Health News Roundup: Sanofi to overhaul US operations of vaccines, cut jobs; After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air' and more

Wall Street has forecast the market for this new generation of obesity treatments reaching at least $100 billion by the end of the decade, and Biocon is taking steps to be a part of that windfall. After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air' The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives. The Geneva-based U.N. health agency released a technical document on the topic on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

German watchdog approves Novo's acquisition of Cardior Pharmaceuticals

The German cartel office has approved a deal by Denmark's Novo Nordisk to purchase Cardior Pharmaceuticals, the regulator said in a statement on Thursday. The acquisition of Hanover-based Cardior Pharmaceuticals for up to 1.03 billion euros ($1.1 billion) comes as Novo works to expand its focus on diabetes and weight-loss therapies to include cardiovascular disease treatments.

UnitedHealth unit Change faces issue processing some medical claims

UnitedHealth Group said on Thursday it had resolved an issue that had hampered processing of batches of medical claims for some customers of its technology unit, Change Healthcare. A fix has been implemented and is being monitored to ensure operability, Change operator Optum, said in a statement, before confirming the issue was resolved.

Sanofi to overhaul US operations of vaccines, cut jobs

French drugmaker Sanofi said on Thursday it would restructure the U.S. com­mer­cial op­er­a­tions for its vac­cines and cut an undis­closed num­ber of jobs. Sanofi would implement a "stream­lined strate­gic sales struc­ture" to better support its customers and patients, it said without disclosing any details on the changes to be made, the time­frame and the num­ber of em­ploy­ees to be im­pact­ed.

UK drug shortages swell amid Brexit supply woes, think-tank data shows

Drug shortages in the UK more than doubled between 2020 and 2023 with Brexit likely to "significantly weaken" the country's ability to tackle supply chain snags, according to a report published by the Nuffield Trust think-tank on Thursday. The research found drug companies issued 1,643 warnings of impending medicine shortages in 2023, compared with 648 in 2020 - the year Britain left the European Union (EU).

Dengue cases surge by nearly 50% in Americas amid 'emergency situation', UN agency says

Dengue cases have created an "emergency situation" in the Americas, although cases in hotspots Argentina and Brazil appear to have stabilized, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Thursday. PAHO, a United Nations agency, has confirmed more than 5.2 million cases of dengue across the Americas this year, an over 48% jump from the 3.5 million cases the group reported late last month.

Indian food regulator begins enquiry into Nestle over alleged sugar use in baby foods, ET reports

The Indian food regulator has started an enquiry into Nestle India over the alleged use of sugar in baby food products in low-income countries, including India, by its Swiss parent, the Economic Times (ET) reported on Thursday. A Swiss investigative organisation, Public Eye, on Wednesday, released a report saying that Nestle, the world's biggest packaged food company, adds sugar to its baby food products sold in low-income countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, but not in its main markets in Europe or the UK.

World Bank sets goal of expanding healthcare to 1.5 billion people by 2030

The World Bank Group on Thursday unveiled a new goal to help countries deliver affordable healthcare to 1.5 billion people by 2030 by expanding services to remote areas, cutting fees and other financial barriers and focusing on lifetime care.

The development lender said it would deploy financing, its own health expertise and new partnerships with private-sector firms, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups in reaching the target, which it defines as a person receiving treatment by a health care worker through an in-person visit or a telehealth appointment.

Medical device maker Intuitive beats estimates on strong demand for surgical robots

Intuitive Surgical beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit and revenue on Thursday, riding on higher demand for its robots used in minimally invasive procedures. Investor expectations around the performance of medical device makers have been heightened since last November, as people, especially older adults, opted for medical procedures deferred during the pandemic.

India's Biocon developing its own version of Wegovy, clinical trial likely next year

Indian drugmaker Biocon, looking to grab a piece of the exploding weight-loss drug market as early as possible, is developing its own version of Novo Nordisk's wildly popular Wegovy and is prepared to conduct a clinical trial next year if needed, the CEO told Reuters. Wall Street has forecast the market for this new generation of obesity treatments reaching at least $100 billion by the end of the decade, and Biocon is taking steps to be a part of that windfall.

After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'

The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.

The Geneva-based U.N. health agency released a technical document on the topic on Thursday. It said it was the first step towards working out how to better prevent this kind of transmission, both for existing diseases like measles and for future pandemic threats.

(With inputs from agencies.)