Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Tyson unit recalls 20,000 pounds of frozen beef patties

Tyson Foods Inc is recalling about 20,000 pounds of ready-to-eat beef patties due to plastic contamination, marking its third major product recall this year. A Tyson unit, AdvancePierre Foods, is recalling 'fully cooked flame broiled beef patties' after two consumers complained about soft purple plastic in the product, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service said https://bit.ly/2VhFgp4 on Tuesday. U.S. House condemns Trump's courtroom efforts to end Obamacare

Calling it an effort to take away Americans' healthcare, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to condemn the Trump administration's courtroom bid to eliminate Obamacare. The 240-186 vote was a largely symbolic move aimed at keeping the spotlight on the issue. Just eight Republicans joined majority Democrats in voting to urge the administration to reverse its assault against Obamacare, as the 2010 Affordable Care Act that overhauled the U.S. healthcare system is popularly known. Bulgaria reports new bird flu outbreak

Bulgaria's food safety agency authorities reported on Wednesday an outbreak of the bird flu virus on a duck farm in the village of Yoglav in central Bulgaria and said birds on the farm were being culled. A 3-km protection zone had been set around the farm and the movement of domestic, wild and other birds and has been banned within it, as has the sale of eggs and poultry, the food safety agency said in a statement. Cigna launches program to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $25/month

Health insurer Cigna Corp on Wednesday launched a program aimed at ensuring some diabetes patients pay no more than $25 for a 30-day supply of insulin in the wake of heightened public scrutiny over soaring prices of the life-saving drug. U.S. lawmakers have pulled up healthcare companies over rising costs of medicine, with powerful committees in Congress holding hearings in January on insulin affordability. Cambodia reports first outbreak of African swine fever: OIE

Cambodia reported a first outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in backyard pigs near the Vietnam border, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday, citing the Cambodian agriculture ministry. The disease, which is incurable in pigs but harmless to humans, has spread rapidly across China before hitting Vietnam in February. Biogen SMA drug price, Novartis estimates for its treatment far too high - U.S. group

Biogen Inc should slash the price of its spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug, and the $4 million to $5 million Novartis has said its experimental gene therapy for the disease is worth is excessive, an independent U.S. organization that reviews the value of medical treatments said on Wednesday. Assessments by the nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) have become increasingly influential in U.S. drug pricing and are taken into consideration by health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers making decisions about payments and patient access to treatments. Cholera vaccinations launched in post-cyclone Mozambique

Health officials launched a vaccination campaign in Mozambique's cyclone-hit port city of Beira on Wednesday in an effort to contain an outbreak of cholera that has already infected more than 1,400 people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Some 900,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine arrived on Tuesday in Mozambique, where Cyclone Idai last month flattened homes and unleashed widespread flooding. Family colon cancer risk similar for siblings and half siblings

Siblings of people with colorectal cancer are themselves at higher risk for the disease - but a new study suggests half-siblings face nearly as a high a risk. Colorectal cancer in first-degree relatives - parents, children and siblings - is strongly associated with an increased risk of these tumors. Some studies have also found a smaller risk increase in second-degree relatives, such as grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and half-siblings, but others have not found this link in these more distant relatives. U.S. states sue to undo Trump rollback of healthy school lunch rules

Several U.S. states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday to undo its recent decision that allowed fewer whole grains and more sodium in school breakfasts and lunches. The states accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of ignoring federal dietary guidelines and scientific research on children's nutrition when it eased rules championed by former first lady Michelle Obama to make school meals healthier. U.S. FDA warns of potential seizure risk in some users of e-cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday warned of potential safety risks from the use of e-cigarettes after it found certain users had suffered from seizures. The announcement https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm635157.htm comes at a time when the regulator is aiming to curb the surge in teenage use of the popular nicotine devices, which the FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, due to leave the agency this month, has termed as an "epidemic".