Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Johnson & Johnson settles Ohio lawsuits to avoid federal trial

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it will pay $20.4 million to settle claims by two Ohio counties, allowing the U.S. healthcare giant to avoid an upcoming federal trial seeking to hold the industry responsible for the nation's opioid epidemic. J&J became the fourth drugmaker to settle claims ahead of the Federal Court trial against multiple manufacturers and distributors in Cleveland scheduled for later this month. The case is considered a bellwether for more than 2,600 lawsuits by state and local governments that are pending nationally. Juul hires Altria executive to handle regulation amid vaping crisis

Juul Labs Inc on Tuesday hired the head of regulatory affairs at its part-owner Altria Group Inc to take on a similar role at the e-cigarette maker, amid a regulatory backlash against the growth of teen vaping in the United States. Joe Murillo is the first big hire by Juul's new chief executive officer, K.C. Crosthwaite, who himself moved over from Altria last week. Prince Harry's wife Meghan backs better access for women to higher education

Meghan, wife of Britain's Prince Harry, said on Tuesday that empowering women through education could be transformational for communities during a visit to Johannesburg University in South Africa. Meghan, who is visiting southern Africa with Harry and their four-month-old son Archie, is herself a university graduate and women's rights advocate, and she spoke of how "deeply important and meaningful" the issue of education was for her. Restrictive Georgia abortion law temporarily blocked by federal judge

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Georgia law that would have prohibited women from getting an abortion after as early as six weeks of pregnancy. The move stops the legislation from taking effect in January while a legal challenge is pending. South Korea confirms new cases of African swine fever in North Korea border town

South Korea on Wednesday confirmed two additional cases of African swine fever at pig farms in Paju, a town near its border with North Korea, the country's agriculture ministry said, bringing its total number of cases of the disease to eleven. South Korea is still looking into the source of the virus, but all of the cases have been found on hog farms near its border with North Korea, which reported an outbreak in May. High ambitions: Uruguay cannabis firm targets booming global market for medical marijuana

In a white, sterilized laboratory on the outskirts of Uruguayan capital Montevideo, biochemist Javier Varela and his team are carefully cultivating plants for a booming multibillion-dollar global market in medical marijuana. The company Varela works for, Fotmer Life Sciences, has just made the first commercial shipment of medical cannabis from Latin America, 10 kg (22 lb) of dried flowers with high levels of active ingredient THC destined for patients in Australia. Drug companies urge appeals court to remove judge from U.S. opioid litigation

Eight drug companies on Tuesday urged a federal appeals court to disqualify the judge overseeing nationwide opioid litigation, in a last-ditch effort to avoid having him preside over a landmark trial in three weeks. The request came six days after U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland refused to recuse himself and said he had done nothing to favor the state and local governments suing for damages, including by encouraging settlements. Banned in Boston: Without vaping, medical marijuana patients must adapt

In the first few days of the four-month ban on all vaping products in Massachusetts, Laura Lee Medeiros, a medical marijuana patient, began to worry. The 32-year-old massage therapist has a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from childhood trauma. To temper her unpredictable panic attacks, she relied on a vape pen and cartridges filled with the marijuana derivatives THC and CBD from state dispensaries. Walmart suspends sale of heartburn drugs linked to cancer-causing impurity

Walmart Inc said on Wednesday it was suspending the sale of all over-the-counter heartburn medication containing the drug ranitidine after the U.S. health agency flagged the presence of a probable cancer-causing impurity. The company said it will stop the sale of Zantac, Equate and Member's Mark brands. Ohio governor calls on lawmakers to ban flavored vaping products

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Tuesday called on state lawmakers to pass a ban on most flavored e-cigarettes, saying he was alarmed by a nationwide surge in a sometimes deadly lung disease linked to vaping nicotine or marijuana e-cigarettes. U.S. health officials have linked vaping to 12 deaths and 805 cases of a mysterious respiratory illness.

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