Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Fund battling AIDS, TB and malaria seeks $14 billion to invigorate fight

At least $14 billion is needed to accelerate the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and quell stubborn epidemics that still kill millions, the head of a global health fund said on Friday. Announcing a fundraising target for the next three-year cycle, Peter Sands, director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said the money could help save 16 million lives, halving deaths from the three diseases.

J&J raises U.S. prices on around two dozen drugs

Johnson & Johnson raised U.S. prices on around two dozen prescription drugs on Thursday, including the psoriasis treatment Stelara, prostate cancer drug Zytiga and blood thinner Xarelto, all among its top-selling products. J&J joined many other companies that raised U.S. prices on hundreds of prescription medicines earlier this month.

Novartis migraine drug not cost effective - UK price watchdog

Britain's drug price watchdog on Thursday rejected Novartis's migraine drug Aimovig for now, concluding in a draft decision that the medicine was not a cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. Novartis, with exclusive rights to the drug in Europe while cooperating with Amgen in the United States, said it was "disappointed" in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) conclusion.

China could lift life expectancy by nearly three years if it meets WHO smog standards: study

China could raise average life expectancy by 2.9 years if it improves air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according a new study from a U.S. research group. China has vowed to determine the precise impact of air and water pollution on health as part of its efforts to raise average life expectancy to 79 years by 2030 from 76.3 years in 2015.

Pain relief during labor varies across U.S.

Access to pain relief during childbirth in the U.S. may vary depending on where women live, a study suggests. Researchers who analyzed more than 2.6 million deliveries in 2015 found the proportion of women receiving epidurals or spinal blocks to manage pain during labor ranged from a low of 25 percent in Maine to a high of 79 percent in Nevada,

Sen. Sanders, Rep. Cummings introduce bill to lower U.S. drug prices

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Elijah Cummings introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs for American consumers, critiquing President Donald Trump administration's efforts to curb medicine prices. Democrats have been critical of efforts by the Trump administration to bring down drug prices after Trump, a Republican, promised to do so during his 2016 campaign and since being elected. They have said administration proposals let big drugmakers off the hook and did not do enough to help Americans.

Health Canada places restrictions on Allergan's fibroid treatment Esmya

Canada's health regulator on Friday said it was restricting the use of Allergan Plc's uterine fibroid treatment Esmya after discovering a risk of serious liver injury from the drug. Health Canada said the drug, sold under brand name Fibristal in the country, should not be used by women with liver problems, or those who have had such problems in the past.

Lilly eyes more cancer deals, but wary of CAR-T, gene therapy

Eli Lilly and Co remains in the hunt for cancer drugs even after announcing an $8 billion purchase of Loxo Oncology this week, but it plans to remain on the sidelines when it comes to two of the hottest areas of drug development. Lilly Chief Executive Dave Ricks told Reuters that as the company looks for deals to enhance its pipeline of future treatments it will leave CAR-T therapies for cancer and gene therapy for rare diseases to others, for now.

Public spaces should stock bleeding-control kits for mass casualties, experts say

As mass-casualty events and violent attacks in the U.S. continue to increase, military and emergency medicine experts are recommending that public venues install bleeding-control kits for at least 20 victims. These kits, equipped with nitrile gloves, a basic tourniquet, wound dressing to stop severe bleeding, rolled gauze and trauma scissors, could allow bystanders to help save lives after bombings, mass shootings and stabbings, the study authors write in the American Journal of Public Health.

Up to 84,000 Americans hospitalized with flu in past three months: CDC

An estimated 69,000 to 84,000 Americans were hospitalized due to the flu in the last three months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday. The nation saw one of the worst flu outbreaks in nearly a decade during the 2017-2018 season, with more than 900,000 cases of hospitalizations and over 80,000 deaths, the CDC estimates https://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/press-conference-2018-19.htm#ref1.