Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Fresenius Medical Care to pay $231 million to resolve criminal, civil foreign bribery charges

Germany-based dialysis clinic operator Fresenius Medical Care AG will pay about $231 million to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company paid bribes to public health and government officials in several countries to win or retain business, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. As part of the settlement, the company admitted that it doled out bribes to officials in Angola and Saudi Arabia from 2007 through 2016, and also failed to maintain proper internal accounting controls, the department said. 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). Drinking scalding-hot tea may increase esophagus cancer risk

(Reuters Health) - Tea drinkers who love a scalding-hot cup of the beverage may want to let it cool down a bit to avoid an increased risk of esophagus cancer, a new study suggests. Among tea drinkers followed for about 10 years, those who drank a lot of tea and liked it very hot - above 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) - had nearly double the risk for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who drank cooler tea and less tea in general, researchers report in the International Journal of Cancer. 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. 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. Alcohol, caffeine are common triggers of irregular heart rhythm

(Reuters Health) - The most common triggers of atrial fibrillation - an irregular heart rhythm that's a leading cause of stroke - are avoidable behaviors like drinking alcohol or coffee, a recent study suggests. People don't always realize when they're experiencing atrial fibrillation, or AFib, but some feel unpleasant chest palpitations or a racing, irregular heartbeat. Red Cross says it sees conditions for humanitarian work in Venezuela

Venezuela has met the necessary conditions for the Red Cross to carry out humanitarian work in the South American nation, the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a news conference on Friday. Francesco Rocca said the group was in a position to help some 650,000 people in Venezuela, which has suffered rising incidence of malnutrition and preventable disease amid an economic collapse. 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. 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. Congo registers record 15 new Ebola cases in one day

Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday recorded 15 new confirmed cases of Ebola, the biggest one-day rise since the current outbreak was declared last August, the health ministry said. Coming a day after 14 new cases were confirmed, the number means the outbreak is on track to register one of its highest weekly case totals, despite health officials saying as recently as two weeks ago that it was largely contained and could be stopped by September.