Health News Roundup: Many deadly common cancers get little funding; Summer may be prime time for first highs

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Many deadly common cancers get little charity funding

Many of the most common and lethal cancers get the fewest research dollars from fundraising advocacy groups, especially cancers associated with stigmatized behaviors like smoking and drinking, a U.S. study suggests. Cancers of the colon, endometrium, liver and bile duct, cervix, ovaries, pancreas and lung were all poorly funded relative to how many people they affect and how many deaths they cause, the study found. In contrast, breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and pediatric cancers were all quite well-funded relative to their impact on society.

Deployment of second Ebola vaccine would not be quick fix, experts warn

The resignation of Congo's health minister in the midst of the country's worst Ebola outbreak could clear the way for a second experimental vaccine to be deployed. But the new shot would likely take months to win the trust of frightened locals and show results, health officials say. Oly Ilunga, who opposed using the vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, resigned as minister on Monday after being bumped off the Ebola response team.

Bristol-Myers releases mixed Opdivo lung cancer results

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co released mixed results on Wednesday from trials testing the survival benefit of its immunotherapy Opdivo in combination with either chemotherapy or its other immuno-oncology drug, Yervoy, as an initial treatment for advanced lung cancer. The U.S. drugmaker said that Opdivo combined with chemotherapy failed to extend overall survival more than chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Exclusive: White House preparing order that would cut drug prices for Medicare - sources

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a sweeping executive order that would cut prices on virtually all branded prescription drugs sold to Medicare and other government programs, according to two industry sources who had discussions with the White House. The order under discussion would be much broader than the Administration's previously disclosed proposal to lower prices on physician-administered, or Part B, drugs by tying prices to lower costs in other countries.

Allergan recalls textured breast implants worldwide

Allergan Plc said on Wednesday it was recalling its Biocell textured breast implants and tissue expanders across markets, citing concerns over a rare form of cancer, after the U.S. health agency asked the drugmaker to pull the products. The Food And Drug Administration found the use of these breast implants was tied to increased risk of a rare type of cancer known as breast-implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).

Summer may be prime time for first highs

American teens and adults may be more likely to try illegal or recreational drugs for the first time over the summer than at other times of year, a new study suggests. Overall, 31% of youth and adults who use cannabis tried the drug for the first time during the summer months, the study found. Summer was also the starting season of choice for 28% of cocaine users, 34% of LSD users, and 30% of people who used ecstasy, also called MDMA or Molly.

Eli Lilly's hypoglycemia treatment wins FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly And Co's treatment for severe hypoglycemia, the health regulator said on Wednesday. Hypoglycemia is a condition in which blood sugar falls to dangerously low levels.

CNOOC halts field work at western Uganda project over Ebola fears

Oil producer China National Offshore Oil Corp said on Thursday it had halted fieldwork at its western Uganda project over an Ebola scare and would resume operations only after getting the green light from the health ministry. Uganda's oilfields in the Albertine rift basin are a few miles from the epicenter of the latest Ebola outbreak that has killed nearly 1,700 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo since August last year.

Relaxed UK salt policy tied to more heart disease, cancers

Declines in salt consumption in England have slowed since a 2011 shift in government policy gave greater freedom to the food industry to set and monitor targets for curbing salt intake, a new study suggests. As a result, researchers estimate that more Britons have developed heart disease or gastric cancer than would have been the case under the stricter old policy.

Elton John AIDS fundraiser brings in $6 million for Kenya HIV testing

Elton John on Wednesday hosted a celebrity-packed gala that raised more than $6 million to fight HIV/AIDS in Kenya, thanks partly to auctions of a luxury car and an autographed piano used in the singer's "Rocketman" movie musical. The British singer-songwriter, on a break from his farewell world tour, welcomed the likes of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, actress Joan Collins, and Taron Egerton, who plays John in "Rocketman," to a villa in Cap d'Antibes in France.