Health News Roundup: Pfizer says supply of some drugs may be disrupted after NC tornado; Kodiak Sciences scraps development of eye drug, shares slump and more

The company sent a letter late last week to its hospital customers saying it had identified around 64 different formulations or dosages of those more than 30 drugs produced at the plant that may experience continued or new supply disruptions. Verrica's drug gets US nod as first treatment for a type of skin infection The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc's treatment of a viral skin infection in adults and children aged 2 years and above, the company said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

GSK's HIV prevention drug recommended for marketing approval in Europe

GSK Plc said on Monday its HIV-focused unit ViiV Healthcare's cabotegravir long-acting injectable and tablets had received a recommendation for marketing authorisation from the European Medicines Agency's human medicines committee. Cabotegravir, is recommended in combination with safer sex practices for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually-acquired HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilogrammes, the company said.

Congressional Democrats call on Biden for workplace heat safety steps

A group of 112 Democratic members of Congress on Monday called on U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to establish heat safety regulations for indoor and outdoor workplaces as a persistent and deadly heatwave spreads across the country. The group asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue new standards on adequate water and sheltered rest breaks, medical training to identify heat-related illness and a plan for workplaces to adjust their operations during times of dangerously high heat.

Man tests positive for MERS in Abu Dhabi near Oman border - WHO

A 28-year-old man has tested positive for the potentially fatal Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a city in Abu Dhabi on the border with Oman, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The man in the city of Al Ain was admitted to hospital last month, the WHO said in a statement. Health officials had checked 108 people that he was in contact with, but no secondary infections had turned up so far, it added.

Becton Dickinson shares hit record high after US FDA clears return of drug infusion system

Shares of Becton Dickinson hit an all-time high on Monday and were last up 6.1% after the medical device maker received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance late on Friday for the market return of its drug infusion system. Becton's stock rose as high as $287.32, topping the previous intra-day record of $279.38 hit in February 2020.

Kodiak Sciences scraps development of eye drug, shares slump

Kodiak Sciences will abandon further development of its lead drug to treat a type of eye disease after it failed in two late-stage studies, the company said on Monday, sending its shares tumbling more than 50%. The decision comes after the drug, tarcocimab tedromer, failed to improve vision in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) — the most common diabetes-related cause of vision loss — in two late-stage studies.

Pfizer says supply of some drugs may be disrupted after NC tornado

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc said over 30 drugs, including injections of painkiller fentanyl and anesthetic lidocaine, may see supply disruption after a tornado destroyed a warehouse at its Rocky Mount, North Carolina, plant last week. The company sent a letter late last week to its hospital customers saying it had identified around 64 different formulations or dosages of those more than 30 drugs produced at the plant that may experience continued or new supply disruptions.

Verrica's drug gets US nod as first treatment for a type of skin infection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc's treatment of a viral skin infection in adults and children aged 2 years and above, the company said on Friday. The green light for Verrica's drug, Ycanth, makes it the first approved treatment for viral skin disease molluscum contagiosum in the United States.

Vietnam approves commercial use of first African swine fever vaccines

Vietnam has approved the domestic commercial use of two home-grown vaccines against African swine fever, the government said on Monday, making them the world's first commercial vaccines against the deadly disease. The vaccines include NAVET-ASFVAC, co-developed by Navetco Central Veterinary Medicine and scientists from the United States, and AVAC ASF LIVE developed by AVAC Vietnam JSC, the government said in a statement.

Roche enters partnership with Alnylam for hypertension therapy

Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche said on Monday it had entered into a partnership with U.S. biopharmaceutical company Alnylam to co-develop and co-commercialise zilebesiran, a therapy to treat hypertension in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Under terms of agreement, which provides Roche with exclusive commercialisation rights outside of the United States and joint commercialisation rights within the country, Alnylam would receive an upfront payment of $310 million, Roche said.

J&J starts share exchange offer for consumer health spin-off Kenvue

Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it had launched an exchange offer under which its stockholders can opt for shares of Kenvue, its newly listed consumer health unit. J&J, which currently owns an 89.6% stake in Kenvue, said it intends to split off at least 80.1% of the consumer health company's shares as part of the offering.

(With inputs from agencies.)