Health News Roundup: African swine fever, Abstain from romaine, China confirms H5N6 bird flu outbreaks

China cracks down on African swine fever reporting

China on Wednesday issued new rules to tighten notification of cases of African swine fever, including incentives for whistleblowers, amid concerns that outbreaks of the highly contagious disease are being under-reported. The notice comes as the world's top pork producer struggles to contain the disease with more than 60 outbreaks in 18 provinces since early August, leading to the culling of hundreds of thousands of pigs.

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.

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 per cent of all adults worldwide, up from 5 per cent in 1980.

U.S. judge selects the 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.

China confirms two H5N6 bird flu outbreaks in Yunnan province

China has confirmed two cases of H5N6 avian bird flu on poultry farms in the southwestern province of Yunnan, the Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday. Local authorities have culled 10,280 birds following the outbreaks, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement on its website.

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.

BioMarin sets stage early for haemophilia cure off-Broadway

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc is turning to the theatre to establish its name with haemophilia patients, long before its experimental cure for the bleeding disorder could reach the market. Earlier this month, BioMarin hosted 25 teenagers and their chaperones for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, where they performed a Broadway-style musical based on their own experiences with bleeding disorders. Some came from as far away as Hawaii to work with a professional theatre crew, have their headshots taken and meet members of the show Hamilton.

(With inputs from Reuters)

(With inputs from agencies.)