Health News Roundup: Second opioid distributor charged; Canada warns U.S. against drug import plans

U.S. overdose deaths dropped last year for the first time in nearly two decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday, in a sign that a nationwide epidemic of drug-related deaths is abating. About 68,500 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2018, compared with about 72,000 the year prior, a 5% decrease, according to the CDC's provisional data.

Women doctors skip conferences because of family responsibilities

Female cancer experts are more likely than their male colleagues to skip scientific meetings that could offer networking opportunities and a chance to catch up with the latest developments in their field, a new study finds. One big reason the women oncologists give is the lack of available child care, according to the report in JAMA Oncology.

Recent cannabis use tied to memory deficits, slowed mental processing

(Reuters Health) - People who have recently used cannabis may be more likely to experience memory deficits or difficulties with cognitive function than those who don't use the drug, a recent study suggests. Researchers interviewed 1,121 adults 22 to 36 years old about any history of drug use and also tested participants' urine for evidence of cannabis and other drugs. Then, participants completed neuropsychological evaluations, which assess things like memory, attention, processing speed, executive function and motor skills.

Biden versus Sanders: Top 2020 contenders snipe over healthcare policy

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and rival Bernie Sanders are waging a public battle this week over universal healthcare, staking out competing turf on an issue that has become the most divisive in the party's primary campaign. The sniping between the two White House contenders, highlighted on Wednesday when Sanders delivered a defense of his ambitious "Medicare for All" plan, has split Democrats and forced other candidates to choose sides on an issue certain to play prominently in next year's general election race.

WHO flags Ebola risk in Rwanda, but then withdraws its report

The World Health Organization on Thursday withdrew a report that said an Ebola patient may have entered Rwanda, suggesting the deadly virus could spread to that country for the first time. The report, and others written by Uganda's Health Ministry and published as daily updates by the WHO's Africa office, detailed the case of a Congolese fishmonger who died of Ebola after going to Uganda and vomiting four times.

Malnutrition, disease kill at least 139 displaced in Indonesia's Papua - group

Thousands of people in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua have been displaced by fighting between soldiers and separatists, and at least 139 of them have died from malnutrition and disease, an aid group said on Thursday. But the Indonesian military disputed the figures for deaths and displaced issued by the Solidarity Team for Nduga aid group.

Malnutrition, disease rising in North Korea: aid organization

Rates of malnutrition and disease are increasing in North Korea as it faces a harvest that is half of what was expected, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Thursday. International aid agencies as well as North Korea state media have been warning that erratic weather with drought and floods, and a lack of access to resources could lead to a food crisis in a country under strict international sanctions over leader Kim Jong Un's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Exclusive: Canada warns U.S. against drug import plans, citing shortage concerns

Canada opposes any U.S. plans to buy Canadian prescription drugs that might threaten the country's drug supply or raise costs for its own citizens, officials have told U.S. authorities, in a new setback to the Trump administration's efforts to tackle high drug prices, according to documents obtained by Reuters. Canadian opposition is a problem for U.S. lawmakers, who have argued they can lower sky-high prescription drug prices by approving imports from Canada, where prices are lower.

California settles decades-long lawsuit over lead paint, but outcome is bittersweet

When Californian counties and cities first sued paint makers in 2000, they wanted the companies to pay billions to remove dangerous old lead paint from hundreds of thousands of homes. After a 19-year legal struggle, they have finally succeeded in getting the companies to fund a remediation program, albeit on a much smaller scale. Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra Grocery Products Co. and NL Industries have agreed to a $305 million settlement, according to a filing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California on Wednesday.

Second opioid distributor charged over role in U.S. drug epidemic

An Ohio drug wholesale distributor and two former executives were charged on Thursday with profiting from the U.S. opioid epidemic by selling millions of pills despite signs the addictive drugs were being misused. Federal prosecutors in Cincinnati charged Miami-Luken Inc and four people in the second U.S. criminal case against a drug distributor over its role in a crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.