Health News Roundup: Clash over fentanyl copycats; rising mental health issues and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Trump administration drug officials clash over how to combat fentanyl copycats

Trump administration officials are divided over part of a proposal to crack down on illicit versions of fentanyl, the deadly synthetic painkiller that U.S. President Donald Trump targeted in declaring a national opioid abuse emergency. In an inter-agency dispute that highlights the challenges of curbing opioid abuse, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is publicly backing tighter rules for fentanyl analogues, which are slightly altered copycat versions of the powerful drug fueling an explosion in overdoses.

Novartis launches Adamis allergy shots in U.S. pharmacies amid EpiPen shortage

A unit of Novartis AG said on Tuesday it would make partner Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corp's emergency allergy shots immediately available in local pharmacies across the United States, amid a shortage of Mylan NV's rival product, EpiPen. The Sandoz unit of Novartis launched Symjepi for use in hospitals in January and had said it would make the treatment available in pharmacies in a phased manner.

Drinking less might be tied to higher quality of life

Moderate drinkers who quit may be able to achieve bigger improvements in well-being than the rest of us, a new study suggests. In moderation, alcohol consumption has been linked to improved quality of life and a lower risk of health problems like heart disease and certain cancers in some previous research, leading doctors to advise some patients to imbibe occasionally as part of a healthy diet, researchers note in CMAJ. But results have been mixed, and research to date hasn't offered a clear picture of whether moderate drinking - up to 17 drinks a week for men and 7 for women - is more harmful or helpful when it comes to physical and mental health.

U.S. judge strikes down Trump administration rule requiring drug prices in TV ads

A federal judge on Monday dealt a blow to the Trump administration by striking down a new rule that would have forced pharmaceutical companies to include the wholesale prices of their drugs in television advertising. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington sided with drugmakers Merck & Co Inc , Eli Lilly and Co and Amgen Inc by halting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule from taking effect on Tuesday as planned.

Mental health issues in Hong Kong surging amid tumultuous protests, experts say

Stress and trauma over the political turmoil surrounding Hong Kong's extradition bill has created an unprecedented mental health problem that the city is not equipped to deal with, medical professionals say. Discussion of mental health carries a huge stigma in the Chinese-ruled territory, and younger people are particularly vulnerable because of the stresses of everyday life: exorbitant living costs, cramped housing, academic pressure and a gloomy view of the future, medical professionals say.

WHO updates its essential medicines list, adds cancer and stroke drugs

The World Health Organization published an updated list of "essential medicines" on Tuesday, adding drugs for cancer, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease among the treatments that should be seen as the standard. The list included five new cancer therapies based on improved survival rates for lung, blood and prostate cancers, and recommended two new immunotherapies -- nivolumab and pembrolizumab -- that had improved survival rates by 50% for advanced melanoma, which was incurable until recently.

UK offers HPV vaccines to boys, aims to stop 100,000 cancer cases

Some 100,000 cases of cancer could be prevented in Britain in the next 40 years by a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cancers of the cervix, mouth, anus, and genitals, UK health officials said on Tuesday. Announcing the extension of a vaccination program to cover boys, as well as girls, experts at Public Health England (PHE), said the immunization plan would prevent around 64,000 cervical cancers and nearly 50,000 non-cervical cancers by 2058.

Potential IPO candidate BioNTech secures $325 million in financing round

German biotech firm BioNTech has secured $325 million in a private financing round to boost its cancer immunotherapies pipeline, the company said on Tuesday. Two-thirds of the money raised came from new investors, BioNTech said in a statement, adding that it would use the funds for research and development as well as its manufacturing infrastructure.

12-month supply of birth control pills cuts unintended pregnancies, cost

When women are given a 12-month supply of oral contraceptives, they are less likely to have an unintended pregnancy than if they need to get refills every three months, a new study shows. Researchers also found that supplying 12 months of the pill to female veterans was more cost-effective than doling out just three months of contraceptives at a time, according to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

U.S. appeals court to take up constitutionality of Obamacare

The future of Obamacare could be at stake on Tuesday when a coalition of Democratic-led states and House of Representatives urge a federal appeals court to overturn a Texas judge's ruling that the U.S. healthcare reform law is unconstitutional. Republicans have repeatedly tried to repeal Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), since its 2010 passage, and while the Justice Department would normally defend a federal law, the Trump administration has declined to defend its constitutionality against a challenge by 18 Republican-led states.