Health News Roundup: IceCure gets FDA nod to treat tumors; NMC Health launches review and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Israel's IceCure says gets FDA nod to treat tumors in liver, kidney

Israel's IceCure Medical said on Sunday it received U.S. regulatory approval to expand the use of its cryoablation technology to treat benign and cancerous tumors in livers and kidneys, sending its share price up 30%. IceCure's treatment uses special needles to inject liquid nitrogen to freeze and destroy tumors without the need for surgery.

Unmarried Chinese woman sues hospital over refusal to freeze eggs

An unmarried Chinese woman filed a suit against a hospital on Monday for rejecting her request to undergo a medical procedure to freeze her eggs due to her marital status, in China's first legal challenge of a woman fighting for her reproductive rights. According to China's laws on human assisted reproduction, only married couples can use such health services, and they must be able to prove their marital status by showing a marriage license.

Ram Dass, psychedelic drug pioneer, dies at home aged 88

Ram Dass, who in the 1960s joined Timothy Leary in promoting psychedelic drugs as the path to inner enlightenment before undergoing a spiritual rebirth he spelled out in the influential book "Be Here Now," died at home on Sunday. He was 88 years old. "With tender hearts we share that Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert) died peacefully at home in Maui on December 22, 2019 surrounded by loved ones," according to his official Instagram account.

U.S. government says verdict in Bayer's Roundup case should be reversed

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department said a federal appeals court should reverse a lower court verdict finding Bayer AG liable in the case of a California man who blamed its Roundup weed killer for his cancer. The government said in a friend of the court brief filed on Friday that glyphosate, the weed killer's active ingredient, is not a carcinogen and as a result a warning on the label was not required as California state law demands.

NMC Health launches independent review after short seller attack

NMC Health has launched an independent review of its books, seeking to reassure investors after U.S. short-selling firm Muddy Waters last week questioned the healthcare group's finances. Muddy Waters challenged the value of NMC's assets and cash balance as well as reported profits and debts, triggering a major sell-off in the stock that has wiped out half the company's market value.

FDA approves Intra-Cellullar's schizophrenia treatment, shares soar

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc's investigational drug to treat schizophrenia, the company said on Monday, sending its shares soaring 40%. The treatment, Caplyta, is the drug developer's lead candidate that has shown to regulate three neurotransmitter systems — serotonin, dopamine and glutamate — linked to severe mental illnesses.

Roche enters $1.15 billion licensing deal for Sarepta gene therapy

Roche entered into a $1.15 billion licensing agreement with Sarepta Therapeutics to obtain the right to launch and commercialize Sarepta's investigational gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) outside the United States. Roche will make an upfront payment of $750 million in cash and $400 million worth in equity at closing for Sarepta's investigational micro-dystrophin gene therapy SRP-9001 that is currently in clinical development, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement on Monday.

Eisai Inc announces U.S. approval for insomnia drug

Japan-based drugmaker Eisai Co's U.S. subsidiary announced on Sunday that it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its insomnia treatment in adult patients. The agency approved the drug, Dayvigo, in doses of 5 mg and 10 mg based on two late-stage studies testing the drug in patients with insomnia versus placebo for up to one month and six months, the drugmaker's U.S. subsidiary said.