Reuters Health News Summary

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. Mother's friendships may be good for babies' brains

When new mothers have friends ready to step in and help them, they have toddlers who score better on cognitive tests than the babies of women with smaller social support networks, a U.S. study suggests. Strong social ties to friends and family have long been linked to better behavioral and physical health outcomes for adults. And plenty of previous research also indicates that infants' and toddlers' bonds with caregivers can have a lasting impact on children's emotional, intellectual and social development. Pilgrim's Pride latest company to recall chicken products over rubber contamination

Pilgrim's Pride Corp is recalling about 60,000 pounds of chicken products due to possible rubber contamination, a U.S. public health watchdog said on Friday, making it the third American meat producer in less than a week to recall chicken products. Shares of the Greeley, Colorado-based company fell 1.18 percent to $20.05 following the news on Friday. EU to send inspectors to Poland over suspect meat

The European Commission said on Friday it will send a team of inspectors to Poland, a beef exporter, after a TV report showed a company killing sick cows and selling the meat for human consumption. Poland produces about 560,000 tonnes of beef a year, with 85 percent exported to countries within the European Union including Britain, Spain, Italy and Germany. Teva's migraine drug gets EU panel nod

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said a European Medicines Agency (EMA) panel on Friday recommended approving migraine treatment Ajovy, a drug that the company has been counting on to revive its fortune. Ajovy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September last year and the company had said it was seeing "a very strong launch" of the treatment. 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: Top U.S. insurer to cover Amgen, Eli Lilly migraine drugs, exclude Teva

A top U.S. pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) owned by UnitedHealth Group Inc has included new migraine drugs from Amgen Inc and Eli Lilly and Co as preferred treatments on its lists of covered drugs, according to an OptumRx client note viewed by Reuters. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's rival migraine headache preventer is excluded on one list and patients can pay more for it in some cases on a second list, the note said. Novartis's cancer therapy wins UK backing after initial lymphoma snub

Novartis's Kymriah cell therapy won the blessing of health authorities in England for adult lymphoma patients, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday, reversing last year's rejection. The list price is 282,000 pounds ($369,000) per patient, given as a single intravenous infusion, but Novartis agreed to offer the therapy for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) at a confidential discounted price, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said. Use of Valium and Xanax for pain rising in U.S.

A growing number of people in the U.S. are taking anti-anxiety drugs like Valium and Xanax not just for anxiety or depression but also for chronic pain, researchers say. These drugs are in a family of medicines known as benzodiazepines, which also include drugs like Ativan and Klonopin. Benzodizepines are used primarily for anxiety but also for conditions like insomnia, seizures, panic attacks, nausea, alcohol withdrawal and muscle relaxation.