Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Horizon's prices thyroid eye disease therapy at $14,900 per vial
Horizon Therapeutics Plc on Tuesday priced its treatment for thyroid eye disease at $14,900 per vial following the U.S. FDA approval and said the drug would be available in the United States in the coming weeks. Shares of the company rose 4.2% in extended trading after the drug regulator said Tepezza is the first approved treatment for the vision-threatening autoimmune disorder, in which the muscles and fatty tissue behind the eye become inflamed and expand.
U.S. kids getting more well-child checkups, having fewer sick visits
Children in the U.S. have been getting more preventive checkups and having fewer sick visits in recent years, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on more than 71 million pediatric primary care visits from 2008 to 2016 for children with private health insurance. During the study period, overall visits decreased 14.4%, driven by a decline in sick visits, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
The shadow of SARS: China learned the hard way how to handle an epidemic
The emergence of a new virus in central China has brought back painful memories of another virulent respiratory disease that wreaked worldwide havoc and left the country's health authorities struggling to rebuild public trust. But global health experts said China has come a long way since 2003, when it was accused of trying to cover up a major outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a previously unknown virus believed to have emerged from the wet markets of Guangdong province before spreading into major cities. As many as 774 people died in an epidemic that reached nearly 30 countries.
U.S. Supreme Court lets Flint, Michigan residents sue over water contamination
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday let residents of Flint, Michigan pursue a civil rights lawsuit against the city and government officials that accused them of knowingly allowing the city's water supply to become contaminated with lead. The justices turned away two appeals by the city and the state and local officials of a lower court ruling that allowed the lawsuit to move forward. The lower court rejected a demand for immunity by the officials, finding that they violated the residents' right to "bodily integrity" under the U.S. Constitution by providing the tainted water after switching water sources in a cost-cutting move in 2014.
Cathay says crew can wear masks on all flights due to new coronavirus
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will allow all crew members and frontline employees to wear surgical masks due to concerns over a new coronavirus, and said passengers to and from Wuhan, China, could change or cancel flights for free through Feb. 15. The airline had earlier said only cabin crew operating mainland China flights could wear masks, in response to the airline's flight attendants calling for permission to wear masks on all flights globally as cases have also been confirmed in the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
JUUL use more than doubled among U.S. teens, young adults in one year
Between 2018 and 2019, use of JUUL vaping devices doubled among U.S. young people aged 18 to 20 and more than tripled among those aged 21 to 24, a new study finds. Among 18-to-20-year-olds, JUUL use went from 11.9% to 23.9%. Among 21-to-24-year-olds, use went from 5.6% to 18.1%, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
How VR helps kids with autism make sense of real world
A specialist care facility in England is using virtual reality (VR) headsets and data mining to help children with autism to acclimatize to scenarios they are likely to encounter outside of school. Staff at Prior's Court, located in Berkshire, southern England, hope the high-tech approach helps students adapt to the real world and enjoy new experiences such as virtual skiing or deep-sea diving.
Trump says U.S. in 'great shape' with 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:
Pandemic fears grow as China virus toll rises to nine
Authorities in China and beyond stepped up efforts to control an outbreak of a new flu-like coronavirus on Wednesday as the death toll rose to nine with 440 confirmed cases, while suspicion grew that the virus crossed to humans from animals. China discouraged public gatherings in Hubei province, where the virus emerged last month, and tightened containment measures in hospitals, while the World Health Organization (WHO) was due to hold an emergency meeting to determine whether the outbreak constituted a global health emergency.
GSK appeal against fine over 'pay-for-delay' drug deals faces EU rebuke
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline may have harmed competition with payments it made to generic drugmakers to delay the launch of cheap copies of an antidepressant, according to an adviser to the European Court of Justice. The legal opinion, which is not binding on the court but carries a significant weight, effectively upholds a penalty of 37.6 million pounds ($49 million) imposed by Britain's competition watchdog in 2016.
