Health News Roundup: Summer heatwaves caused 1,500 extra deaths in France: health minister


Reuters | Updated: 09-09-2019 18:29 IST | Created: 09-09-2019 18:27 IST
Health News Roundup: Summer heatwaves caused 1,500 extra deaths in France: health minister
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Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novartis CEO pledges to speed data integrity disclosures

Novartis Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan promised to inform U.S. regulators quickly if credible questions emerge internally over data integrity, he told investors on Monday, following data manipulation allegations involving the Swiss drugmaker's $2.1 million gene therapy Zolgensma. "Although we are confident that the actions we are taking will prevent data integrity issues from occurring in the future, going forward we are making a voluntary commitment to notify the FDA within five business days of receipt by our quality organization of any credible allegation related to data integrity impacting any pending application in the Novartis Group," Narasimhan said as part of an investor event.

China's Guangdong to release another 3,150 tonnes of pork from reserves to secure supplies

China's Guangdong province said it will release 3,150 tonnes of frozen pork from reserves during the upcoming holidays, part of a campaign to secure supplies of the country's favorite meat, local media reported on Monday, after a devastating disease ravaged the hog herd. The pig herd in the major pork consuming region has fallen 34% from the previous year in the first half of 2019, while the sow herd dropped 43%, the Nanfang Daily reported, citing government statistics.

Summer heatwaves caused 1,500 extra deaths in France: health minister

Heatwaves in June and July caused about 1,500 more deaths than usual in France over that period, though the figure was far lower than in the summer of 2003, the country's health minister said on Sunday. A total of 1,465 more people than usual died during the hot spells in June and July, up 9.1% on the average for the period, health ministry data shows.

Lilly's targeted RET drug shrinks tumors in lung cancer trial

Eli Lilly and Co's LOXO-292, an experimental cancer drug the company acquired in January as part of its $8 billion takeovers of Loxo Oncology, shrank tumors in nearly 70% of advanced lung cancer patients whose tumors carried specific abnormalities in the RET gene. The results, presented on Monday at the World Lung Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, will support Lilly's application for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval later this year.

Philippines declares first African swine fever outbreak near Manila

Dead pigs found in some backyard farms in the Philippines tested positive for African swine fever, the country's agriculture chief said on Monday, the first outbreak of the virus detected in the world's 10th largest pork consumer. The announcement was based on the results of laboratory tests requested by Agriculture Secretary William Dar after reports last month of an unusual number of pig deaths in backyard farms in Rizal province, near the Philippine capital of Manila.

Suicide kills one person every 40 seconds, says WHO

Across the world, one person takes their own life every 40 seconds, and more people die by suicide every year than in war, the World Health Organization said on Monday. Hanging, poisoning and shooting are the most common suicide methods, the WHO said as it urged governments to adopt suicide prevention plans to help people cope with stress and to reduce access to suicide means.

Malaria can be eradicated by 2050, say global experts

Malaria can be eradicated within a generation, global health experts have said. In a major report on Sunday, 41 specialists said a future free of malaria - one of the world's oldest and deadliest diseases - can be achieved as early as 2050.

Slovakian biotech firm signals tentative Alzheimer's drug hope

An Alzheimer's vaccine developed by a privately held Slovakian biotech firm showed early signs of efficacy in a mid-stage trial, a rare step forward in the fight against the brain-wasting disease, the company said on Monday. Axon Neuroscience said its AADvac1 drug, which targets pathological changes in the brain to the so-called tau protein that is a hallmark of the disease, slowed deterioration in trial patients when compared with a reference group given a placebo.

Amgen drug shrinks lung cancer tumors in half of patients: study

An experimental Amgen Inc drug that targets a specific genetic mutation reduced tumor size in around half of advanced lung cancer patients given the highest dose in a small, early-stage trial, the company said on Sunday. Out of 13 lung cancer patients taking a 960-milligram dose of AMG510, seven had tumors shrink by at least 30%, according to data presented in Barcelona at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Cancer was stabilized in the other six high-dose patients.

Los Angeles County resident dies of lung illness, fifth U.S. death possibly tied to vaping

A Los Angeles County resident has died from a lung illness possibly tied to vaping, bringing the total number of such U.S. deaths to five, health officials said on Friday. Officials are warning against e-cigarette use as the exact cause of any link between vaping and the lung condition remains unknown.

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

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