Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. N.Y. accuses opioid maker Purdue of illegal fund transfers to Sacklers

Purdue Pharma LP fraudulently transferred funds to members of the wealthy Sackler family who control the OxyContin maker despite knowing it faced major liabilities that had made it already insolvent, New York's attorney general alleged on Thursday. New York Attorney General Letitia James made the claims in a revised lawsuit already pending against Purdue over its role in the opioid epidemic that added members of the Sackler family and other drug manufacturers and distributors as defendants. EMA panel recommends approval of Bluebird Bio's first gene therapy

A European Medicines Agency panel on Friday recommended a conditional marketing approval for a gene therapy from Bluebird Bio Inc as a genetic blood disorder treatment, setting the stage for the U.S. biotech to win its first regulatory nod. Final approval depends on the European Commission, which generally follows recommendations from the Committee on Human Medicinal Products (CHMP). AstraZeneca pays up to $6.9 billion in Daiichi Sankyo cancer deal

AstraZeneca Plc will pay up to $6.9 billion to work with Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd on a hotly-tipped experimental treatment for breast cancer, in a direct challenge to the world's biggest cancer drug maker Roche. The deal on the drug known as trastuzumab deruxtecan sent shares in Japan's Daiichi soaring 16 percent, its daily limit, to a record high on Friday. Daiichi's stock has climbed 45 percent this year on optimism about the treatment. Doctors aren't offering cholesterol drugs to all eligible patients

(Reuters Health) - Roughly one-fourth of U.S. adults who fit the criteria to be on cholesterol-lowering drugs don't take them, often because doctors don't offer them or patients worry about side effects, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed 5,693 adults who were eligible under current guidelines to take statin drugs. Statins help reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - the bad kind of cholesterol that builds up in blood vessels and can lead to blood clots and heart attacks. Mozambique to start cholera vaccinations next week after cyclone

Mozambique will start a cholera vaccination campaign next week in areas ravaged by Cyclone Idai, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday, after five confirmed cases were detected. Thousands of people were trapped for more than a week in submerged villages without access to clean water after Cyclone Idai smashed into the Mozambican port city of Beira on March 14, causing catastrophic flooding and killing more than 700 people across three countries in southeast Africa. Shares in Galapagos jump 15 percent after arthritis drug results

Shares in Belgian drugmaker Galapagos surged nearly 16 percent on Friday after the company said it had seen positive results from several safety and efficacy trials of its rheumatoid arthritis drug filgotinib. In a filing late on Thursday, the company presented the results of four ongoing trials. Exclusive: Magellan Health nears board deal with hedge fund Starboard Value - sources

U.S. healthcare plan and pharmacy benefits manager Magellan Health Inc is nearing an agreement with Starboard Value LP to expand the size of its board by several seats, including a representative from the activist hedge fund, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Magellan did not respond to a request for comment. Starboard declined to comment. Cholera cases jump to 138 in Mozambique's Beira after cyclone

The number of confirmed cases of cholera in the cyclone-hit Mozambican port city of Beira jumped from five to 138 on Friday, as government and aid agencies battled to contain the spread of disease among the tens of thousands of victims of the storm. Cyclone Idai smashed into Beira on March 14, causing catastrophic flooding and killing more than 700 people across three countries in southeast Africa. Bayer shares sag after U.S. jury verdict in Roundup cancer trial

Bayer AG shares sank to their lowest in almost seven years on Thursday after a U.S. jury awarded $80 million to a man who claimed use of the group's weed killer Roundup caused his cancer, with thousands of similar lawsuits looming. The jury in San Francisco federal court on Wednesday found Bayer liable because its Monsanto unit did not warn plaintiff Edwin Hardeman of the herbicide's alleged cancer risks. U.S judge strikes down rule allowing 'skimpy' health insurance plans

A federal judge on Thursday stuck down a Trump administration rule aimed at enabling millions of Americans to buy skimpy health insurance plans that do not comply with key Affordable Care Act requirements - part of administration efforts to chip away at the healthcare law. Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found the rule "is clearly an end-run around the ACA," commonly called Obamacare, the signature domestic achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama.