Health News Roundup: FDA to hold a public meeting; Trial of promising HIV vaccine halted and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

FDA to hold a public meeting on testing for asbestos in talc

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will examine asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics at a hearing on Tuesday. Regulators are taking a closer look after finding asbestos, a known carcinogen, in several talc cosmetics and powders, including a bottle of Johnson & Johnson's well-known Baby Powder. Citing those FDA results, some U.S. lawmakers and consumer advocates have called for stricter safety regulations to protect public health.

Cocktail of flu, HIV drugs appears to help fight coronavirus: Thai doctors

Thai doctors have seen success in treating severe cases of the new coronavirus with a combination of medications for flu and HIV, with initial results showing vast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment, they said on Sunday. The doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok said a new approach in coronavirus treatment had improved the condition of several patients under their care, including one 70-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus for 10 days.

Trial of promising HIV vaccine halted after failing to show benefit

A clinical trial testing a promising HIV vaccine in more than 5,000 people in South Africa has been halted because it failed to show a benefit, U.S. health officials said on Monday. The study, known as HVTN 702, built on results from the 2009 RV144 vaccine trial in Thailand, which was the first to show it was possible to prevent HIV infection in humans. In that study, the vaccine cut the rate of HIV infections by 30% compared with people who got a placebo.

Hong Kong records first virus death, Macau shuts casinos

Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday, the second outside mainland China from a fast-spreading outbreak that has killed 427 people and threatened the global economy. China's markets steadied after losing $400 billion in stock values the previous day, and global markets also recovered from a sell-off last week. But bad news kept coming.

G7 health ministers agree on a coordinated approach to coronavirus: Germany

Health ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations agreed to coordinate their response to dealing with the coronavirus in a conference call on Monday, the German Health Ministry said. The ministers agreed to coordinate - as far as possible - their approach to travel regulations and precautions, research into the new virus and cooperation with the World Health Organization, the European Union and China.

Even with insurance, fewer Americans seeing primary care providers

Almost half of U.S. adults with private health insurance are not visiting primary care providers for routine care or sick visits, a new study suggests. Between 2008 and 2016, the number of annual primary care visits for every 100 people with private health insurance declined by 22%, from 169.5 to 134.3, the study found. Over that same period, the proportion of adults who didn't see primary care providers at all rose from 38% to 46%.

The U.S. announces more coronavirus cases, details quarantine plans for returning travelers

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday announced the second case of transmission of the new coronavirus within the United States and provided more detailed plans on how it will handle travelers returning from China as the country works to limit the outbreak. "We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a conference call that included confirmation of a handful of new cases, bringing the U.S. total to 11.

Hong Kong suspends four more border crossings to curb the spread of the virus

Hong Kong's leader announced the closure of four more border crossings with mainland China on Monday, leaving just three checkpoints open, but stopped short of demands for the entire border to be closed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Hong Kong has 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which emerged in central China in December and has killed more than 360 people there and sent jitters through global markets.

Conflicting studies point to meat moderation as a healthy diet

A new study on meat consumption has found that people who eat red and processed meat have higher risks of heart disease and early death - contradicting recent research that suggested cutting out meat has few health benefits. The multiple findings can make it "difficult for people to make sense of what can seem to be conflicting messages on food", said Duane Mellor, a dietician at Britain's Aston University who was not directly involved with either study.

Sanofi investigated over epilepsy drug linked to birth defects

French drugmaker Sanofi said on Tuesday it was being investigated over Depakine, an epilepsy drug that caused birth malfunctions and slow neurological development when taken during pregnancy. The Paris prosecutor had already launched a preliminary investigation into the authorization and marketing of Depakine in 2016 after France's social affairs inspection agency IGAS criticized the slow response of health authorities and Sanofi to the risks related to the drug and its derivatives.