Health News Roundup: Seniors with heart failure not harmed by moderate alcohol use; Drug firms greet 2019 with U.S. price hikes

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Aurobindo Pharma to recall 80 lots of blood pressure medicine valsartan in the U.S.

A U.S. unit of Indian generic drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma Ltd will recall 80 lots of medicines containing blood pressure drug valsartan that were found to have a probable cancer-causing impurity, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The impurity N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) was detected in quantities above the acceptable limit in certain tablets containing valsartan, the FDA said.

Drug companies greet 2019 with U.S. price hikes

Drugmakers kicked off 2019 with price increases in the United States on more than 250 prescription drugs, including the world's top-selling medicine, Humira, although the pace of price hikes was slower than last year. The industry has been under pressure by the U.S. President Donald Trump to hold their prices level as his administration works on plans aimed at lowering the costs of medications for consumers in the world's most expensive pharmaceutical market.

In Yemen, world's worst cholera outbreak traced to eastern Africa

Scientists have found that a strain of cholera causing an epidemic in Yemen – the worst in recorded history – came from eastern Africa and was probably borne into Yemen by migrants. Using genomic sequencing techniques, researchers at Britain's Wellcome Sanger Institute and France's Institut Pasteur also said they should now be better able to estimate the risk of future cholera outbreaks in regions like Yemen, giving health authorities more time to intervene.

Missed cancer screenings linked to earlier death from non-cancer causes

Adults who skip recommended cancer screenings may be more likely than those who don't skip them to die prematurely from causes unrelated to malignancies, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers think skipping screenings may be a marker for more generally neglecting one's own health.

One-floor living helps seniors 'age in place'

Older adults are less likely to need to change residences if their homes have certain features, including no stairs, a new study found. "Most older adults do not want to move to a nursing home, and supporting older adults to age in the community has potential to improve quality of life and costs for care," said lead study author Marianne Granbom of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Lund University in Sweden.

Military women may face barriers to contraception

Female soldiers on active duty may struggle to get contraception, a small U.S. study suggests. Although unintended pregnancies are more common in the military than among U.S. women in general, military treatment facilities and Tricare, the military health insurance program for active duty service members, only offer abortions in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment, researchers note in the journal Military Medicine.

College students at heightened risk for lethal meningitis B infections

College students may be much more likely than others in their age group to develop a rare but potentially fatal type of bacterial infection that can be prevented with vaccination, a U.S. study suggests. Among young adults ages 18 to 24, college students are more than three times as likely to be infected with meningococcal disease serogroup B, researchers found. These bacteria can enter the bloodstream and lead to severe swelling in the brain and spinal cord. Even though the relatively new MenB vaccine helps protect against this strain, it isn't widely used or recommended for all teens or college students, the study team notes in Pediatrics.

China strengthens slaughter regulations to combat African swine fever

China's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday that slaughterhouses will need run African swine fever virus test for pig products before selling them to the market, in a move to control spread of the highly contagious disease. Slaughterhouses must slaughter the pigs from different origins separately, and can only sell the products if blood of the same batch of pigs is tested negative for African swine fever virus, according to a new regulation published on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Trump says he expects to see lower drug prices

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he expects to see a tremendous decrease in drug prices even as drugmakers have taken steps to raise the prices of their medicines starting this month. Trump made the comments during a meeting of his Cabinet at the White House that included U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar. According to documents seen by Reuters, nearly 30 pharmaceutical companies have taken steps to end their self-declared halt to price increases this year.

Seniors with heart failure not harmed by moderate alcohol use

Older people with heart failure may be able to continue drinking moderately without harming their health, a new study suggests. In fact, heart failure patients who consume up to seven drinks a week may actually live longer than those who completely avoid alcohol, researchers report in JAMA Network Open.

(With inputs from agencies.)