Health News Roundup: Ebola survivors face kidney problems, premature death risk; Even a little exercise linked to a longer life

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Amid swine fever outbreak, Brazil beef plants set for Chinese inspections: sources

Chinese health inspectors are expected to start evaluating four Brazilian beef plants on Thursday as part of a push to approve new meat exporters amid an outbreak of swine fever, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Marfrig Global Foods SA owns one of the plants, located in the town of Várzea Grande in Mato Grosso state, according to both sources. A third source confirmed the date of the inspection, to be carried out using video technology, but did not confirm the number of plants involved.

Ebola survivors face kidney problems and risk of premature death

People who survive Ebola virus infection face a dramatically higher risk of dying - probably from severe kidney damage - within a year of leaving hospital, according to a study of survivors of an epidemic in Guinea. Researchers who followed more than 1,100 survivors of the Ebola virus outbreak - which swept through West Africa in the world's largest epidemic from 2013 to 2016 - found their mortality rates a year after discharge from hospital were up to five times higher than expected in general Guinean population.

U.S. government gives states nearly $2 billion to combat opioid crisis

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday it will offer states more than $1.8 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic. The funds will be used for expanding access to treatments for opioid overdosing and to gather case data from across states, the HHS said.

Mallinckrodt taps restructuring firms: Bloomberg

Mallinckrodt Plc has hired restructuring firms and may choose to seek bankruptcy protection, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, sending the drugmaker's shares down 40% in after-hours trading. The company has hired law firm Latham & Watkins LLP and consulting firm AlixPartners LLP to advise on the matter, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the situation.

AstraZeneca's Tagrisso helps lung cancer patients live longer: study

AstraZeneca Plc said on Friday a late-stage study showed its top-selling drug, Tagrisso, had significantly helped patients with a type of lung cancer live longer. The British drugmaker announced overall positive survival results from the study in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Novartis, Lonza deepen biosimilars push with MS, arthritis drug deals

Swiss drugmakers Novartis and Lonza separately deepened their push into so-called biosimilars, betting cheaper copies of name-brand drugs will make headway among cost-conscious insurers and governments. Novartis's Sandoz generics unit, among the biggest biosimilars makers, on Tuesday agreed to license from Poland's Polpharma Biologics a version of Biogen's decade-old Tysabri for multiple sclerosis. This is the fifth proposed biosimilar licensed by Sandoz in nine months.

Even a little exercise linked to a longer life

People who get even a small amount of exercise may be less likely to die prematurely than their more sedentary counterparts, a research review suggests. Researchers examined data from 10 previously published studies that used accelerometers that track movement to measure the exact amount of active and sedentary time spent by more than 36,000 older adults. After an average follow-up period of 6.7 years, a total of 2,149 people died, or about 6% of the participants.

Heart failure deaths highest in poorest US counties

People living in U.S. counties with the highest rates of poverty are more likely to die from heart failure than those from more affluent areas, a new study suggests. Researchers examining data from more than 3,000 U.S. counties found that for each percentage-point increase in poverty, heart failure mortality increased by 5.2 deaths per 100,000 county residents, according to the report in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Cancer overtakes heart disease as biggest rich-world killer

Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries and could become the world's biggest killer within just a few decades if current trends persist, researchers said on Tuesday. Publishing the findings of two large studies in The Lancet medical journal, the scientists said they showed evidence of a new global "epidemiologic transition" between different types of chronic disease.

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(With inputs from agencies.)