Health News Roundup: England's young cystic fibrosis patients face new treatment worry; BioNTech cuts 2023 revenue target on reduced prospects for vaccine and more

The government's lawsuit, filed last December, claimed that the company failed to report suspicious orders going back to 2014. EU proposal may accelerate pharma innovation decline, industry group says A major pharmaceutical rules overhaul, proposed by the European Commission in April, could see Europe's share in global research and development contract by a third to 21% by 2040 translating to 2 billion euros ($2.15 billion) per year in lost investment, industry group EFPIA said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

England's young cystic fibrosis patients face new treatment worry

Young English sufferers of cystic fibrosis (CF) face new uncertainty after regulators published proposals which, if enacted, would restrict access to potentially life-changing treatments on cost grounds. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on Friday published draft guidance that it would not recommend three treatments known as modulator therapies, manufactured by Vertex Pharmaceuticals for use on new patients.

Abcam shareholders approve $5.7 billion Danaher deal

Abcam shareholders on Monday approved the proposal from Danaher Corp to acquire all outstanding shares of the company for $24 per share in cash. Danaher agreed to buy Abcam in September in a $5.7 billion all-cash deal, including debt, in a bid to expand its portfolio of products and services.

WuXi Biologics' medical research unit eyes up to $471 million in Hong Kong IPO

China-headquartered WuXi XDC, the contract medical researching unit of WuXi Biologics (Cayman), said on Tuesday it intended to raise up to HK$3.68 billion ($470.56 million) in one of Hong Kong's top initial public offerings (IPO) this year. The company, which is a joint venture between WuXi Biologics and WuXi STA that provides end-to-end contract services covering antibodies and other biologics intermediates, will issue 178.4 million shares priced at a maximum of HK$20.60 each, according to the company's regulatory filing.

BioNTech cuts 2023 revenue target on reduced prospects for vaccine

BioNTech has cut its 2023 revenue target by about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) on lower demand for the COVID-19 vaccine made with Pfizer but said the impact from write-downs at its U.S. partner was less then initially thought. In a statement on Monday, the German biotech company cut its outlook for full-year COVID-19 vaccine revenues to about 4 billion euros from 5 billion previously expected and the 17.2 billion reported last year.

Judge trims US lawsuit accusing Cencora of fueling opioid epidemic

A federal judge on Monday pared back a U.S. government lawsuit accusing drug distributor Cencora, formerly called AmerisourceBergen, of fueling the nation's deadly opioid epidemic by failing to report hundreds of thousands of suspicious orders of prescription painkillers. U.S. District Judge Jerry Pappert in Philadelphia federal court ruled that the government could only seek penalties for alleged failure to report suspicious orders after October 2018, when the federal Controlled Substances Act was amended to explicitly require such reports. The government's lawsuit, filed last December, claimed that the company failed to report suspicious orders going back to 2014.

EU proposal may accelerate pharma innovation decline, industry group says

A major pharmaceutical rules overhaul, proposed by the European Commission in April, could see Europe's share in global research and development contract by a third to 21% by 2040 translating to 2 billion euros ($2.15 billion) per year in lost investment, industry group EFPIA said on Monday. The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) says the Commission has not conducted a competitiveness impact assessment and if the new rules become law, they would accelerate the negative innovation trend in the EU and hit small and medium-sized enterprises the hardest.

Swiss-designed technology helps Parkinson's patient walk again

A long-term Parkinson's disease patient, Marc Gauthier had essentially been confined to his home until he became the first person to receive a new Swiss-designed implant that dramatically improved his ability to walk. Gauthier, 63, received a neuroprosthetic at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), comprising an electrode field placed against his spinal cord. Combined with an electrical impulse generator under the skin of his abdomen, the device stimulates his spinal cord to activate his leg muscles.

Vertex Pharma misses sales estimates on weak demand for older CF treatments

Vertex Pharmaceuticals missed Wall Street estimates for third-quarter sales on Monday, hurt by weaker-than-expected demand for its older cystic fibrosis (CF) treatments. The drugmaker recorded a 35.4% fall in sales of its older CF treatments to $209.2 million.

Cigna explores shedding Medicare Advantage business -sources

U.S. health insurer Cigna Group is exploring the sale of its Medicare Advantage business, which manages government health insurance for people aged 65 and older, a move that would mark a reversal of its expansion in the sector, according to people familiar with the matter. Cigna, which got into the Medicare Advantage business with its $3.8 billion acquisition of HealthSpring in 2011, would be backing away at a time the U.S. government is tightening its purse strings in reimbursing health insurers for their services, should it go through with the move.

US CDC to expand surveillance of traveler samples for respiratory viruses

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday it was expanding testing of samples collected from international air travelers beyond COVID-19, to include flu and respiratory synctial virus (RSV) beginning November. The agency's traveler-based genomic surveillance program, or TGS, began in 2021 to help with early detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. CDC conducts voluntary nasal swabbing and airport wastewater sampling as part of it.