Health News Roundup: China lockdown of two; Insys founder faces stiff prison and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

16 people under observation after contact with U.S. coronavirus patient

At least 16 people had close contact with a Washington state man diagnosed as the first U.S. case of the coronavirus and are being monitored for the illness that has killed 17 people in China and sickened hundreds more, local officials said. The patient, a 30-year-old man, is doing well and maybe released from Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington in the near future, the hospital's chief medical officer Jay Cook told a press conference.

French Senate approves bill allowing IVF for single women, lesbians

France's Senate voted on Wednesday in favor of a bill that would allow single women and lesbian couples access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the first major social reform of President Emmanuel Macron's term. The bill was passed 160-116 in the Senate, where Macron's centrist party is outnumbered by right-wing Republicans.

Insys founder faces stiff prison sentence, $100 million-plus in forfeiture

John Kapoor, the founder of Insys Therapeutics Inc, on Thursday could be sentenced to several years in prison and ordered to forfeit up to $113 million for his role in a bribery and fraud scheme that contributed to the U.S. opioid crisis. U.S. Attorney in Boston Andrew Lelling has asked the court to sentence Kapoor to 15 years in prison and seek more than $113 million from him.

China SARS fighter returns to spotlight in coronavirus battle

The public face of China's effort to control a new strain of coronavirus, which has killed 17 and infected nearly 600, is an 83-year-old doctor who became a household name 17 years ago for "daring to speak" in the fight against SARS. Zhong Nanshan, despite his advanced age, was appointed to lead the National Health Commission's investigation into the new virus, which has rattled millions of Chinese who are traveling for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Saturday and jolted global markets.

Blues health insurers fund U.S. non-profit's generic drug expansion

A group of Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers is investing $55 million in a new venture with a non-profit generic drug manufacturer to try to offer cheaper prices on pharmacy drugs to their members, the companies said on Thursday. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and 18 Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurers are working with Civica Rx, a non-profit formed two years ago to try to increase competition for hospital-based generic drugs.

WHO says will decide on Thursday if China virus is a global health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it will decide on Thursday whether to declare a global emergency over the outbreak of a new flu-like virus spreading in and beyond China. If it does so it will be only the sixth international public health emergency to be declared in the last decade.

Trump says the U.S. in 'great shape' with a plan for coronavirus

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States has a plan in place to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said: Roche's SMA drug trial win bolsters $2 billion sales prospects

Roche's spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug risdiplam hit another clinical trial target, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday, which analysts said bolsters its prospects of reaching $2 billion in annual sales. Zuercher Kantonalbank said the outcome, in infants and toddlers between one month and seven months with the severest form of the genetic muscle-wasting disease, virtually guarantees risdiplam's approval this year.

China's latest virus outbreak exposes perils of exotic wildlife trade

A new coronavirus spreading from the city of Wuhan has put a spotlight on China's poorly regulated wild animal trade - driven by the relentless demand for exotic delicacies and ingredients for traditional medicine. China's markets, where wild and often poached animals are packed together, have been described as a breeding ground for disease and an incubator for a multitude of viruses to evolve and jump the species barrier to humans.

China orders 'unprecedented' lockdown of two cities at virus epicenter

China on Thursday locked down two cities at the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak that has killed 17 people and infected nearly 600, as health authorities around the world took action to prevent a global pandemic. Health officials fear the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad during week-long holidays for the Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday.