Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. FDA flags concerns at Akorn's Amityville plant, shares slip

Generic drugmaker Akorn Inc said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had raised concerns about its manufacturing plant in Amityville, New York, that included a lack of records on the maintenance and cleaning of equipment. The FDA's issuance of the notice following an inspection of the plant, through a so-called Form 483, is the latest in a series of setbacks for Akorn and comes a month after the agency issued a warning letter related to another plant. Radioactive cancer drugs could pose risk to cremation workers

Cancer patients often receive radioactive drugs that target tumor cells. A new case report suggests there could be unanticipated fallout if these patients die and their bodies are cremated. After learning that one of their patients had died and been sent off for cremation, Arizona doctors sought to discover whether his radioactive medications might have gotten into the air after being superheated, according to their report in JAMA. BAT CEO says supports FDA on youth vaping, challenges idea there is basis for menthol ban

British American Tobacco does not believe there is scientific evidence to support potential U.S. restrictions on menthol cigarettes and believes such restrictions would have no impact on smoking rates, its chief executive told Reuters on Thursday. The U.S. FDA said in 2017 it would consider possibly banning menthol flavouring in tobacco products as part of efforts to curb underage smoking. Vaginal laser treatment tied to complications like scarring

Vaginal laser treatments may help relieve problems associated with menopause, like dryness, pain and sexual dysfunction, but the safety of this technique is not clear, suggest the authors of a small study describing complications including scarring and penetration injuries. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved vaginal laser treatments for what's known as vulvovaginal atrophy, a condition that often accompanies menopause and can include symptoms like vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and urinary incontinence. These laser treatments are approved for other gynecologic and dermatologic conditions, however, and the current study examines the cases of four women whose doctors tried it for vaginal atrophy. Novartis faces shareholder criticism over drug prices at AGM

Novartis's shift into high-tech drugs won praise for providing patients with new options but criticism over prices that may run into the millions of dollars at the Swiss drugmaker's annual general meeting on Thursday. Shareholders at the event in Basel also approved Novartis's planned spin-off of its Alcon eyecare unit, due for coming months, with investors with five Novartis shares due to receive one share of Alcon stock. U.S. Senator Sanders urges FDA to allow older versions of $375,000 drug

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders this week urged regulators to allow pharmacies and manufacturers to resume distributing unbranded, lower-cost versions of a drug used to treat a rare neuromuscular disorder, according to a letter provided by his office to Reuters. The drug is now sold at a list price of $375,000 a year by Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc under the brand name Firdapse. It is used to treat Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS), which affects about one in 100,000 people in the United States. Yoga linked to lowered blood pressure with regular practice

Adults who practice yoga with breathing and relaxation exercises at least three times a week may have lower blood pressure than people who don't, a research review suggests. For the study, researchers analyzed data from 49 trials with a total of 3,517 participants who were typically middle-aged, overweight women and men who already had high blood pressure or were close to developing the condition. These smaller trials assessed blood pressure before and after participants were randomly assigned either to doing yoga or to a control group without exercise programs. After attacks, MSF suspends Ebola treatment in epicenter of Congo outbreak

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has suspended medical activities at the epicenter of an Ebola epidemic in Democratic Republic of Congo after two of its facilities were torched by unidentified assailants, the French charity said on Thursday. Two MSF facilities treating Ebola patients in North Kivu province were attacked in separate incidents earlier this week. Aid workers have faced mistrust in some areas as they work to contain the Ebola outbreak, which has become the worst in Congo's history. J&J resumes production of baby talc in India after tests find no asbestos

Johnson & Johnson has resumed production of its baby powder at plants in India after government tests found no asbestos in the product, the company said on Thursday. "Johnson & Johnson has resumed production of its Johnson's Baby Powder at plants in Baddi and Mulund, India, after government sanctioned testing reaffirmed that the product does not contain asbestos," J&J said in a statement to Reuters. Swiss may let 5,000 people use marijuana legally for studies

Switzerland may let up to 5,000 people smoke marijuana legally in pilot studies to help shape new rules for recreational use of the drug, the government said on Thursday. The cabinet proposed limited pilot projects that may lead to changes in laws banning cannabis that date back to 1951. The plan will be put out for public comment until mid-year, the Federal Health Office said.