Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Unproven stem cell therapies often peddled by doctors without training

At U.S. clinics advertising unproven stem cell treatments, roughly two-thirds of the clinicians may be physicians, but a new study suggests these doctors are often trained in specialties unrelated to the services they provide. "About half of the companies we examined offer unproven stem cell treatments for conditions (for) which they do not have a physician with the appropriate residency and fellowship training," said senior study author Zubin Master, of the Biomedical Ethics Research Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Glyphosate use will eventually end, Merkel says

Use of Bayer's contested weedkiller glyphosate, the subject of more than 10,000 lawsuits in the U.S. over claims it causes cancer, will eventually die out, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the country's lower house on Wednesday. Merkel's view is seemingly at odds with that of Bayer, which acquired the pesticide along with its takeover of U.S. seed maker Monsanto, which earlier this month said it saw a future for the product.

Tobacco, vape shops sell more to minors than other retailers

U.S. regulations require retailers to check ID for everyone under age 27 who tries to buy tobacco products, but half of tobacco and vape shops don't do this, a 2018 study of California retailers suggests. Forty-five percent of tobacco and vape shops sold e-cigarettes and vaping supplies to researchers posing as underage shoppers, the analysis also found. Sales violations were more common with vaping products than with traditional cigarettes.

Juul loses home turf as San Francisco bans e-cigarette sales

San Francisco will become the first major city in the United States to ban the sale of e-cigarettes as officials look to control the rapid uptick in teenage use of nicotine devices made by companies such as Juul Labs Inc. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance on Tuesday, banning the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes until they have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

U.S. pork lobby says regulatory changes needed after Trump biotech order

The U.S. pork lobby said on Tuesday that more must be done to simplify regulations for genetically altered livestock, weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to streamline the review process for agricultural technology. Trump, who was elected in 2016 with broad support from farmers, signed the order in Iowa on June 11 and said it would speed up reviews of biotechnology.

Fate of opioid litigation hinges on government 'police power'

The fate of thousands of lawsuits seeking to hold drugmakers responsible for fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic hinges in part on a thorny legal question: Can a company use a bankruptcy to stop lawsuits from cities and states? U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross is expected in July to decide whether to halt more than 160 active lawsuits brought by state attorneys general, cities and counties against opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics Inc. When it filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware earlier this month, Insys requested the cases be paused.

Afghanistan records tenth polio case in 2019 as security worsens: officials

Afghanistan, one of the last countries in the world where polio is still endemic, has registered its 10th case this year, with most coming in southern regions where Taliban militants have wide control, a senior health official said on Wednesday. A 21-month-old girl in the south central province of Uruzgan had been left partly paralyzed by the disease after her parents refused permission for her to receive vaccination.

Switzerland aims to legalise medical marijuana

The Swiss government aims to make it easier for patients to get medical marijuana, proposing on Wednesday to allow prescriptions for cannabis to treat people suffering from cancer or other serious conditions. The proposal, separate from a Swiss government push to allow some cities to experiment with recreational marijuana, would replace the current system, in which those seeking medical cannabis must apply for an exception from the Federal Health Office to get what is otherwise an illegal drug.

Illinois joins 10 other U.S. states in legalizing recreational marijuana

Illinois on Tuesday became the 11th U.S. state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults after Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that also provides for the removal of certain previous drug convictions and will generate new revenue for the financially troubled state. The Democratic governor hailed the measure, which was passed by the legislature last month, for allowing as many as 700,000 marijuana-related records and convictions to be erased.

Opioid use booming as tramadol crisis emerges in Africa - U.N. drug report

Synthetic opioid use is booming, the United Nations said on Wednesday in a worldwide drug report that showed deaths in the United States from overdoses still rising and a "crisis" of tramadol use emerging in parts of Africa. The estimated number of people using opioids - an umbrella term for drugs ranging from opium and derivatives such as heroin to synthetics like fentanyl and tramadol - in 2017 was 56% higher than in 2016, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said.