Health News Roundup: Big risks for e-cigarette startups; J&J files for European approval of Ebola vaccine and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China's tobacco monopoly means big risks for e-cigarette startups

In a glass-walled laboratory, chemists puff on vaping devices as they test liquid nicotine flavors. Nearby, staffers with cartons of instant noodles on their desks tap away at laptops, messaging suppliers and customers. Here at the Shenzhen offices of e-cigarette start-up RELX Technology, workers scramble to keep pace with the rush of firms vying for sales in the world's biggest tobacco market. Their potential-customer base starts with 300 million Chinese smokers of traditional cigarettes – about nine times the number in the United States. Founded by former employees of Didi Chuxing, China's answer to Uber, RELX aims to become China's answer to Juul Labs Inc, the San Francisco startup that captured a huge share of the U.S. vaping market with a sleek and addictive e-cigarette.

Trump's 'conscience' rule for healthcare workers struck down by U.S. judge

A federal judge on Wednesday voided a White House-backed rule making it easier for doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers to avoid performing abortions and other medical services on religious or moral grounds. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan said the "conscience" rule was unconstitutionally coercive because it would let the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) withhold billions of dollars of funding from hospitals, clinics, universities and other healthcare providers that did not comply.

China's Bio-Thera gets approval for Humira biosimilar

China's Bio-Thera Solutions Ltd has won regulatory approval for its version of AbbVie Inc's blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis treatment Humira, paving the way for the first such biosimilar to enter the world's second-largest drug market. Humira is the world's top-selling drug, with sales of $20 billion last year, but now faces competition from cheaper versions in Europe and a 2023 expiration of its patents in the United States, by far the most profitable market.

Takeda's dengue vaccine effective overall in study but with major limitation

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co's experimental dengue vaccine was highly effective at preventing the mosquito-borne disease in a late-stage study, but it failed to protect against one type of the virus in people with no prior exposure to dengue. Takeda's vaccine was 80.2% effective at preventing dengue among children and teens in the year after they got the shot, according to results of a Phase III study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

Johnson & Johnson files for European approval of Ebola vaccine

Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it had filed for approval from European regulators for its two-dose experimental vaccine to protect against Ebola, less than a month after the agency recommended approval of Merck & Co Inc's vaccine. J&J said it submitted two marketing authorization applications to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its vaccine regimen targeting the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, which most commonly causes outbreaks of the deadly disease.

Judge shields OxyContin-maker Purdue from litigation until April

Purdue Pharma LP and the company's Sackler family owners will be shielded until April 8, 2020, from sprawling opioid litigation to give the maker of OxyContin time to try to reach a legal settlement the company says is worth $10 billion. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said on Wednesday he would approve an order extending a stay on more than 2,600 lawsuits that accuse Purdue and the Sacklers of fueling a crisis that contributed to 400,000 U.S. deaths between 1999 and 2017.

China's pork imports to peak in 2022, driven by fatal swine fever: consultancy

Global meat shippers have three years to make the most of the outbreak of fatal pig disease in China before Chinese pork imports peak, according to a report released by the U.S. pork industry, which is competing for sales against Europe and South America. The forecast issued on Wednesday starts a clock ticking for companies to profit from the epidemic of African swine fever (ASF), which has killed up to half of China's hog herd since August 2018 and pushed Chinese pork prices to record highs.

ObsEva IVF nolasiban drug flops in key European trial

Swiss-listed drugmaker ObsEva said on Thursday it is abandoning the current program for its drug prospect nolasiban after the agent aimed at boosting pregnancy following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) failed a late-stage study in Europe. Nolasiban did not meet the primary endpoint of an increase in ongoing pregnancy at 10 weeks, with 39.1% of women who got the placebo experiencing an ongoing pregnancy, compared with 40.5% of women who got nolasiban, the company said in a statement.

Chinese government bodies call for prohibition on vaping in public

Chinese government bodies have jointly called for a ban on consuming e-cigarettes in public, as the country gradually works to regulate its fast-growing vaping industry. In a document dated Oct. 29 and published online on Thursday, China's National Health Bureau, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the domestic tobacco monopoly China Tobacco, and five other bureaus urged local governments to curb both tobacco consumption among young people, as well as e-cigarette consumption.

Apple rolls out health records on iPhones for U.S. military veterans

Apple Inc on Wednesday said that U.S. military veterans who use its iOS devices and get medical care from the Veterans Health Administration will be able to access their health records on the devices. The Department of Veterans Affairs runs the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, with 9 million veterans enrolled and more than 1,200 facilities. Apple began working with the department this summer to allow access to health records from the system on iPhones and other Apple mobile devices running its iOS operating system.

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