Global Health News: Cannabis Permits, Zantac Verdict, Bird Flu Concerns, and More

Thailand plans to require permits for medical cannabis, a jury rules Zantac not to blame for cancer, CVS seeks funding for Oak Street Health, Pfizer initiates cost-cutting measures, and concerns rise over bird flu's impact on humans and livestock.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Thailand plans to require permits for medical, research use of cannabis

Thailand plans to relist cannabis as a narcotic and issue permits only to those who grow and use it for medical purposes and research, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on social media on Thursday. The comments follow a stunning policy reversal this month by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who pledged to re-criminalise cannabis by the end of the year after it was de-criminalised in 2022.

Zantac not a cause of woman's cancer, jury says in first trial over drug

A jury in Chicago on Thursday rejected an Illinois woman's claim that the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused her colon cancer, in the first trial out of thousands of lawsuits making similar allegations. The jury in Cook County, Illinois circuit court agreed with arguments from drugmakers GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim that the plaintiff, 89-year-old Illinois resident Angela Valadez, had not proven her colon cancer was at least in part caused by her Zantac use.

CVS seeks private equity funding for Oak Street Health, Bloomberg News reports

CVS Health Corp has been seeking a private equity partner to fund growth at Oak Street Health, a primary care provider it bought a year ago, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The company has been working with financial advisers to help find capital to back new clinics that will be opened by Oak Street, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Pfizer rolls out another cost-cutting program, sets $1.5 billion target by 2027

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer on Wednesday launched a new multi-year program to reduce its expenses by about $1.5 billion by the end of 2027, adding on to a $4 billion cost cutting plan it announced last year. Investors have fled from Pfizer as pandemic worries declined and billions of dollars in COVID-19 vaccine and treatment sales disappeared. The company responded with a $43 billion purchase of cancer drugmaker Seagen, the cost cuts, and an internal restructuring.

EU reports no bird flu cases in humans or cows as virus spreads in US

There have been no reports in the European Union of bird flu infecting a human or cow but research is ongoing on the virus's transmission, an EU official said on Thursday, one day after U.S. officials confirmed that country's second human case.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly called bird flu, has killed millions of birds around the globe in recent years. Its spread to humans and other mammal species, including U.S. dairy cattle in March, is raising concerns that the virus could mutate into one easily transmissible between humans and spark a pandemic.

Tango Therapeutics to stop development of cancer therapy

Tango Therapeutics said on Thursday it would stop the development of its experimental cancer therapy due to liver toxicity experienced by patients in an early-to-mid stage trial.

Shares of the Boston-based cancer therapy developer fell 5.4% in premarket trading.

UK's anti-smoking laws could be lost in pre-election parliamentary rush

Britain's proposed law to ban smoking for younger generations could be shelved after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a surprise election, putting one of his flagship policies in jeopardy as there is only limited time for bills to be made law. Sunak on Wednesday called an election for July 4, giving the government just days to complete outstanding legislative business before parliament is dissolved on May 30.

Second US dairy worker infected with bird flu confirmed in Michigan

A second human case of bird flu has been confirmed in the United States since the virus was first detected in dairy cattle in late March, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The infection of a dairy worker in Michigan expands the outbreak of the virus that has circulated in poultry for years, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the risk to the general public remains low.

Tobacco industry aims to hook new generation on vapes, WHO says

Tobacco companies still actively target young people via social media, sports and music festivals and new, flavoured products, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, accusing companies of trying to hook a new generation on nicotine. Amid ever-stricter regulation targeting cigarettes, big tobacco companies and new entrants have begun offering smoking alternatives such as vapes, which they say are aimed at adult smokers.

Many US dairy workers yet to receive protective gear for bird flu

Many U.S. dairy farms have not yet increased health protections against bird flu for employees during an outbreak in cows, according to workers, activists and farmers, worrying health experts about the risk for more human infections of a virus with pandemic potential. Epidemiologists are concerned the virus could potentially spread and cause serious illnesses as farmers downplay the risk to workers while employees are not widely aware of cases in U.S. cattle.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)