Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Veru's experimental drug reduces hot flashes in men in mid-stage study

Veru Inc said on Monday a higher dose of its experimental drug reduced hot flashes in men with advanced prostate cancer after six weeks of treatment, in a mid-stage study. The drug, zuclomiphene citrate, is a synthetic estrogen that aims to reduce the frequency of hot flashes, an unintended effect of androgen deprivation therapy which is a commonly used treatment for prostate cancer. Poland hit by another bird flu outbreak on goose farm

A new outbreak of bird flu was reported in Poland on Monday, with around 6,000 geese now set to be exterminated, a regional spokesman confirmed to Reuters, adding to about half a dozen cases already detected across the country since December. "Six thousand geese at the farm (are) set for extermination, the state veterinary inspectorate has already taken steps," Tomasz Stube, the spokesman for the Wielkopolska region told Reuters. H5N8 strain of bird flu found at turkey farm in Hungary

The H5N8 strain of bird flu has been found at a large turkey farm in northwestern Hungary, the National Food Chain Safety Authority (NEBIH) said on Monday. Slovakia, Hungary's northern European Union neighbour, reported its first outbreak of the same highly pathogenic strain of the virus in nearly three years in backyard poultry in the western part of the country on Friday. Swim regulations for oceans, lakes tied to lower drowning rates

(Reuters Health) - Drowning death rates are three to four times lower in states that regulate swimming in oceans, rivers and lakes, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on so-called open-water drownings for all 50 states from 2012 to 2017. They also looked at regulations in 30 states in 2017 for things like lifeguards, rescue equipment, warning signs, tracking and reporting safety issues, and water quality. Acasti's krill oil-derived drug fails late-stage study, shares tumble

Acasti Pharma Inc said on Monday its krill oil-derived drug had failed to beat placebo by a large margin in reducing a type of fat found in blood that increases the risk of heart diseases, sending its shares spiraling down nearly 67%. The company said the drug, CaPre, derived from shrimp-like crustaceans called krill, showed a 36.7% median reduction in triglyceride levels after 26 weeks of treatment, compared with an average of 28% reduction among those on placebo. Novartis to speed access to $10 billion heart drug via NHS deal

Novartis and Britain's National Health Service (NHS) on Monday announced a pact that will clear the way for accelerated review by the country's health watchdog NICE for heart drug inclisiran, which could make it broadly available as soon as 2021. Novartis hopes the NHS deal will boost sales of cholesterol-lowering inclisiran, which the Swiss drugmaker bought in a deal announced last year for nearly $10 billion and predicts will be a top seller. Chinese woman with mystery virus quarantined in Thailand

A Chinese woman has been quarantined in Thailand with a mystery strain of coronavirus, authorities said on Monday, the first time it has been detected outside China. Thai authorities are stepping up monitoring at airports ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, beginning on Jan. 25, when hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists are expected to visit. AstraZeneca to discontinue Epanova trial, expects $100 million writedown

AstraZeneca said on Monday it will discontinue a late-stage trial for heart disease drug Epanova to treat patients with mixed dyslipidaemia and expects a $100 million writedown to hit its core profit in the fourth quarter. The biggest British drugmaker by market value said the decision, which followed recommendations from an independent data monitoring committee, was due to low likelihood of Epanova's benefit to patients with mixed dyslipidaemia. Biogen to buy early-stage potential Alzheimer's, Parkinson's treatment from Pfizer

Biogen Inc said on Monday it has agreed to buy an early-stage experimental treatment from Pfizer Inc that it aims to test in patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Under the deal, Pfizer will get $75 million upfront and will be eligible for $635 million in potential milestone payments.