Health News Roundup: J&J slashes Q3 profit; vaping risks and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New York, states reach $700 million settlement with Reckitt over opioid probes

New York and other states have reached a $700 million settlement deal with Reckitt Benckiser over allegations that the drug distributor improperly marketed a drug to treat opioid addiction, New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Wednesday. The deal is a part of an up to $1.4 billion settlement agreed to in July to resolve U.S. state and federal claims that Reckitt Benckiser's former pharmaceuticals business Indivior, before it was spun out, carried out an illegal scheme to boost sales of opioid addiction treatment Suboxone.

Teva’s proposed opioid settlement could cost drugmaker pennies on the dollar

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's proposed $23 billion drug giveaway to settle thousands of U.S. opioid lawsuits will likely cost the company a fraction of that figure due to how it has valued those medicines, according to a Reuters review of pricing data and industry analysts. When Teva announced the value of the donated medicine - a generic version of opioid addiction treatment Suboxone - it based the figure on the drug's list price, which does not account for significant discounts routinely provided by the drugmaker.

South Korea's top convenience store chain stops selling flavored liquid e-cigarettes

South Korea's top convenience store chain GS25 has stopped selling flavored liquid e-cigarettes, the parent company GS Retail said on Thursday. The sales suspension came a day after the country's health minister warned the public to stop using liquid vaping products, citing a number of deaths attributed to e-cigarettes in the United States.

South Korea warns of 'serious risk' from vaping, considers sales ban

South Korea on Wednesday advised people to stop using liquid e-cigarettes due to growing health concerns and vowed to speed up an investigation into whether to ban sales, a move likely to hit major producers such as Juul and local tobacco company KT&G. While long-term health impacts from vaping remain largely unknown, e-cigarettes were viewed as a healthier alternative that could help users quit smoking when they were first launched a few years ago.

That last toke for the road could be a downer with pot breathalyzers coming

One toke for the road could end up being a total bummer for drivers who smoke pot, with several companies in the United States preparing to market cannabis breathalyzers as legalized marijuana spreads across the country. Law enforcement agencies will require breathalyzers to detect marijuana as they are "faced with the necessity of stopping more and more motor vehicles being operated under the influence of THC," said Brett Meade, a retired police chief and a senior program manager for Washington-based non-profit group the Police Foundation.

J&J slashes third-quarter profit by $3 billion over proposed opioid deal

Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday lowered its previously reported third-quarter profit by $3 billion to account for a proposed opioid settlement payment. A framework settlement, announced on Monday, was hammered out by some drugmakers and distributors and attorneys general in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. The proposed deal will need broad support among all the state attorneys general and local governments that have sued the companies over the opioid crisis.

U.S. FDA says carcinogen not found in alternatives of Zantac and its generics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that alternatives to popular heartburn drug Zantac and its generic versions, known chemically as ranitidine, have not been found to contain the probable cancer-causing impurity that ranitidine has been linked to. (http://bit.ly/2oYJ1Vz) U.S. retailers Walmart Inc, CVS Health Corp Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and Rite Aid Corp have all removed Zantac off their shelves after some drugs containing its key ingredient ranitidine were found to have traces of the impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).

Eli Lilly to target cancer drug developers for deals

Eli Lilly and Co will target cancer drug developers for deals, Chief Executive Officer Dave Ricks said on a post-earnings conference call on Wednesday. "Probably because of the number of opportunities, you will see us active in oncology - that's where a lot of early stage biotech is," Ricks said.

GSK gets FDA nod for wider use of ovarian cancer drug Zejula

GlaxoSmithKline said U.S. regulators had approved its ovarian cancer treatment Zejula for wider use in some advanced cancers, in a boost to the British drugmaker's oncology portfolio as it competes with rival AstraZeneca. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval is for the drug's use in advanced ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer patients who have undergone at least three prior chemotherapy regimens and whose disease has come back.

Amazon buys healthcare start-up Health Navigator

Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it bought healthcare start-up Health Navigator, its second purchase in the healthcare services industry. The deal comes after the company acquired online pharmacy PillPack last year, pitting itself against drugstore chains, drug distributors and pharmacy benefit managers. (https://reut.rs/31DSU8k)

Also Read: UPDATE 1-Dozens caged and shackled in Trinidad drug rehab center, police say

(With inputs from agencies.)