Helath News Roundup: Novartis switches gears in Shanghai from research to drug development; India says e-cigarette ban implies use of devices also prohibited

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Merck and Bayer's heart drug meets main goal of late-stage study

China's Inner Mongolia reported a fresh, confirmed case of bubonic plague on Sunday, despite an earlier declaration by the country's health officials that the risk of an outbreak was minimal. The health commission of the autonomous region said a 55-year-old man was diagnosed with the disease after he ate wild rabbit meat on Nov. 5.

Colchicine cuts odds of new heart attack, stroke in heart attack survivors

The inflammation-fighting drug colchicine, already a treatment for gout, dramatically reduces the odds of future cardiovascular problems in people who have just survived a heart attack, a large new study has concluded. While 7.1% of patients who took placebo pills died, had a second heart attack, a stroke or needed a stent or heart surgery over the next two years, the rate was reduced to 5.5% among volunteers who took a half-milligram colchicine pill every day.

Explainer: Don't panic about China's "Black Death" plague cases

China reported a third case of bubonic plague on Sunday after two other plague cases were revealed last week, but the disease remains rare despite its fearsome reputation and authorities say the cases appear unrelated.

HOW DOES INFECTION OCCUR? Close contacts of China plague patients released after showing no symptoms: official

Some people who had been in close contact with pneumonic plague patients from Inner Mongolia have been released from medical observation, China's health authority said on Monday. Out of 46 close contacts of the two now-quarantined pneumonic plague patients, 42 were released from medical observation and four were still under monitoring, the health commission of the autonomous region said in a statement on its website.

Novartis switches gears in Shanghai from research to drug development

Novartis is exiting drug discovery at its Shanghai site and shifting its focus to drug development, saying accelerating approvals in China are pushing the Swiss company to dedicate the operation's resources to getting its medicines to market. The move marks an about-face from just three years ago, when Novartis had christened the $1 billion campus as its Chinese hub for early-stage research.

Portuguese foundation launches world's largest cancer award

Portugal's Champalimaud Foundation announced on Monday the world's largest annual prize, worth 1 million euros, for research and clinical practices aiming to control or eradicate cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and it was responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018, according to the World Health Organisation.

Morphosys to boost size of tafasitamab drug trial on encouraging interim data

German biotech company Morphosys said more patients would be recruited for a study testing its most advanced drug against a common type of blood cancer, following an encouraging interim data readout. An independent data monitoring committee recommended an increase in the number of patients to 450 from currently 330 in the ongoing trial named B-MIND, which tests the tafasitamab drug against relapsed or refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

India says e-cigarette ban implies use of devices also prohibited

The Indian government has told a court that its federal ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes implies that their use is also prohibited, legal documents seen by Reuters showed, in a further clampdown on the devices. Citing health risks, India in September banned the import, manufacture, sale, advertisement, storage and distribution of e-cigarettes, dashing future plans of companies such as U.S.-based Juul Labs and Philip Morris International.

Statins not linked with memory loss in seniors, study finds

(Reuters Health) - With several small studies suggesting that the widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, might be linked to memory loss in seniors, patients were understandably concerned. But a large new study finds no link between memory loss and the drugs. In fact, the six-yearlong study of more than 1,000 patients found the drugs appeared to protect cognition in patients with heart disease, researchers reported in the Journal of the America College of Cardiology.