Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Lilly's combo therapy succeeds in late-stage lung cancer study

Eli Lilly and Co's combination cancer treatment met the main goal of a late-stage clinical trial testing it on patients with a form of lung cancer, the drugmaker announced on Tuesday. Previously untreated patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer taking a combination of Lilly's Cyramza and Roche's erlotinib went longer before their disease started to worsen, study results showed. Appeals court says Ohio may withhold Planned Parenthood funding

A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Planned Parenthood's constitutional challenge to an Ohio law depriving the organization of state funding because it performs abortions, handing a victory to anti-abortion advocates. In an 11-6 vote, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overturned a ruling last year by a three-judge panel of the court that the funding ban violated the due process rights of Planned Parenthood affiliates. China hog prices hit 14-month high as African swine fever slashes output

Chinese hog prices marched to their highest in 14 months on Monday and look set to keep rising after weeks of gains, analysts and producers said, as the worst disease outbreak to hit the country's vast pig herd in years chops supply. Live hog prices in major consumption and production areas rose 7 percent on average on Monday compared with last Friday to 15.09 yuan ($2.24) per kilogram, according to data provided by consultancy China-America Commodity Data Analytics. Even though demand is typically weak at this time of year, prices across the country surged almost 20 percent since early March. Bacteria lurk in raw-meat dog food

To minimize health risks for humans and pets, people feeding raw meat-based diets to their dogs should follow good hygiene practices when storing, handling and feeding the raw meat, researchers warn. "The practice of feeding raw meat-based diets to dogs has increased in popularity in recent years," Ingrid Hansson of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden told Reuters Health. "There are different opinions about the advantages and disadvantages." World must prepare for inevitable next flu pandemic, WHO says

The world will inevitably face another pandemic of flu and needs to prepare for the potential devastation that could cause, and not underestimate the risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Outlining a global plan to fight the viral disease and get ahead of a potential global outbreak, the WHO said the next influenza pandemic "is a matter of when, not if". Mumps, other outbreaks force U.S. detention centers to quarantine over 2,000 migrants

Christian Mejia thought he had a shot at getting out of immigration detention in rural Louisiana after he found a lawyer to help him seek asylum. Then he was quarantined. National Cancer Institute chief to serve as acting FDA head

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has tapped National Cancer Institute Director Norman Sharpless to serve as acting commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration, following the resignation of Scott Gottlieb earlier this month. Sharpless, who has led the National Institutes of Health's cancer unit since 2017, will take over following Gottlieb's exit in April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday. Cancer experts and advocates praised the appointment of Sharpless as acting FDA chief after Gottlieb's abrupt resignation earlier this month. FDA approves generic valsartan amid drug shortage

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had approved a new generic version of blood pressure medicine valsartan, as the agency looks to ease shortages triggered by several manufacturers recalling the drug over possible cancer risk. Drugmakers, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Mylan NV, have pulled batches of valsartan from market as the drugs have been found to contain probable carcinogens. Doctors pray for sick as blackout batters Venezuelan hospitals

Maria Rodriguez's daughter has spent a month in Caracas's J.M. de los Rios children's hospital with hydrocephalus, a buildup of spinal fluid in the brain, but staff there have faced an uphill battle treating the girl because of a nationwide power outage. "It has been horrible since the blackout. My daughter needs treatment that lasts six hours: now she is only getting it when there is power available," said Rodriguez, 36, who said she is also worried about inadequate water and food in the facility. Babies may get better hospital care when parents say thanks

Critically ill infants may receive better care in the hospital when their parents take the time to thank doctors and nurses than when families don't express any gratitude, a small study suggests. "Small expressions of gratitude originating from the patients or their families (but not from a medical authority) facilitate patient care and enhance patient safety," said lead study author Dr. Arieh Riskin, director of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Bnai Zion Medical Center in Haifa, Israel.

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