Health News Roundup: India bans e-cigarettes in setback for Juul and Philip Morris

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Juul's sales halted in China days after launch

U.S. e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc said on Tuesday its products were not currently available on e-commerce web sites in China, days after it entered the world's single-largest market for tobacco consumption with over 300 million smokers. "While JUUL products are not currently available on e-commerce Web sites in China, we look forward to continued dialogue with stakeholders so that we can make our products available again," the company spokesperson said, without disclosing any reason for the halt of sales.

With a backup to the backup, insulin makers say they're primed for Brexit

For two men trained as scientists, the bosses of Britain's major insulin providers have had to become experts in ferry schedules, trucking laws and warehouse capacity as they seek to guarantee the supply of life-saving drugs through a chaotic Brexit. With Britain set to leave the European Union within weeks, Pinder Sahota at the world's biggest insulin maker Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi's Hugo Fry have rebuilt operations to withstand the most turbulent of events.

Scientists release sterile mosquitoes in Burkina to fight malaria

Scientists in Burkina Faso have deployed a new weapon in the fight against malaria, and waded into a thorny bioethics debate, by letting loose thousands of genetically sterilized mosquitoes. Their experiment is the first outside the lab to release genetically altered mosquitoes in the hope of reducing their ability to spread the often deadly disease.

Caregivers of seriously ill spouses find life improves more when the partner dies

(Reuters Health) - For caregivers tending to a seriously ill spouse, quality of life may improve to a greater extent if the partner dies than if the partner recovers, a German study suggests. That paradoxical finding - that life becomes more satisfying when sick partners die than when they recover - may arise from the fact that on average, bereaved caregivers in the study had heavier caregiving burdens, with sicker spouses and more hours spent caring for their loved one until the caregiver role ended, said Laura Langner, a sociology researcher at the University of Oxford and Nuffield College in the UK who led the research.

South Korea confirms second case of deadly African swine fever, pledges vigilance

South Korea has confirmed a second case of African swine fever at a pig farm near the border with North Korea, a day after reporting its first-ever outbreak of the virus, deadly to pigs but not harmful to humans. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday that the second case was detected at a farm in Yeoncheon, northwest of the capital Seoul, where 4,700 pigs had been raised. North Korea reported its first case in late May.

New York state ban on flavored e-cigarettes given final approval

New York became the second state to ban flavored e-cigarettes on Tuesday after its Democratic governor called for emergency action in response to concerns about their rising use among teens and a nationwide spate of lung illnesses. Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday called for an urgent meeting of the state's Public Health and Health Planning Council to consider the proposed ban.

World at risk of pandemics that could kill millions, panel warns

The world is facing a mounting threat of disease pandemics that could kill millions and wreak havoc on the global economy, an international expert panel has warned, and governments should work to prepare for and mitigate that risk. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), co-convened by the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), warned that epidemic-prone viral diseases like Ebola, flu, and SARS are increasingly tough to manage in a world dominated by lengthy conflicts, fragile states, and forced migration.

Thailand culls 200 pigs amid heightened fears over African swine fever

Thailand has culled more than 200 pigs this week, authorities said on Tuesday, in the first such action amid heightened fears of a potential outbreak of African swine fever. Thailand has yet to report an outbreak of African swine fever among its pigs, though neighboring Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have all confirmed cases of the deadly disease.

India bans e-cigarettes in setback for Juul and Philip Morris

India banned the production, import and sale of electronic cigarettes on Wednesday, a public health decision that will dash the expansion plans of companies such as Juul Labs and Philip Morris International in the country. The ban will be imposed through an executive order and will include jail terms of up to three years for offenders. It was not clear whether the use of such products would be prohibited.

Roche bid to recycle Gazyva for lupus nephritis wins FDA breakthrough tag

Roche has won the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's breakthrough therapy tag for its drug Gazyva in lupus nephritis, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday, boosting its efforts to recycle the 2013-approved lymphoma medicine for new indications. There are no FDA-approved drugs for lupus nephritis, a life-threatening manifestation of the autoimmune disease lupus in which the kidneys grow inflamed. Roche has heralded Gazyva's potential in lupus in helping turn a medicine with 2018 sales of 390 million Swiss francs ($393 million) into a commercial success.

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