Health Headlines for Friday, September 2

A look at New York, Pennsylvania’s obesity rankings

WBNG News

A new report says Pennsylvania had the nation’s 24th highest adult obesity rate in 2015, a slight improvement from the prior year.

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Contraceptives Drive Teenage Pregnancy Down

New York Times

The sharp decline in American teenage pregnancy and birthrates in recent years was driven exclusively by the increased use of contraceptives, a new study concludes.

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Tobacco Industry Works to Block Rules on E-Cigarettes

New York Times

The e-cigarette and cigar industries have enlisted high-profile lobbyists and influential congressional allies in an attempt to stop the Food and Drug Administration from retroactively examining their products for public health risks or banning them from the market.

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U.S. fights Zika mosquitoes with limited arsenal

Reuters

Over Wynwood, the Miami neighborhood where Zika gained a foothold in the continental United States, low flying planes have been spraying naled, a tightly controlled pesticide often used as a last resort. It appears to be working, killing at least 90 percent of the target mosquitoes.

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Weak Mylan board fosters EpiPen ‘debacle’: New York comptroller

Reuters

New York City’s comptroller on Thursday criticized what he said are “exorbitant” price increases for Mylan NV’s (MYL.O) allergy auto-injector EpiPen and said weak board oversight of management decisions had undermined the company’s reputation and its stock price.

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Merck scraps development of osteoporosis drug due to stroke risk

Reuters

Merck & Co Inc said it would stop developing its experimental osteoporosis drug after an independent analysis confirmed the treatment raises the risk of stroke.

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