Health News Roundup: FDA approves Celgene's bone marrow cancer treatment; Nordic walking may benefit breast cancer patients

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AbbVie prices new rheumatoid arthritis drug at $59,000 a year

AbbVie Inc has priced its new rheumatoid arthritis treatment at $59,000 a year after gaining U.S. approval on Friday, a big boost for the drugmaker struggling with rising competition for Humira, its blockbuster therapy for the same condition. A four-week supply of Humira, the world's best-selling medicine, has a list price of about $5,174, amounting to more than $60,000 for a year.

First two Ebola cases confirmed in Congo's South Kivu: officials

A woman and her child were the first two cases confirmed with Ebola in Congo's South Kivu region this week, opening a new front in the fight against the outbreak. Health officials said on Friday that the latest cases were more than 700 km (430 miles) south of where the outbreak was first detected.

Sick hospital workers often expose patients to contagious illness

Hospital workers often come to work with contagious respiratory illnesses, against the recommendations of public health regulators, a Canadian study suggests. Nearly all of the 2,093 health care workers in the study who had such symptoms came to work at some point while sick.

Tyson recalls nearly 40,000 pounds of Weaver chicken patties

Tyson Foods Inc is recalling nearly 40,000 pounds of its Weaver chicken patties after some consumers found pieces of rubber in the product, the no. 1 U.S. meat processor said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday classified the recall as Class 1, the strictest form of recall where use of the product may cause serious health consequences or death.

FDA approves Celgene's bone marrow cancer treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Celgene Corp's Inrebic to treat certain rare forms of bone marrow cancer called myelofibrosis, making it the second approved drug to treat the disease. Inrebic belongs to a class of drugs known as JAK inhibitors that work by blocking inflammation-causing Janus kinases enzymes. It will compete with Incyte Corp's Jakafi, also a JAK inhibitor, which was approved in 2011 for treating the same condition.

China says pig herd shrinks by 32% in July amid swine fever outbreak

China's pig herd shrank by 32.2% in July from the same month a year ago, its agriculture ministry said on Thursday, as African swine fever continues to spread through the country. The ministry also said the number of sows declined by 31.9% in July, a year after the nation reported its first outbreak of the disease, which is fatal to pigs but does not harm people.

Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic heart valves win FDA approval for expanded use

Heart valve systems from Edwards Lifesciences Corp and Medtronic Plc have been approved for use in a condition that restricts blood flow from the heart in patients at low-risk of death linked to open-heart surgeries, the FDA said on Friday. Shares of Edwards Lifesciences rose 2.2% to $219.9 in afternoon trading, while Medtronic's stock gained 1% to $102.9.

Nordic walking may benefit breast cancer patients

Nordic walking, an aerobic activity performed with walking poles similar to ski poles, may benefit patients with breast cancer, according to a review of existing research. The low-impact exercise improved swelling, physical fitness, disability and quality of life, the study authors conclude in the European Journal of Cancer Care.

Roche cancer treatment priced at $17,050 a month, lower than rival Vitrakvi

Roche Holding AG has priced its personalized cancer treatment, Rozlytrek, at about $17,050 per month, nearly half of the monthly price of a rival drug from Bayer AG and Eli Lilly and Co that was approved last year. Roche's drug and Bayer/Lilly's Vitrakvi target tumors with rare genetic anomalies called NTRK fusions, irrespective of where in the body the disease started.

Tobacco industry anti-smoking ads reached less than half of U.S. adults

Court-ordered anti-smoking ads sponsored by the tobacco industry reached only around 40% of adults and about half of all smokers in the U.S., a recent study suggests. Past research has shown that anti-smoking mass media campaigns are an effective public health intervention and work to reverse misconceptions, researchers write in JAMA Network Open.