Health News Roundup: Diabetes epidemic fuelling record insulin demand; U.S., Canada warn on E.coli in lettuce

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China cracks down on obstruction of African swine fever reporting

China's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday it was issuing new rules to stop behavior that was leading to the spread of African swine fever, a highly contagious disease that has already killed hundreds of thousands of pigs in the country. The new rules state that it is strictly forbidden to delay or obstruct reporting of new outbreaks, to issue false test reports or illegal health certificates and to illegally dispose of infected animals.

Big pharma leaves big gaps: drugmakers urged to do more for poor

Many of the world's top drugmakers are not doing enough to provide medicines to poor countries, leaving big gaps in access to treatments in crucial disease areas, including cancer, according to a new report on Tuesday. The non-profit Access to Medicine Foundation (AMF) found companies overall were doing more than in the past to reach under-served populations, for example by setting lower prices for some drugs and improving transparency surrounding patents.

Abstain from romaine: U.S., Canada warn on E.coli in lettuce

Public health officials in the United States and Canada on Tuesday warned against eating romaine lettuce while they investigate an outbreak of E. coli that has sickened 50 people in the two countries, including 13 who were hospitalized. The alerts, issued as millions of Americans plan their Thanksgiving Day menus, covered all forms of romaine, including whole heads, hearts, bags, mixes and Caesar salad.

Online tool can help men make prostate cancer treatment choices

A web-based tool can let a man with prostate cancer see how thousands of other men in his situation have chosen to be treated, which may help him better understand his own options, a U.S. study suggests. Early-stage prostate cancer may not need treatment right away, or ever, because these tumors often don't grow fast enough to cause symptoms. Because treatment can have side effects like impotence and incontinence, doctors sometimes advise men to put off surgery or radiation and instead get regular screenings to reassess whether the cancer warrants intervention.

Millions left behind as diabetes drives surge in insulin demand

A global diabetes epidemic is fuelling record demand for insulin but tens of millions will not get the injections they need unless there is a dramatic improvement in access and affordability, a new study concluded on Wednesday. Diabetes -- which can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart problems, neuropathic pain and amputations -- now affects 9 percent of all adults worldwide, up from 5 percent in 1980.

Mylan gets FDA warning letter over infractions at West Virginia plant

Mylan NV said on Tuesday it is addressing issues raised in a warning letter it received earlier this month from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which flagged concerns regarding the drugmaker's manufacturing plant in West Virginia. The company said the FDA's letter, dated Nov. 9, followed a regulatory inspection of its Morgantown, West Virginia plant in April.

U.S. judge selects first case in federal Monsanto weed-killer litigation

A U.S. judge overseeing the federal litigation against Bayer AG's Monsanto unit over glyphosate-based weed-killers allegedly causing cancer on Tuesday selected the first case to be tried in federal court in February 2019. U.S. District Judge Vince Chaabria in San Francisco in an order said the case of California resident Edwin Hardeman will be the first out of more than 620 cases pending in the federal litigation to go to a jury.

Walgreens, Humana in talks to take stakes in each other: WSJ

Drugstore owner Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and health insurer Humana Inc are in preliminary discussions to take equity stakes in each other, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. In June, Humana said it would partner with Walgreens, with its unit operating senior-focused primary care clinics inside two Walgreens stores in Kansas.

U.S. judge strikes down Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks

A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, ruling that it "unequivocally" violates women's constitutional rights. The law, considered one of the most restrictive in the country, was passed in March. It had already been put on hold by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves after the state's lone abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, immediately sued.

House Democrats target DOJ decision not to defend Obamacare

Democrats will scrutinize the Trump administration's decision not to defend Obamacare in federal court, when Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year, a leading Democrat said on Monday. In June, the Department of Justice declared the healthcare law's individual mandate unconstitutional in federal court, which threatened to undermine insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions, and helped make healthcare a winning issue for Democrats in House elections on Nov. 6.

(With inputs from Reuters)