Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Trade frictions raise questions about China's fentanyl promise

China has pledged to stem a flood of the synthetic opioid fentanyl onto America's streets, where it kills thousands of people a month, but U.S. security experts are skeptical about whether Beijing is willing, or even able, to follow through. Ten current and former U.S. officials, congressional sources and China and trade experts told Reuters in interviews that China cooperates only when it believes it will get something in return. Medicaid work rules likely to penalize chronically ill: study

States that require adults on Medicaid to work a set number of hours to get benefits may find many people lose coverage because behavioral health conditions and other chronic health problems make it hard for them to work, a U.S. study suggests. Medicaid, a joint federal and state health program for the poor, allows states to seek waivers from the federal government to create work requirements. As of February 2019, six states have received approval for work requirement waivers, eight state programs are awaiting approval, and one state waiver is facing legal challenges in court, researchers note in Health Affairs. Lilly's new migraine drug pulls ahead of Amgen in fierce battle for new prescriptions

Eli Lilly and Co has pulled ahead in a three-way race with Amgen Inc and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in attracting new patients to a new class of migraine drugs, and seeks to build on that advantage by stressing that its therapy can completely prevent headaches in a small percentage of patients. Weekly U.S. prescription data from IQVIA, an analytics provider to the life sciences industry, showed that Lilly’s therapy Emgality claimed the largest share of first-time patients at 37.7 percent, for the first time outstripping Amgen’s Aimovig, whose share dropped to 37.2 percent as of April 26. Teva came in at a 25.1 percent share, according to an analyst who reviewed the data. Exclusive: Philip Morris suspends social media campaign after Reuters exposes young 'influencers'

Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc has suspended a global social media marketing campaign in response to Reuters inquiries into the company’s use of young online personalities to sell its new "heated tobacco" device, including a 21-year-old woman in Russia. The company's internal "marketing standards" prohibit it from promoting tobacco products with youth-oriented celebrities or "models who are or appear to be under the age of 25." Younger lacrosse players have more concussions than older players

Younger boys who play lacrosse are more likely to get injured and sustain concussions than high school or college players, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers looked at injuries per minute of athletic exposure (AE), which includes both practices and competitions, for 21 youth boys' teams, 22 high school boys' teams, and 20 college men's teams over three lacrosse seasons. Teva Pharm CFO says company did not conspire to fix prices

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' chief financial officer on Sunday reiterated that the company has done nothing wrong in the wake of a price-fixing lawsuit filed by 44 U.S. states. Mike McClellan told a conference in Israel that the suit was an amended one and not new, while stressing it was civil and not criminal.