Health News Roundup: Global measles cases three times higher than last year: WHO; Pinterest will direct vaccine searches to major health groups

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Global measles cases three times higher than last year: WHO

Every region in the world, except the Americas, is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of measles, a vaccine-preventable disease that can kill or disable children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. The WHO's Kate O'Brien put the blame on weak health systems and misinformation about vaccines and called on social media outlets and communities to make sure information about preventing the highly contagious disease was accurate.

Roche immunotherapy Tecentriq gains European approval for breast cancer

Roche's Tecentriq has won European approval for use against tough-to-treat breast cancer, helping the Swiss drugmaker to widen the use of immunotherapy that has so far been eclipsed in revenue terms by more-established rival medicines. The European Commission approved Tecentriq with Abraxane for people with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer that tests positive for a protein believed to help tumors to evade attack by the body's immune system, Roche said on Thursday.

Pinterest will direct vaccine searches to major health groups

Pinterest Inc users searching for vaccine-related information will be shown results from leading public health groups, in an effort to combat health misinformation on the site, the social media company said in a blog post on Wednesday. The move is an aggressive effort to moderate content by the newly public social media company. Social media platforms have been increasingly under fire for promoting misleading and incorrect content, including by opponents of vaccination.

Private health firms plan 'conquest' of Eastern Europe

Csilla Balla became anxious after her doctor told her she would need surgery to remove a benign skin growth on her face, and she decided to go back to see her to discuss other options. "They told me the next available appointment was two weeks later," said the 46-year-old teacher from Budapest. "It would have taken two weeks just to have another discussion on whether surgery was really necessary."

FDA flags risks from AbbVie, Gilead, Merck hepatitis C drugs to certain patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it had identified 63 cases of worsening liver function in certain patients taking hepatitis C medicines made by drugmakers Merck & Co Inc, Gilead Sciences and AbbVie Inc. The agency said that while the treatments are safe and effective, it had received reports of rare but serious instances of worsening liver function or failure when they were taken by patients with advanced liver disease. (https://reut.rs/2Zu2xoN)

U.S. to pay for thousands of doses of HIV drugs for Venezuelan migrants

The United States said on Wednesday it will provide thousands of doses of HIV medication to treat Venezuelans in Colombia as part of regional efforts to manage care for millions of migrants fleeing the crisis-hit nation. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar told Reuters about the decision in a phone interview following a meeting this week of health officials from 10 countries in the Colombian border city of Cucuta.

AstraZeneca lupus drug shows promise after set-back last year

AstraZeneca Plc said on Thursday its experimental drug to treat moderate-to-severe lupus met the main goal in a late-stage study, an encouraging sign after it failed to meet its main target in the final stage of another trial last year. The British drugmaker said anifrolumab under the TULIP 2 program helped patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as SLE.

Purdue Pharma in discussion on $10 billion-$12 billion offer to settle opioid lawsuits: sources

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and its owners, the Sackler family, are in discussion to settle more than 2,000 opioid lawsuits against the company for $10 billion to $12 billion, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Purdue is among several drugmakers and distributors that have been sued for fueling an opioid addiction crisis in the United States, which claimed 400,000 lives from 1999 to 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AstraZeneca respiratory business gets boost from 3-drug inhaler results

Prospects for AstraZeneca's respiratory treatments business improved on Wednesday as a three-drug inhaler was shown to ease smoker's lung and U.S. regulators granted its injectable asthma drug Fasenra special status for a rare lung condition. AstraZeneca said the late-stage ETHOS trial of triple-drug therapy Breztri Aerosphere, formerly known as PT010, helped patients suffering from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in a challenge to Glaxosmithkline's Trelegy Ellipta.

U.S. judge rules for Regeneron, Sanofi in Amgen cholesterol drug patent fight

A U.S. judge on Wednesday set aside a jury verdict that found Amgen Inc patents on its cholesterol drug Repatha were valid, handing a victory to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi SA, which sells a rival drug. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Andrews in Wilmington, Delaware was the latest reversal of fortune in a long-running lawsuit in which Amgen is seeking to stop French drugmaker Sanofi and U.S. biotech Regeneron from selling their drug Praluent.