Reuters Health News Summary

With Ebola nearly stamped out in West Africa, vaccine trials will probably fail to provide enough useful data on how well they protect people against the deadly virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Liberia was declared free from Ebola by the government and the WHO on Saturday after 42 days without a new case of the virus, which killed more than 4,700 people there during a year-long epidemic.

FDA panel fails to find Vertex lumacaftor positive for cystic fibrosis

A divided U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Tuesday said research data does not show definitively that Vertex Pharmaceutical Inc's drug lumacaftor has a positive effect on cystic fibrosis patients when used in combination with the company's approved therapy, Kalydeco. The panel reached its decision with only three members voting in favor of efficacy. Four members said data did not show efficacy, while six others said efficacy could not be determined with the data available. The panel is expected to decide within the next hour whether to recommend FDA approval for the combination therapy, which would be sold under the brand name Orkambi.

Brazil dengue outbreak exposes tough challenge for Rousseff

An epidemic of dengue fever is fanning public anger over what Brazilians say is President Dilma Rousseff's biggest challenge - the sad state of the national healthcare system. About 750,000 cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been confirmed this year in this country of 200 million people, leading to waits of four hours or longer at some hospitals.

Men who exercise may delay age-related high cholesterol

Men who get plenty of aerobic exercise may delay the onset of age-related high cholesterol, potentially lowering their risk for heart disease, a new study suggests. Researchers followed thousands of men over several decades, periodically drawing blood to test their cholesterol and then making them run on treadmills to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness. Men who could run longer and faster - signs that their bodies more easily deliver oxygen to muscles - also had lower cholesterol.

FDA rethinking ban on blood donations by men who had sex with men

Men who have had sex with other men will be allowed to donate blood under some conditions if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalizes "draft guidance" published on Tuesday. Men who have had sex with another man (MSMs) even once since 1977 are banned from donating blood in the United States as they are recognized to be at a higher risk of contracting HIV.

Seattle hospital joins 'superbug' lawsuit against scope manufacturer

A Seattle hospital has joined a lawsuit against the manufacturer of endoscopy medical scopes linked to a "superbug" outbreak at the medical center, claiming the company, Olympus America, put patients lives at risk by failing to disclose design flaws. Between 2012 and 2014, at least 32 patients at Virginia Mason Medical Center were infected with strains of multidrug-resistant E. coli bacteria spread through contaminated scopes that had been sterilized to the manufacturer's guidelines, according to state health officials.

AstraZeneca digs into precision medicine with lung, heart deals

AstraZeneca is diving deeper into personalized healthcare with two projects that move the concept beyond cancer into respiratory disorders and heart disease. Personalized or precision medicine, which tailors treatment to a patient's genetic profile, is an increasing focus for drug companies, especially after an initiative from U.S. President Barack Obama in January.

Poor sleep tied to heat fatigue, but naps may help

Sleeping only a few hours at night may increase the risk for physical and mental strain when working in the heat, but a nap after lunch may help in some respects, suggests a small study from Japan. Lead author Ken Tokizawa and his research team at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Kawasaki wanted to examine the effect of sleep loss in work situations such as construction sites.

Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska poultry farm: USDA

The fast-spreading avian flu virus was confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, at a commercial egg-laying farm that housed a flock of 1.7 million chickens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The case in Dixon County, Nebraska, brings the number of states affected by the outbreak to 16, and the U.S. tally of birds that have either died or will be killed to 32 million.

Number of Americans using $100,000 in medicines triples: Express Scripts

More than a half-million U.S. patients had medication costs in excess of $50,000 in 2014, an increase of 63 percent from the prior year, as doctors prescribed more expensive specialty drugs for diseases such as cancer and hepatitis C, according to an Express Scripts report released on Wednesday. Of the estimated 575,000 Americans who used at least $50,000 in prescription medicines last year, about 139,000 used at least $100,000 worth of medication, nearly triple the 47,000 who hit that mark in 2013, the report said.