Health News Roundup: Adamas shares plunge 45% after drug to help MS patients walk disappoints

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Adamas shares plunge 45% after drug to help MS patients walk disappoints

Adamas Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Tuesday its drug to treat walking impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis did not show the clinical benefit the drugmaker was hoping for in a late-stage trial, sending shares of the company down 45%. The company said it would assess the potential for the treatment, Gocovri, in MS patients before determining its continued investment in the program. U.S. government extends deadline to sign up for Obamacare insurance plans

The U.S. government said on Monday the deadline for signing-up for 2020 insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been extended by three days to Dec. 18 to accommodate those who experienced issues while attempting to enroll. There were website glitches and call center delays reported on Sunday, the earlier deadline for the 2020 open enrollment, and the extension should help the final enrollment tally, said Evercore ISI analyst Michael Newshel. Alnylam gene-silencing therapy to treat kidney disorder succeeds in late-stage study

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc's gene-silencing therapy for a rare kidney disorder met the main goal of a late-stage study on Tuesday, bringing the company a step closer to marketing the first approved treatment for the condition. The study tested Alnylam's experimental drug, lumasiran, against placebo in patients aged six and above with primary hyperoxyluria type 1 (PH1), a life-threatening condition that is estimated to affect one in 58,000 people globally. U.S. sues CVS for fraudulently billing Medicare, Medicaid for invalid prescriptions

CVS Health Corp and its Omnicare unit were sued on Tuesday by the U.S. government, which accused them of fraudulently billing Medicare and other programs for drugs for older and disabled people without valid prescriptions. The Department of Justice joined whistleblower litigation accusing Omnicare of violating the federal False Claims Act for illegally dispensing drugs to tens of thousands of patients in assisted living facilities, group homes for people with special needs, and other long-term care facilities. Vaping increases the risk of lung disease by a third: U.S. study

Using e-cigarettes significantly increases the risk of developing chronic lung conditions such as asthma or emphysema, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is among the first to show the potential long-term harms of using e-cigarettes, which are often promoted as a safer alternative to tobacco and a means of helping smokers quit. Biohaven Pharma says treatment for acute migraine succeeds in study

Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd said on Tuesday two doses of its experimental treatment for acute migraine were effective in reducing headaches in a pivotal study. The drug, vazegepant, belongs to a new class of treatments for migraine called CGRP inhibitors. Patients face difficulty talking about weight with doctors

Doctors rarely talk about weight concerns with patients who are overweight or obese, and when they do, patients' experiences tend to be negative, according to a new review of research based on interviews. Most often, doctors avoid the topic, leaving patients feeling stigmatized and neglected, the study team reports in the journal Clinical Obesity. When doctors do talk about weight issues, they often seem to assume patients simply aren't trying to address their weight, and offer "banal" advice. Human exposure to BPA may be greater than previously thought

Humans may be exposed to higher than expected levels of bispehnol A (BPA), a toxic chemical thought to interfere with hormones involved in normal growth and development, according to a study using a new method for measuring the chemical in people. Longstanding tests for human BPA exposure have relied on an enzyme solution made from snails to transform BPA metabolites - breakdown products formed as the chemical passes through the body - back into whole BPA that can then be measured, researchers note in the The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Amylyx drug helps slow ALS progression in mid-stage study

Privately held drug developer Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Tuesday its experimental therapy to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) helped slow the progression of the fatal neurological disorder in a mid-stage study. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare disorder that attacks nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles, and over 6,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the ALS Association. Addictive nicotine in Juul nearly identical to a Marlboro: study

The nicotine formula used by controversial e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc is nearly identical to the flavor and addictive profile of Altria Group Inc's highly successful Marlboro cigarette brand, new research suggests. A study released on Tuesday from researchers at Portland State University in Oregon helps to explain why a growing number of young people who never smoked cigarettes have become regular users of Juul vaping devices.