Health News Roundup: India's Strides Pharma halts U.S. sales of heartburn drug; U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 12, illnesses climb to 805

Britain's looming exit from the EU carries real risks

Britain's looming exit from the EU carries real risks that medicines and healthcare supplies will be delayed, the UK's public spending watchdog said on Friday, and an influential lawmaker said a no-deal Brexit may have the "gravest of consequences". While Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has taken some steps to manage the risks, the National Audit Office (NAO)said in a report, there is still significant work to be done.

For would-be elite soldiers, healthier diets may pay off

(Reuters Health) - A study of soldiers trying to get into an elite army unit adds to evidence linking healthy diets to better physical performance. Researchers analyzed data from active-duty male soldiers attending the assessment and selection course for Army special forces, known as Green Berets. They found that soldiers with higher Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores had higher physical performance scores and were up to 75% more likely than those with the lowest diet-quality scores to be chosen for the elite unit.

'Straight-up panic': U.S. vaping crackdown sends some scrambling for their fix

When Massachusetts announced a four-month ban on vaping products this week, Chris Soares was ready, having amassed more than 20 bottles of flavored, nicotine-laced vape fluid, enough to supply his daily habit well into next year. "I was doing a doomsday prepping kind of thing," said Soares.

India's Strides Pharma halts U.S. sales of heartburn drug

India's Strides Pharma Science Ltd said on Friday it has halted sales of its heartburn drug Ranitidine in the U.S. market as it conducts tests to identify possible cancer-causing impurities in the tablets. The move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked the company to test the drug for indications of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurity, which the regulator says is a "probable human carcinogen".

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 12, illnesses climb to 805

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 805 confirmed and probable cases and 12 deaths so far from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, with the outbreak showing no signs of losing steam. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 530 cases and seven deaths due to severe lung illnesses.

Washington governor urges state health board to ban some vaping products

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee on Friday urged state agencies to ban flavored and cannabis-derived vaping products, joining other states and the federal government in taking steps to reduce vaping amid a mysterious outbreak of deaths and illness. Inslee called his state's measures "a floor, not a ceiling," telling a news conference that more stringent rules could follow. U.S. health officials have linked vaping to 12 deaths and 805 cases of a mysterious respiratory illness.

Workplaces could be good setting for diabetes prevention

People in certain occupations have a three-times-higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those in other jobs, probably because of lifestyle factors, a nationwide study in Sweden suggests. Getting these workers to ramp up physical activity could be the first step to preventing the disease, the researchers say.

U.S. agents raid genetic testing labs, charge 35 in Medicare fraud probe

U.S. federal agents raided genetic testing laboratories, and 35 people were criminally charged in four states in a crackdown on genetic testing fraud that officials said on Friday caused $2.1 billion in losses to federal healthcare insurance programs. Officials at the Justice Department and Health and Human Services Department Office of the Inspector General said charges were filed in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Georgia in "one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes ever charged."