Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Drugmakers Astellas, Amgen to pay $125 million in U.S. charity kickback probe

Two drugmakers will pay nearly $125 million to resolve claims they used charities that help cover Medicare patients' out-of-pocket drug costs as a way to pay kickbacks aimed at encouraging the use of their high-priced medications, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday. The department said Japan-based Astellas Pharma and Amgen Inc, the world's largest biotechnology company, were the latest to settle claims stemming from an industry-wide probe of drugmakers' financial support of patient assistance charities. Bausch Health's lotion for plaque psoriasis wins FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Bausch Health Companies Inc's topical plaque psoriasis treatment, which is expected to be a key revenue driver for the company. Duobrii, which is priced at $825 for a 100-gram tube, is 50 percent lower than other branded topical treatments, the company said. It is expected to be available in the United States in June. U.S. measles outbreak triggers quarantine at two Los Angeles universities

A nationwide measles outbreak has led health officials to quarantine dozens of people at two Los Angeles universities, officials said on Thursday. The quarantine affects the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) and comes as the United States battles the highest number of measles cases since the country declared the virus eliminated in 2000. U.S. judge blocks new Trump abortion rule for health clinics

A federal judge in Washington state on Thursday blocked a Trump administration rule that would prohibit taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers. The preliminary injunction bars enforcement nationwide of a policy that was due to go into effect on May 3 over the vehement objections of abortion supporters who have decried it as a "gag rule" designed to silence doctor-patient communications about abortion options. Homemade kits with tourniquets make gunshot first aid more available

Homemade kits used to train bystanders to step in and stop bleeding after a gunshot wound could save lives, a new report suggests. St. Louis doctors came up with some ingenious adaptations to lower the price of training kits used to teach people how to stop severe bleeding that can cost a life, and describe their inner-city focused training program and tools in JAMA Surgery. Bayer says it is looking into established drugs strategy

Bayer is looking into future options for its established drugs business, partly because of price pressure in China, the German company's head of pharmaceuticals said on Thursday. "We're looking strategically, obviously, what to do with our more established products business in the long haul," divisional head Stefan Oelrich, who joined Bayer in November last year, told analysts in a conference call. Gilead experimental NASH drug fails another study

Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental drug aimed at treating a type of fatty liver disease known as NASH failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage study on Thursday, two months after it failed another trial. California-based Gilead has been counting on its drug pipeline, including the NASH drug selonsertib, as sales of its hepatitis C treatments fall due to a smaller patient pool and intensifying competition, denting profits. Brazil's Bolsonaro shocked by high number of penis amputations

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday expressed horror over the 1,000 penis amputations that occur each year in the country including those due to a lack of basic hygiene, a figure he called "ridiculous and sad." Speaking with reporters in Brasilia after visiting the Education Ministry, the former army captain despaired at the number and said his government must work with vulnerable men to make them more aware of the dangers of unhygienic behavior. News coverage of violent events may contribute to 'cycle of distress'

In the wake of violent events like mass shootings or natural disasters, people who watch the most media coverage of the story are more likely to show post-traumatic stress symptoms months later, a small U.S. study suggests. After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, researchers repeatedly surveyed more than 4,000 U.S. adults who hadn't been involved in the events. U.S. measles cases hit highest level since eradication in 2000

The United States has confirmed 695 measles cases so far this year, the highest level since the country declared it had eliminated the virus in 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The resurgence, which public health officials blamed in part on the spread of misinformation about the safety of vaccines, has been concentrated mainly in Washington state and New York with outbreaks that began late last year.