Health News Roundup: Bayer defeats Merck in lawsuit over talc liabilities; Gilead details promising early COVID antiviral data, setting up larger studies and more

Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook of the Delaware Chancery Court said the purchase agreement "clearly and unambiguously" left Merck liable for claims related to products, including Dr. Scholl's foot powder, sold before the transaction closed. Gilead details promising early COVID antiviral data, setting up larger studies Gilead Sciences Inc on Tuesday unveiled data from the first human study of its experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral, saying the results in healthy volunteers cleared the way for two large Phase III trials of the drug that have begun enrolling patients.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bayer defeats Merck in lawsuit over talc liabilities

A Delaware judge on Monday dismissed Merck & Co's lawsuit seeking to hold Bayer AG responsible for more talc-related liabilities stemming from its $14.2 billion purchase of Merck's consumer care business in 2014. Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook of the Delaware Chancery Court said the purchase agreement "clearly and unambiguously" left Merck liable for claims related to products, including Dr. Scholl's foot powder, sold before the transaction closed.

Gilead details promising early COVID antiviral data, setting up larger studies

Gilead Sciences Inc on Tuesday unveiled data from the first human study of its experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral, saying the results in healthy volunteers cleared the way for two large Phase III trials of the drug that have begun enrolling patients. The drug, obeldesivir and previously known as GS-5245, is designed to keep the coronavirus that causes COVID from replicating in the body and overwhelming a patient's immune system. Once metabolized, it works in the same way as Gilead's older intravenous COVID treatment Veklury (remdesivir), which targets virus replication through inhibition of the viral RNA polymerase.

InflaRx COVID injection gets US FDA's emergency-use authorization

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday granted emergency-use authorization to Inflarx NV's monoclonal antibody for the treatment of hospitalized COVID patients when initiated within 48 hours of receiving artificial life support. U.S.-listed shares of the German biopharmaceutical company rose almost 25% to $4.70 after the bell.

Pfizer, Merck trim prices in China for Paxlovid, molnupiravir - reports

Pfizer and Merck have slightly lowered the prices of their respective Paxlovid and molnupiravir COVID-19 treatments in China, local media reported on Tuesday citing pricing information published by the province of Jiangsu. Pfizer cut the price of Paxlovid by about 100 yuan ($14.54) to 1,790 per box of 30 pills, while Merck trimmed the price of a 40-capsule bottle of its oral treatment molnupiravir by 74 yuan to 1,426 yuan, financial news outlet Yicai reported. The treatments are meant for high-risk people with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19.

J&J unit files for second bankruptcy to pursue $8.9 billion talc settlement

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $8.9 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that talc in its iconic Baby Powder and other products caused cancer, the company said. The amount dwarfs J&J’s original offer of $2 billion. The agreement follows a January appeals court ruling invalidating J&J’s controversial “Texas two-step” bankruptcy maneuver, in which it sought to offload the talc liability onto a subsidiary that immediately filed for Chapter 11.

Arbutus files patent lawsuit against Pfizer/BioNTech over COVID vaccines

Arbutus Biopharma on Tuesday sued U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE in a New Jersey district court, claiming their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines infringe five of Arbutus' patents. Arbutus, along with its licensee Genevant Sciences, is seeking damages, including reasonable royalties, over the use of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology in Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines to carry and transfer genetic material into the body.

Exclusive-Germany's Stada asks Berlin to help secure its future in Ukraine

Generic drugmaker Stada has asked the German government to seek assurances from Ukraine that the company can continue operations there even though it also does business in Russia, according to a letter seen by Reuters. In the March 21 letter to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Stada CEO Peter Goldschmidt said there was a risk Kyiv might withdraw the company's market authorisation.

Washington state purchases three-year supply of abortion pill

Washington state's government said on Tuesday it had purchased a three-year supply of abortion pill mifepristone as a Texas judge mulls a nationwide ban on the medication's sale. The state's Democratic governor directed its Department of Corrections, which has a pharmacy license, to purchase the medication last month, a government statement said.

US rule to allow some inmates to stay home after COVID emergency lifts

Federal inmates who were allowed to serve their prison terms at home during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to remain there after the Biden administration lifts the public health emergency, under new rules unveiled by the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday. The regulations are expected to provide some relief to inmates, who feared they could potentially be hauled back into prison when the public health emergency expires on May 11.

World making 'huge mistake' not funding new TB vaccines - Gates

A lack of funding could delay late-stage trials of the first new vaccine against tuberculosis for more than a century, warned Bill Gates, whose foundation is backing the development of the shot. The Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist said there were a raft of promising innovations in the fight against TB, the world’s biggest infectious disease killer, but that more funding was essential.