Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Japan scientists win backing for work on potential Nipah vaccine

A global coalition set up to fight emerging epidemics has struck a $31 million deal with scientists at Japan's University of Tokyo to speed up work on a vaccine against a brain-damaging disease caused by the Nipah virus. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said the Tokyo University team would receive up to $31 million to advance the development and manufacturing of a shot for the bat-borne disease. China reports two new African swine fever outbreaks

China on Sunday confirmed two new outbreaks of African swine fever, one in the northern province of Hebei and the other in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, as the highly contagious disease spreads through the world's largest hog herd. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said the first outbreak is on a farm in the Xushui district of Baoding city which has 5,600 hogs, some of which died because of the swine fever, though it did not give a death toll. Roche 'steps up' for gene therapy with $4.3 billion Spark bet

Roche is buying U.S.-based gene therapy specialist Spark Therapeutics for $4.3 billion after developments in this area convinced the Swiss drugmaker to "step up", Chief Executive Severin Schwan said on Monday. Roche will pay $114.50 per share for Spark, more than twice the U.S. company's closing price on Feb. 22, for a portfolio that includes a blindness treatment that has U.S. and European approval and other projects for hemophilia and neurodegenerative disorders like Huntington's disease. African swine fever spreads to fourth Vietnamese province: state media

African swine fever is spreading in Vietnam hitting two more provinces, after it was first detected in three separate farms in two other provinces earlier this month. The new farms hit by the highly contagious disease are in Haiphong and Thanh Hoa provinces, 100 km to the east and 160 km to the south of Hanoi, respectively, according to a report in the Nong Nghiep Vietnam newspaper, run by the Ministry of Agriculture. Ipsen to buy Clementia Pharmaceuticals in deal worth up to $1.3 billion

French healthcare company Ipsen has agreed to buy U.S. peer Clementia Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth up to $1.31 billion, the companies said on Monday, helping to boost Ipsen's portfolio of products treating rare diseases. Ipsen's shares dipped 0.6 percent after the company said the takeover would initially weigh on margins due to the costs of forthcoming trials for Clementia products, but it hoped they would recover later on. Novartis aims to pump up cardio business with Ionis deal

Novartis on Monday exercised its option to license an RNA-targeting cardiovascular drug from Ionis Pharmaceuticals as the Swiss company aims to surround its heart-failure blockbuster Entresto with other medicines. Novartis will now do a Phase 3 trial of TQJ230, also known as AKCEA-APO(a)-LRx, against an inherited form of cardiovascular disease where people have elevated levels of lipoprotein (a) that the company said cannot be lowered via diet and lifestyle changes. Bayer faces second trial over alleged Roundup cancer risk

Bayer AG is set to face a second U.S. jury over allegations that its popular glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup causes cancer, six months after the company's share price was rocked by a $289 million verdict in California state court. A lawsuit by California resident Edwin Hardeman against the company was scheduled to begin on Monday in federal rather than state court. The trial is also a test case for a larger litigation. More than 760 of the 9,300 Roundup cases nationwide are consolidated in the federal court in San Francisco that is hearing Hardeman's case. Court ruling could help J&J defeat St. Louis talc lawsuits

A Missouri Supreme Court ruling on talc lawsuits could reduce the liability and number of large trials Johnson & Johnson faces over allegations its talc products, including baby powder, cause cancer. The ruling will likely offer some respite to the healthcare conglomerate as it deals with growing pressure over the safety of its talc products, some defense lawyers said. The company revealed in its annual report on Wednesday that it had received subpoenas from the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission related to talc litigation.