Health News Roundup: Second judge says US not liable in Moderna COVID-19 vaccine patent case; WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks, collapse of services and more

The company's upbeat outlook contrasts the uncertainty around 2024 earnings for health insurers staring at the end of COVID-related insurance protection measures and potential declines in government payouts for some plans. US challenges Tennessee ban on healthcare for transgender youth The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed a complaint challenging a new Tennessee law that bans doctors from providing gender-affirming medical treatment such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery to transgender minors.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Second judge says US not liable in Moderna COVID-19 vaccine patent case

Moderna Inc failed to persuade a Delaware federal judge on Wednesday to shift liability from the company to the U.S. government for alleged patent infringement by Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Chief Judge Colm Connolly's ruling for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc came just over a month after a different judge in Delaware rejected Moderna's similar motion in another vaccine patent lawsuit.

WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks, collapse of services

The World Health Organization (WHO) expects "many more" deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting, its director general said on Wednesday. Battles between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since mid-April has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO.

Humana lifts profit outlook as medical costs drop in govt plans

Humana Inc raised its annual adjusted profit forecast on Wednesday after lower medical costs in the firm's government-backed health insurance business helped it beat profit estimates for the first quarter. The company's upbeat outlook contrasts the uncertainty around 2024 earnings for health insurers staring at the end of COVID-related insurance protection measures and potential declines in government payouts for some plans.

US challenges Tennessee ban on healthcare for transgender youth

The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed a complaint challenging a new Tennessee law that bans doctors from providing gender-affirming medical treatment such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery to transgender minors. The Justice Department said the law violated the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, which promises equal protection.

EU publishes proposed drug laws overhaul, setting up tussle with industry

Brussels on Wednesday published a long-awaited draft of its proposed overhaul of laws governing the European Union's pharmaceuticals industry, setting up a tussle with drugmakers which warn they will invest and innovate elsewhere. The biggest overhaul of existing medical laws in two decades is aimed at ensuring all Europeans have access to both innovative new treatments and generic drugs, and ending huge divergences in access and price between countries, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told reporters after publication.

Pakistan confirms its first case of mpox

The first case of mpox in Pakistan has been confirmed by the National Institute of Health in the capital Islamabad. A traveler who recently arrived in Pakistan tested positive and has been isolated at a hospital in the capital, along with other individuals who are being tested, a health ministry press release said.

Japan to end COVID border measures on Saturday, earlier than expected - Jiji

Japan will end COVID-19 border measures on Saturday, earlier than expected, Jiji news agency reported, citing government sources. Japan had previously said COVID-19 measures would end on May 8, but the date was brought forward to ease congestion at airports at the start of a holiday, the report said.

US FDA approves Seres Therapeutics' pill for deadly C. difficile infections

The U.S. health regulator on Wednesday approved Seres Therapeutics Inc's pill for treating a type of bacterial infection, giving an easier and standardized option to patients who often have to rely on individual donors for fecal transplants. The drug, branded as Vowst, was approved for treating 18 years and older for recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections (CDI), generally caused by prolonged use of antibiotics, which wipe out friendly colon bacteria and can cause potentially fatal diarrhea and inflammation of the colon.

GSK's RSV vaccine first to get EU regulator's nod

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Wednesday recommended authorization of GSK's Arexvy vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults aged 60 and older, putting Europe on track to approve the world's first such vaccine. The recommendation puts GSK ahead of rival Pfizer Inc in the race to tap into the RSV vaccine market, which is estimated to exceed $5 billion and could surpass $10 billion by 2030, according to analysts.

Biden administration urges appeals court to overrule abortion pill ban

President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday urged a U.S. appeals court to overrule a conservative Texas-based judge's order that would essentially ban the abortion pill mifepristone by suspending the drug's federal regulatory approval in a legal challenge by abortion opponents. The U.S. Justice Department, in a filing to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, called the April 7 order by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk "abrupt and profoundly disruptive." It added that mifepristone's safety is "amply supported by a record developed over decades of safe and effective use" around the world.