Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US open to 'creative solutions' on pharma trade with EU, Irish minister says

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer made clear in a meeting with Irish Trade Minster Simon Harris last month that Washington was open to "creative solutions" on pharmaceutical trade between the U.S. and European Union, Harris said on Wednesday. "He made it clear that he was open to creative solutions when it comes to pharma and I think that's an important recognition that actually pharma between the U.S. and the EU, the U.S. and Ireland, is much more interdependent than perhaps people were led to believe in certain quarters at the start of this process," Harris told reporters.

South Africa reports H5N1 bird flu on poultry farms, international agency says

South Africa has reported the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, on two poultry farms in the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Wednesday. The cases were the first in South Africa since September last year, Paris-based WOAH said in a notification.

It's too easy to make AI chatbots lie about health information, study finds

Well-known AI chatbots can be configured to routinely answer health queries with false information that appears authoritative, complete with fake citations from real medical journals, Australian researchers have found. Without better internal safeguards, widely used AI tools can be easily deployed to churn out dangerous health misinformation at high volumes, they warned in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

New York Fed must face lawsuit over COVID vaccine firing, appeals court rules

A federal appeals court on Wednesday revived part of a lawsuit accusing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York of illegally firing two longtime employees who claimed religious objections against COVID-19 vaccinations. In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found disputed issues over the sincerity of Jeanette Diaz's religious opposition to COVID-19 vaccines, and said the New York Fed's contrary evidence "at best" challenged her credibility.

Carlyle to sell up to 10% stake in Piramal Pharma, Moneycontrol reports

Private equity firm Carlyle Group is preparing to offload up to a 10% stake in India's Piramal Pharma, online news portal Moneycontrol reported on Thursday, citing sources. The U.S.-based firm could earn in the range of 26 billion rupees ($304.8 million) to 27 billion rupees from the sale via block trades, the report added.

US FTC workshop criticizing medical care for transgender youth draws staff opposition

Some staff members at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have raised concerns about a planned workshop by the agency on what it calls the dangers of gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, saying it oversteps the FTC's consumer-protection authority, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The workshop "would chart new territory for the Commission by prying into confidential doctor-patient consultations," the group of staff wrote in an anonymous statement of concern sent to members of Congress.

Kraft Heinz recalls certain Oscar Mayer turkey bacon products over Listeria risk

Packaged food maker Kraft Heinz is voluntarily recalling some Oscar Mayer turkey bacon products over concerns about Listeria monocytogenes contamination, a company spokesperson said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which first announced the move on Wednesday, said Kraft Heinz would be recalling about 367,812 pounds of vacuum-packed, fully cooked turkey bacon produced between April 24 and June 11, shipped to retailers nationwide as well as exported to the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong.

Organon abandons endometriosis pain drug development after trial failure

Organon said on Wednesday it will the stop development of an experimental treatment it acquired through its purchase of Forendo Pharma, after the drug failed to reduce pelvic pain in women with endometriosis. The drug's failure in a proof-of-concept mid-stage study deals a blow to the company's attempt to launch a future driver of revenue, four years after it was spun off from Merck. Another drug acquired by Organon through the up to $954 million Forendo acquisition is still in lab studies.

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