Health News Roundup: WHO experts to weigh whether world ready to end COVID emergency; Zoetis reports weak pet products sales, shares fall and more

Eylea, jointly developed with Bayer AG, has been a key growth driver for Regeneron for years, but its sales have fallen over the past few quarters, partly due to rising competition from Roche's Vabysmo since the rival secured U.S. approval last year. Novo Nordisk: U.S. is priority for weight-loss drug over new markets Novo Nordisk is prioritising U.S. supplies of its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy over launching in new markets, a senior executive told Reuters on Thursday, as the Danish drugmaker struggles to keep up with skyrocketing demand there.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Rebound in travel helps vaccine maker Valneva post smaller-than-expected loss

French vaccine maker Valneva reported on Thursday a smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss as sales of travel vaccines Dukoral and Ixiaro improved, propelling its shares 16% up. Valneva also confirmed its sales outlook for 2023, with revenue expected between 220 million euros and 260 million euros.

WHO experts to weigh whether world ready to end COVID emergency

A panel of global health experts will meet on Thursday to decide if COVID-19 is still an emergency under the World Health Organization's rules, a status that helps maintain international focus on the pandemic. The WHO first gave COVID its highest level of alert on Jan. 30, 2020, and the panel has continued to apply the label ever since, at meetings held every three months.

Regeneron's Eylea drug sales hit by competition from 'new kid in town'

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's first-quarter sales of blockbuster eye drug Eylea came in below Wall Street targets on Thursday as competition heated up, dragging the company's shares more than 5% lower in early trade. Eylea, jointly developed with Bayer AG, has been a key growth driver for Regeneron for years, but its sales have fallen over the past few quarters, partly due to rising competition from Roche's Vabysmo since the rival secured U.S. approval last year.

Novo Nordisk: U.S. is priority for weight-loss drug over new markets

Novo Nordisk is prioritising U.S. supplies of its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy over launching in new markets, a senior executive told Reuters on Thursday, as the Danish drugmaker struggles to keep up with skyrocketing demand there. Wegovy has been flying off the shelves in the United States since its launch in June 2021, but the company has been unable to keep up with demand even as it has added production capacity.

Zoetis reports weak pet products sales, shares fall

Zoetis Inc on Thursday reported weaker-than-expected sales in its largest business unit as distributors de-stocked on pet products. The veterinary drugmaker reported pet products revenue of $1.23 billion for the first quarter, below analysts' estimates of $1.4 billion, according to Refinitiv.

At Musk’s brain-chip startup, animal-testing panel is rife with potential conflicts

Elon Musk’s brain-implant venture has filled an animal-research oversight board with company insiders who may stand to benefit financially as the firm reaches development goals, according to company documents and interviews with six current and former employees. Such oversight boards are required by federal law for organizations experimenting on certain types of animals. The panels are charged with ensuring proper animal care, high research standards, and the reliability of data that helps regulators decide whether drugs or medical devices are safe for human testing.

Novo Nordisk rivals see room to compete in $100 billion weight-loss drug market

The enormous demand for weight-loss treatments like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy could support as many as 10 competing products with annual sales reaching up to $100 billion within a decade, mostly in the United States, industry executives and analysts said. More than half a dozen companies, from Pfizer Inc and Amgen Inc to smaller players like Altimmune Inc, are working on weight-loss therapies similar to Wegovy, viewing them as important future growth drivers. Novo was first to introduce an effective treatment shown to help people lose up to 15% of their weight. The company on Thursday reported better-than-expected profits fueled by demand for Wegovy, and told Reuters that it would prioritize U.S. supplies of the weight-loss drug over launching in new markets. Eli Lilly and Co is expected to receive a U.S. weight loss approval for its similar drug, Mounjaro, later this year.

Moderna reports surprise profit as it books deferred COVID vaccine sales

Moderna Inc on Thursday reported a small profit of 19 cents per share instead of an expected loss as it booked more revenue in the first quarter from last year's deferred orders for its COVID-19 vaccine than had been anticipated.Analysts expected a loss of $1.77 per share, according to Refinitiv data, and Moderna shares had jumped more than 5% to $136.71 by midday. They had fallen nearly 28% this year. The company did not change its forecast of $5 billion in COVID vaccine sales for the year based on advance purchase agreements. But Moderna said it was in discussions about new contracts with customers in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. that could further boost vaccine revenue.

Flying high on obesity success, Novo's appetite for deals grows

Buoyed by the success of its diabetes and obesity drugs, Novo Nordisk is on the prowl for partnerships and deals to beef up its pipeline, a senior company executive said on Thursday. John McDonald, corporate vice president of global R&D business development, said the Danish drugmaker aims to shed its image of being a company that tends to "window shop", but hardly ever presses the trigger on deals.

Novo Nordisk exec: oral weight-loss drug will have similar efficacy as Wegovy

Novo Nordisk expects the oral version of its semaglutide drug to treat obesity to have similar efficacy as its Wegovy injection, with data from a late-stage clinical trial due before the end of June, a senior executive said on Thursday. Head of development Martin Holst Lange was discussing the trial called OASIS 1 on a call with analysts following the release of better-than-expected first-quarter results by the Danish drugmaker.

(With inputs from agencies.)