic preparedness'

AstraZeneca plans to invest 650 million pounds ($826.80 million) in Britain to boost research, development and manufacturing of vaccines, the government announced on Wednesday as part of Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt's spring budget. AstraZeneca's planned investment includes 450 million pounds to research, develop and manufacture vaccines at its manufacturing site in Speke, Liverpool, and another 200 million pounds to expand its existing presence in Cambridge, where its global headquarters are located.

Biden to call for expanding Medicare drug negotiation program

President Joe Biden will call on Congress to expand the number of drugs subject to annual Medicare price negotiations in his State of the Union address on Thursday, the White House said. The negotiation program, passed as part of 2022's Inflation Reduction Act, empowers Medicare to use its vast size to bargain with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices of expensive drugs for Medicare participants, who are age 65 and older.