Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Medical students teach high schoolers to do CPR

Medical students in Boston are teaching local high school students about CPR, and the younger students say they feel better prepared to help in cases of cardiac arrest, should the need arise. The PumpStart program was started by students from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) as a volunteer effort for doctors in training to visit nearby high schools and spread awareness about CPR. Tiniest preemies still have low survival odds, high chance of impairments

Although extremely preterm birth is no longer the death sentence it once was, the tiniest preemies still have low survival odds and are likely to have severe impairments if they live, a research review suggests. The team examined data from 65 studies focused on the most vulnerable preemies - those born between 22 and 27 weeks gestation - to see how many survived and how many had severe physical or mental impairments by the time they were 18 to 36 months old. Pregnant women with severe flu more likely to have poor outcomes

Pregnant women so sick with influenza that they're admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are more likely to have premature and underweight babies than expectant mothers with milder flu and those who don't catch flu at all, a recent study suggests. Researcher compared birth outcomes for 490 pregnant women in five states who contracted the H1N1 strain of influenza-A in 2009, as well as 1,451 women without the flu who gave birth that year and 1,446 women without flu who gave birth the previous year. U.S. court blocks San Francisco health warning on soda ads

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday blocked a San Francisco law requiring health warnings on advertisements for soda and other sugary drinks in a win to the American beverage industry which fought the requirements in court. The 11 judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a unanimous decision said the city's ordinance violated commercial speech protected under the U.S. Constitution. A matter of life and death? UK stockpiles drugs as no-deal Brexit feared

With just 56 days until Britain leaves the EU, Jo Elgarf has begun stockpiling food in case politicians fail to strike an exit deal, but she says she cannot do the same with vital drugs her disabled daughter needs. Four-year-old Nora has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and relies on imported Epilim and Keppra daily to stop her suffering seizures. Elgarf wants to stock up on the drugs in case supplies are hit but she can't because they are only available on a monthly prescription. U.S. government proposes rule overhauling drug industry rebate system

The U.S. government on Thursday proposed a rule to end the industry-wide system of after-market discounts called rebates that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) receive from drugmakers, a practice that has been under increased scrutiny. If finalized, the rule would change a system that has been in place for decades and that has been criticized for obfuscating the real price of prescription medicines. Cancer patients in poor countries needlessly denied pain relief: WHO

Cancer patients in developing nations are being denied basic pain relief, often because of excessive fears about opioid abuse, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday. Two-thirds of industrialized countries have oral morphine, an opioid widely used to lessen severe pain, available in more than half of their pharmacies, against only 6 percent of poor countries, WHO expert Dr Cherian Varghese said. Exclusive: Teva's generic EpiPen launch stalls months after approval

Many of the largest U.S. pharmacies and drug distributors do not have Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's generic version of the life-saving EpiPen allergy treatment five months after it was approved for sale in the United States, pharmacy chains and a group that tracks drug shortages told Reuters. The short supply represents a missed opportunity for Teva to compete with Mylan NV in a roughly $750 million a year U.S. market. Mylan's EpiPen dominates that market, but has been in short supply since May, leaving many patients and their families keen for alternatives. Missouri Supreme Court suspends second talc cancer trial in weeks

The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday halted an upcoming trial in a case brought by women who claim talc supplied by Imerys Talc America for use in Johnson & Johnson products gave them cancer, saying it wanted to consider a jurisdictional challenge by Imerys. It is the second major talc case the Missouri high court has stayed in recent weeks on jurisdictional grounds. Both were in the St. Louis' 22nd Circuit Court, which has issued several large verdicts against J&J and Imerys, including one for $4.7 billion in July. Exclusive: Canada budget to include limited coverage for prescription drugs - sources

Canada's Liberal government will propose a limited expansion to the country's universal healthcare system in the spring budget to cover part of the cost of prescription drugs, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The modest broadening of the healthcare program is set to become one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's key campaign promises ahead of the October election, which is shaping up to be a close fight.