Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novartis CEO plans 80+ submissions for drug approvals through 2022

Novartis is planning more than 80 major submissions to regulators for drug approvals from 2020-2022 in the United States, Europe, Japan and China, Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan said on Thursday ahead of a meeting with analysts and investors. The submission figure is up from the 60 that the Basel-based company had said it was planning for the 2019-2021 period. It reiterated prospects of more than 25 potential medicines in its pipeline that could eventually top $1 billion in sales.

GSK seeks FDA approval for investigational HIV treatment

GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Thursday its HIV unit has submitted a new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval for fostemsavir, an experimental treatment for HIV in adults. Fostemsavir is being developed for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents in adults who have been previously taken treatments for HIV and have developed resistance to the drugs due to various factors.

Hairdressers' skin damaged by hair dyes

Hairdressers may have skin damage from a hair dye ingredient even when they don't have dermatitis, or rashes, from this exposure, a small lab experiment suggests. The chemical, p-phenylenediamine (PPD), "is a strong contact allergen used in hair dye known to cause allergic contact dermatitis," Dr. Cezmi Akdis, of the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research in Davos Platz, and colleagues write in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Half a million Ebola vaccine doses to be stockpiled for emergency use

A stockpile of 500,000 doses of Ebola vaccine for emergency use in outbreaks of the deadly fever is being established by the global vaccine alliance GAVI. The plan is for poor and middle-income countries to access the $178 stockpile free of charge, GAVI said on Thursday, while other countries will need to refund the costs.

WHO decries 'collective failure' as measles kills 140,000

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent Measles infected nearly 10 million people in 2018 and killed 140,000, mostly children, as devastating outbreaks of the viral disease hit every region of the world, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

Novartis R&D boss says doesn't see big opportunity in oral SMA therapy

Novartis research head Jay Bradner said on Thursday the Swiss drugmaker is focusing efforts against spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) on gene therapy Zolgensma and retreating from oral therapy like its molecule LMI070, also called branaplam. Bradner's comment to an investor conference in London comes as cross-town rival Roche has won the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's accelerated priority review for its oral SMA therapy that could result in a decision by May 2020.

Many doctors in training may skip routine health care

Trainee doctors often miss out on routine medical care and preventive health services even when they take daily prescriptions, a small study suggests. Researchers surveyed 299 residents at 20 teaching hospitals in New England about their physical and mental health. Participants were 31 years old, on average, and 35% reported having no routine place for medical care, the study found.

British hiker survives six-hour cardiac arrest in 'exceptional' case: Spanish doctor

A 34-year-old British hiker was revived in Spain after a six-hour cardiac arrest brought on by severe hypothermia, with the low mountain temperatures that made her ill also helping to save her life in what a doctor described as an "exceptional case". Audrey Mash's ordeal began on Nov. 3 when she and her husband were out hiking in the Catalan Pyrenees. As the weather took a turn for the worse, Mash, who lives in Barcelona, began experiencing trouble speaking and moving.

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 48, cases of illness to 2,291

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported one new case and one more death from a respiratory illness tied to vaping over a two-week period, taking the total death toll to 48. As of Dec. 4, 2019, there were 2,291 hospitalized cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories. There are more deaths under investigation, health officials said.

New Biogen data showed no major safety issues for its Alzheimer's drug

Biogen Inc on Thursday presented new data on its experimental Alzheimer's drug aducanumab that eased concerns raised by some experts but still left many questions unanswered as the company made its case about why it plans to seek U.S. approval after declaring the drug a failure in March. Biogen stock was last up 3.4%.