Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Inducing labor at 41 weeks slightly safer than waiting longer

When pregnant women have not delivered by around 41 weeks, their babies are slightly less likely to have serious complications if labor is induced instead of letting nature take its course, a Dutch study suggests. Researchers randomly assigned 1,801 healthy women who were 41 weeks pregnant either to have labor induced or to receive so-called expectant management, with an induction if needed by 42 weeks. FDA finds asbestos in three Claire's cosmetics products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration called on Congress to modernize rules for cosmetics safety on Tuesday after it issued an alert warning consumers not to use three cosmetics products sold by Claire's Stores Inc because they tested positive for asbestos, a known carcinogen. The FDA said it would work with Congress to update the regulatory framework that the agency has been operating under for more than 80 years for cosmetics. It said there are currently no legal requirements for any cosmetic manufacturer selling goods to American consumers to test their products for safety. U.S. FDA chief tough on e-cigarettes steps down abruptly

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Tuesday that he plans to step down next month, a sudden resignation that calls into question how the agency will handle issues such as surging e-cigarette use among teens and efforts to increase competition in prescription drugs. Gottlieb was well regarded by public health advocates and won bipartisan support for his efforts to curb use of flavored e-cigarettes by youths, speed approval times for cheap generic medicines to increase competition and bring down drug prices, and boost the use of cheaper versions of expensive biotech medicines called biosimilars. Women who vape around pregnancy may wrongly think it safe

Health professionals advise against using any nicotine products during pregnancy, but some women are using e-cigarettes before, during or after pregnancy and thinking it's safer than smoking, U.S. researchers report. In a survey of more than 3,000 new mothers in Oklahoma and Texas, 7 percent said they had used electronic vapor products, including e-cigarettes, around the time of their pregnancy; 1.4 percent used them during pregnancy. J&J prices ketamine-like depression treatment at $590-$885 for two doses

Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday its nasal spray depression treatment, called Spravato, will be priced at $590 for a 56 mg dose and $885 for 84 mg. During the induction phase of the therapy, which lasts for a month, patients will be treated twice a week with either dose, resulting in a wholesale acquisition cost or list price in the range of $4,720 to $6,785, Janssen spokesman Greg Panico said in an email statement. WHO chief unveils reforms, with more science, apps and an academy

The World Health Organization unveiled a landmark reform on Wednesday that targets billions of people around the globe and puts a stress on primary care for all rather than "moonshot" projects like eradicating diseases. The reform firmly reshapes the Geneva-based U.N. health agency with the manifesto of its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian who is the first African in the job. He was elected in 2017 promising to focus on "universal health coverage" (UHC). Bayer launches combination insecticide to fight resistance malaria

German drugmaker Bayer AG launched on Wednesday the world's first combination indoor insecticide in Africa to help fight insecticide-resisant strains of malaria that have frustrated global attempts to stamp out the disease. After several years of steady declines, annual cases of the mosquito-borne disease are leveling off, the World Health Organization's 2018 malaria report showed in November. World's second man cleared of AIDS virus invigorates quest for cure

Scientific investigation into the world's second man cleared of the AIDS virus is zooming in on a gene and a treatment side-effect, as newly-enthused researchers strive to find a cure for the disease that has killed millions. Known as the "London Patient", the man had HIV and a type of blood cancer called Hodgkin's lymphoma. He responded successfully to a bone marrow transplant from a donor with rare genetic resistance to HIV infection. U.S. to train more beagles to sniff out deadly hog virus

The U.S. government will increase the number of dogs used to sniff out illegal pork products at airports and seaports in an effort to keep out a contagious hog disease that has spread across Asia and Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The disease, African swine fever, can kill hogs in just two days. China, home to the world's largest hog herd, has reported more than 100 cases of the disease in 27 provinces and regions since last August. Efforts to contain the fever have disrupted Chinese pork supplies. Vertex cystic fibrosis triple combo therapy succeeds in important trials

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc on Wednesday said its triple-combination treatment for cystic fibrosis led to significant lung function improvement in two late-stage studies, paving the way for a therapy that could eventually address 90 percent of people with the life-shortening genetic condition. The trials tested the experimental drug VX-445 in combination with Vertex's backbone double-drug combination. Its current products can benefit roughly 50 percent of CF patients, and the highly-anticipated positive data would represent a major expansion of the treatable population.