Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Hospital pharmacists face dozens of drug shortages yearly

More than two-thirds of pharmacists in U.S. hospitals deal with at least 50 drug shortages every year, according to a new study that suggests hospital staff are often forced to ration life-saving medicines as a result. Researchers surveyed 719 pharmacists at large and small hospitals across the country in 2018. Every one of them reported experiencing at least one drug shortage in the past year, and 69 percent had dealt with at least 50 shortages in that time. New Jersey jury finds J&J not liable in latest talc cancer trial

A New Jersey jury on Wednesday cleared Johnson & Johnson of liability in a lawsuit brought by a man who said that asbestos in the company's talcum powder products caused his mesothelioma. The jury delivered its unanimous verdict in Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick, just miles from J&J's headquarters, in the case of plaintiff Ricardo Rimondi. Trump says he can produce a better healthcare plan than Obamacare

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Wednesday to deliver a better healthcare system than Obamacare if the Supreme Court tosses out his predecessor's signature domestic achievement, a potentially hazardous claim as he seeks re-election. Trump defended his administration's decision to step up its assault on the healthcare law passed under former President Barack Obama, which expanded healthcare coverage to about 20 million Americans. Diabetes in pregnancy tied to future heart disease risk

Women with pregnancy-related diabetes are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the decade after childbirth, a research review suggests. While so-called gestational diabetes has long been linked to an increased risk of heart disease later in life, some previous research suggests this risk may depend on whether the condition evolves into type 2 diabetes that persists after delivery. Novartis MS drug wins FDA's blessing amid scrutiny of $88k annual price

Novartis AG has won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for multiple sclerosis drug Mayzent as the Swiss company targets patients whose disease advances from intermittent attacks to a gradually worsening condition. Novartis has priced the treatment at $88,000 annually, head of pharmaceuticals Paul Hudson told Reuters, a level exceeding some other MS drugs and one that may draw scrutiny from payers. Unvaccinated children face public space ban in New York measles outbreak

A New York suburb has banned children not vaccinated against measles from public spaces, such as schools and shopping malls, as it fights the state's worst outbreak in decades of the potentially deadly disease. Rockland County declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and said the ban would remain in place for 30 days or until unvaccinated children get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot. Big Pharma accused of 'endless talk, no action' on antibiotic threat

The pharmaceutical industry should match its words with action on researching new antibiotics to address the threat posed by drug-resistant superbugs, a former UK government adviser said on Wednesday. In a strongly-worded attack on major drug companies, Jim O'Neill, who headed a British government global review of antimicrobial resistance in 2016, said the industry had produced "endless talk and no action", and was engaged in little more than "spewing out nonsense" about the problem. U.S. expands abortion 'gag rule,' cuts funding to regional bloc: Pompeo

The Trump administration on Tuesday expanded its anti-abortion policies, cutting funding to the Organization of American States (OAS) and prohibiting the use of U.S. tax dollars to lobby for or against abortion rights. Trump in 2017 reinstated a policy known as the "Mexico City Policy," requiring foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. family planning funds to certify they do not provide abortions or give abortion advice. Amid ruined lives, Mozambique's cyclone survivors face cholera, diarrhea

Dozens of fragile patients poured into a clinic in the wrecked Mozambican port city of Beira on Wednesday, as the government said it had confirmed the first five cases of cholera in the wake of deadly Cyclone Idai. Thousands of people were trapped for more than a week in submerged villages without access to clean water after the cyclone smashed into Mozambique on March 14, causing catastrophic flooding. Relief efforts have increasingly focused on containing outbreaks of waterborne and infectious diseases. China lifts 2015 ban on French poultry imports: customs

China has lifted a ban on French poultry imports that has been in place since December 2015 following an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu in the European country. The lifting of the ban is effective immediately, said China's General Administration of Customs on its website on Wednesday.