Health News Roundup: China adds 148 drugs to key insurance list; Who is next in big pharma's merger spree?

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

One dead, over 100 ill in Spain's biggest listeriosis outbreak

A 90-year-old Spanish woman died on Tuesday, 56 people have been hospitalized and dozens more taken ill in what is believed to be the biggest outbreak of listeriosis recorded in Spain, the health minister said. A nationwide alert was sent out after listeria, the bacteria behind the infection, was suspected in a brand of packaged pork manufactured by Seville-based Magrudis, acting Health Minister Maria Luisa Carcedo told Cadena Ser radio.

Expert panel updates advice on BRCA cancer gene screening

Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with increased risks for breast, ovarian, and other cancers, but only certain women stand to benefit from genetic testing, according to updated recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). "Whether or not the harms of risk assessment, counseling, testing, and interventions outweigh the benefits depends on a woman's individual risk profile and family history," Dr. Douglas K. Owens, Task Force member from Stanford University in California, told Reuters Health by email.

Planned Parenthood opts out of U.S. subsidies in fight over abortion referrals

Planned Parenthood said on Monday it was withdrawing from a federal program subsidizing reproductive healthcare for low-income women after the Trump administration banned participants in the program from referring women to abortion providers. Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, said its move was spurred by a federal appeals court decision last month clearing the administration's way to restrict Title X grants under a new policy critics have branded a "gag rule."

Who is next in big pharma's merger spree?

Consolidation in the U.S. healthcare industry, which has already witnessed a string of multi-billion dollar deals, is expected to remain a major theme for the rest of 2019. Bristol-Myers Squibb's $74 billion acquisition of Celgene set the M&A ball rolling in January, and was followed by AbbVie Inc's $63 billion bid for troubled smaller rival Allergan Plc.

Sarepta shares sink 14% after shock FDA rejection

Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics Inc plunged 14% on Tuesday after the U.S. health regulator, in an unexpected move, declined to approve the drugmaker's newest treatment for a muscle-wasting disorder that mainly affects young boys. Wall Street analysts expressed surprise at the decision and at least six cut their price targets for the company's shares, while stressing they still expected the company's second drug for Duchenne muscular dystophy (DMD) to eventually be approved.

Elderly in Hong Kong looking to China for affordable care in retirement

After spending time with his 84-year-old mother in a senior care home in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, David Lee walked up to the supervisor and asked to reserve a place there for his own retirement. Lee, a 56-year-old from just across the border in Hong Kong, moved his mother, who has Alzheimer's and other ailments, into Yee Hong Heights two months ago as it became more difficult for him to care for her.

China adds 148 drugs to key insurance list: state media

China on Tuesday added 148 drugs to its list of medicines covered by basic medical insurance schemes, part of a push to lower patients' out-of-pocket costs in one of the world's largest drug markets, state media reported. AstraZeneca's Kombiglyze and Merck & Co's Janumet diabetes treatments are among the drugs that will now be covered by national insurance, according to the updated list published by China's National Healthcare Security Administration.

Teva launches generic version of EpiPen for young children

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Tuesday made its generic version of Mylan's EpiPen for young children available in most retail pharmacies at $300 for a 2-pack. U.S.-listed shares of the Israel-based company rose 4.9% to $7 in afternoon trading.

Drugmakers Endo, Allergan agree to $15 million in settlements in major opioid case

Endo International Plc and Allergan Plc have agreed to pay $15 million to avoid going to trial in October in a landmark case by two Ohio counties accusing various drug manufacturers and distributors of fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic. The tentative deals disclosed on Tuesday came ahead of the first trial to result from 2,000 lawsuits pending in federal court in Cleveland largely by local governments seeking to hold drug companies responsible for the deadly epidemic.

AstraZeneca diabetes drug shows promise in heart failure

AstraZeneca made strides on Tuesday toward its goal of adding heart failure to the conditions that can be treated by its diabetes drug Farxiga, putting it ahead of a rival medicine from Eli Lilly. The British drugmaker said Farxiga was successful in reducing the risk of deadly heart attacks or disease progression in patients with a common form of heart failure in a clinical trial that could help win regulatory approval for its wider use.