Health News Roundup: Heart benefits from soy; WHO reports Ebola in Uganda

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India's Strides tried to shred quality-control documents: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised doubts about Strides Pharma Sciences Ltd's quality-control practices after finding adulteration and evidence of "uncontrolled shredding of documents" at one of its plants. The FDA found "significant violations" of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations at Strides Pharma's plant in Puducherry in southern India, the drug regulator said in a warning letter (https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/strides-pharma-science-limited-576722-07012019) that was made public on Tuesday.

Study confirms heart benefit of soy as FDA reviews this claim

U.S. regulators should continue to recommend soy protein as part of a heart-healthy diet because it helps lower cholesterol, researchers conclude from an analysis of dozens of studies done in the past two decades. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed soy products to carry claims about heart benefits since 1999. But in 2017 the FDA proposed revoking this authorization, citing mixed results in more recent studies of the heart benefits of soy.

CVS enters home dialysis care with clinical trial of new system

CVS Health said on Wednesday it will start a clinical trial of its new home dialysis system this week, setting it up to compete directly with the two largest operators of U.S. dialysis centers, Fresenius Medical Care AG and DaVita Inc. CVS is one of the largest U.S. pharmacy operators and pharmacy benefits managers and also owns Aetna, a top health insurer. It had announced last year that it was working on a home hemodialysis system, which would enable patients with end stage renal disease to have more frequent dialysis and potentially better health outcomes compared with clinic-based care.

Mothers' work with solvents tied to higher autism risk for kids

Women who are exposed to solvents on the job may be more likely to have children with autism than mothers without this occupational exposure, a recent study suggests. Researchers used data on work histories for 750 mothers and 891 fathers to assess the frequency and intensity of any occupational exposure before and during pregnancy for 16 agents that have been linked to neurological or congenital abnormalities in children.

Bulgaria steps up measures to prevent spread of African swine fever

Bulgaria has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of deadly African swine fever and protect the country's 600-million levs ($344 million) pig-breeding industry, the agriculture minister said on Wednesday. The highly contagious disease, which is incurable in pigs but harmless to humans, has spread rapidly across the northern part of the European Union member.

WHO reports new Ebola incident in Uganda amid fears of virus spreading

The World Health Organization reported a new incidence of Ebola in Uganda on Wednesday, fuelling concerns that the virus may be spreading beyond Democratic Republic of Congo, as an expert panel weighs whether to sound the alarm internationally. The WHO said a Congolese fisherwoman travelled across the border to sell fish at Mpondwe market on July 11, where she had four vomiting incidents before returning to Congo and dying of Ebola.

Merck's treatment for urinary, abdominal infections gets FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck & Co Inc's combination treatment for complicated forms of urinary tract and abdominal infections, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. The treatment, Recarbrio, is approved for patients over 18 years who have limited or no alternative treatment options for treating these infections, Merck said.

Head of Planned Parenthood groups departs, cites differences over abortion

The leader of reproductive services provider Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its political arm said on Tuesday that she was leaving both organizations over philosophical differences in their approaches to abortion rights. Dr. Leana Wen, the first physician in nearly 50 years to lead the federation and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said she took the job last September intending to advocate for a broad range of public health policies, not just abortion.

China reports new African swine fever outbreak in Sichuan province

China's agriculture ministry on Wednesday said a new outbreak of African swine fever had been confirmed in Sichuan province in the southwest of the country. The highly contagious disease was found on a farm with 102 pigs in Jiajiang county in central Sichuan, infecting and killing 21 of the animals, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement.

Democrat Harris unveils plan to lower drug costs, put 'people over profit'

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris unveiled a plan on Tuesday to crack down on pharmaceutical companies which overcharge for prescription drugs, making her the latest 2020 White House candidate to seize on the issue. Harris, a U.S. senator from California, said her proposal would dramatically lower drug costs by allowing the federal government to set fair prices for what companies can charge and forcing them to pay rebates to consumers for medicines sold at artificially high rates.