Health News Roundup: Diabetes drug maker Novo Nordisk buys pill factory in North Carolina; China restricts opioid in tighter painkiller controls

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca's Lynparza helps prostate cancer patients live longer: study

AstraZeneca said on Wednesday its cancer drug, Lynparza, was successful in helping patients with metastatic prostate cancer and certain genetic mutations live longer without the disease worsening, compared with the standard of care. The British drugmaker said the treatment met the main goal in a late-stage study of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and BRCA1/2 or ATM gene mutations. Patients were previously treated with hormonal anticancer therapies.

Diabetes drug maker Novo Nordisk buys pill factory in North Carolina

Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it had bought a factory in North Carolina that would assist in manufacturing and packaging its new once-daily pill for treating type 2 diabetes. The tablet version of its diabetes drug, known as semaglutide, is an important growth prospect for the Danish drugmaker, which faces pressure on prices from competitors and U.S. lawmakers who have been critical of rising drug costs.

China restricts opioid in tighter painkiller controls

China has imposed new restrictions on the opioid oxycodone, its drug regulator said, as the country tightens control of its painkillers industry in the battle against drug addiction. Oxycodone, among the heavy-duty painkillers blamed for the deadly opioid crisis in the United States, will be classified as a psychotropic drug in some formulations and require more approvals to produce or prescribe them, the National Medical Products Administration said late on Tuesday.

China bans pig imports from Slovakia due to African swine fever

China has banned imports of pigs, wild boars, and related products from Slovakia to prevent the spread of African swine fever from the European country, China's customs said on Wednesday. China, the world's largest pig producer, is also battling the highly contagious disease, which has been detected every province and region on its mainland, as well as on Hainan island and Hong Kong, since it was first detected in August 2018.

Bayer says next glyphosate lawsuit likely to be postponed

Germany's Bayer said the next U.S. lawsuit scheduled to be heard over claims that its glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup causes cancer would likely be postponed. Bayer, which acquired the weedkiller as part of its purchase of Monsanto last year, was initially scheduled to face its first trial outside California in St. Louis, Missouri, on Aug. 19, brought by Illinois resident Sharlean Gordon, who blames her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on using Roundup at home.

Thailand unveils first batch of medical marijuana for hospital distribution

Thailand delivered 4,500 bottles of cannabis oil to treat hospital patients on Wednesday, its first official use of marijuana for medical purposes since a measure legalizing such use took effect this year. Thailand, which has a tradition of using cannabis to relieve pain and fatigue, legalized marijuana for medical use and research last year to help boost agricultural income.

U.S. FDA says some data testing Novartis' $2 million gene therapy was manipulated

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that some data from early testing of Novartis' more than $2 million gene therapy Zolgensma was manipulated, but the agency believes the treatment should remain on the market. The FDA said it is carefully assessing the situation.

Patient groups push back against Gilead's pricey HIV prevention treatment

Gilead Sciences Inc hopes to soon introduce a pricey new pill to prevent HIV in people at risk of contracting the infection, but the drugmaker faces opposition from an unusual source: patient advocates. Such groups have traditionally lobbied for insurance coverage of newer HIV drugs regardless of expense. But at least three U.S. organizations now question whether Gilead’s Descovy would be the best option for most people at risk of exposure.

Bulgaria has failed to halt spread of African swine fever in threat to pig industry

Bulgaria has failed to contain the spread of African swine fever, its deputy agriculture minister said on Wednesday amid concerns that the Black Sea country could lose its entire 600,000 pig breeding industry. One of the European Union's poorest states, Bulgaria has so far detected more than 30 outbreaks of the disease, which is incurable in pigs but harmless to humans, at industrial or backyard farms and around 130,000 pigs have already been culled.

Judge again blocks Arkansas from enforcing new abortion limit: media

A federal judge late on Tuesday again blocked Arkansas from enforcing a new ban on abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy, a law that had been expected to go into effect on Wednesday after a previous judicial block expired, CNN and other media reported. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker of the Eastern District of Arkansas granted a temporary reprieve for two weeks until Aug. 20, blocking the state from enforcing that ban and other restrictions.

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