Health News Roundup: U.S. House panel asks e-cigarette companies to cease advertising; U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 12, illnesses climb to 805

Britain's looming exit from the EU carries real risks that medicines and healthcare supplies will be delayed, the UK's public spending watchdog said on Friday, and an influential lawmaker said a no-deal Brexit may have the "gravest of consequences". While Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has taken some steps to manage the risks, the National Audit Office (NAO)said in a report, there is still significant work to be done.

Teens may struggle to get opioid overdose drug at U.S. pharmacies

Despite state laws expanding access to the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone without a prescription, a new study suggests that many pharmacies don't stock the drug or dispense it to young people who need it. In the 10 U.S. states with the most opioid overdose deaths in 2016, roughly four in five drugstores stocked naloxone, a survey of 120 pharmacists found. But nearly half of these pharmacists incorrectly thought that they could only dispense the treatment to adults.

U.S. House panel asks e-cigarette companies to cease advertising

A U.S. House panel sent letters to four e-cigarette companies asking them to stop all print, broadcast and digital advertising of their products in the United States, the same day as market-leader Juul said it would pull its ads, the panel said on Thursday. "I am writing today to respectfully, but strongly, request your company to do the same," Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the House Oversight subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, wrote on Wednesday to Fontem Ventures, Japan Tobacco International Inc, Reynolds American Inc and NJOY LLC.

U.S. judge refuses to disqualify himself from opioid litigation

The U.S. judge overseeing nationwide opioid litigation on Thursday rejected a request by several big pharmacy chains and drug distributors to disqualify himself because he appeared to be biased against them and pressed too hard for a costly settlement. Calling the opioid crisis "one of the greatest tragedies of our time," U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland admitted he had been "very active" in encouraging a settlement, but said he was "confident that no reasonable person can legitimately question my impartiality."

'Straight-up panic': U.S. vaping crackdown sends some scrambling for their fix

When Massachusetts announced a four-month ban on vaping products this week, Chris Soares was ready, having amassed more than 20 bottles of flavored, nicotine-laced vape fluid, enough to supply his daily habit well into next year. "I was doing a doomsday prepping kind of thing," said Soares.

India's Strides Pharma halts U.S. sales of heartburn drug

India's Strides Pharma Science Ltd said on Friday it has halted sales of its heartburn drug Ranitidine in the U.S. market as it conducts tests to identify possible cancer-causing impurities in the tablets. The move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked the company to test the drug for indications of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurity, which the regulator says is a "probable human carcinogen".

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 12, illnesses climb to 805

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 805 confirmed and probable cases and 12 deaths so far from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, with the outbreak showing no signs of losing steam. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 530 cases and seven deaths due to severe lung illnesses.

Bad news for chocolate lovers: it may not help your vision

In disappointing news for chocolate lovers, researchers have found that contrary to an earlier report, eating dark chocolate will not improve your vision. The earlier report suggested that certain aspects of vision improved within a couple of hours of chocolate consumption. The new study showed no changes in vision or blood flow to the eyes after consuming about three quarters of an ounce of dark chocolate. Both studies, however, involved only a small number of volunteers.