Reuters Health News Summary

Lilly and Novo Nordisk - seen as leaders in a potential $100 billion obesity treatment market - have helped rekindle retail investor interest in the healthcare sector. What’s behind the scramble for semaglutide? Demand for a diabetes medicine called Ozempic is soaring as people take it to shed pounds, leading to shortages in countries including Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Boom in weight-loss drugs to drive up US employers' medical costs in 2024 - Mercer

Booming demand for newer weight-loss and diabetes drugs is expected to accelerate the rise in medical expenses for employers in the United States next year, staff health benefits consultant Mercer said on Friday. GLP-1 medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could contribute between 50 and 100 basis points to the trend, Mercer's Chief Health Actuary, Sunit Patel, told Reuters in an interview.

Lilly to build $2.5 billion Germany plant as obesity drug demand soars

Eli Lilly will build its first plant in Germany in the western town of Alzey for 2.3 billion euros ($2.5 billion), the U.S. drugmaker said on Friday, as the sector scrambles to meet soaring demand for new diabetes and obesity therapies. The investment, which was reported by Reuters on Wednesday and Thursday, will help boost production of diabetes and obesity drugs including Mounjaro and Trulicity and the injection pens to administer them, the Indianapolis-based company said.

US FDA approves Medtronic's blood pressure treatment device for use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the use of Medtronic's treatment device in a surgery called renal denervation in patients whose high blood pressure cannot be controlled by drugs, the company said. The agency's decision is in contrast with the recommendation of a panel of independent experts, who narrowly voted against allowing the use of the device in August.

How well-off Brits still buy Ozempic online for weight loss

John, a tech executive who has been battling weight gain since his 30s, has a nine-month supply in his refrigerator. Kim Gradwell, a retired receptionist who developed type 2 diabetes nearly 20 years ago, isn't sure where she'll find her next dose.

The medicine is Ozempic – designed for type 2 diabetes, a life-threatening condition. It's so effective at helping people lose weight that supplies of the active ingredient, semaglutide, have run short in countries including Britain and the United States.

WHO voices concern over spread of disease in Gaza

The World Health Organization said on Friday it was very worried about the spread of disease in Gaza as weeks of Israeli bombardments have led to the population crowding into shelters with scarce food and clean water. "We are extremely concerned about the spread of disease when the winter season arrives," said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Retail investors crowd into Eli Lilly after weight-loss drug approval

Retail flows into Eli Lilly spiked to a more than two-year high in November, as small investors rushed to buy the stock after the U.S. pharma major received a highly anticipated approval for its weight-loss drug Zepbound. Daily net purchases surged to $14.4 million on Nov. 8, when Zepbound was cleared in the U.S. and the U.K., hitting their highest levels since January 2021, as per data from Vanda Research. Lilly and Novo Nordisk - seen as leaders in a potential $100 billion obesity treatment market - have helped rekindle retail investor interest in the healthcare sector.

What's behind the scramble for semaglutide?

Demand for a diabetes medicine called Ozempic is soaring as people take it to shed pounds, leading to shortages in countries including Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. WHAT IS IT?

Bayer recalls one lot of cancer drug Vitrakvi due to contamination

Bayer said on Friday it was voluntarily recalling one lot of its cancer drug Vitrakvi in the U.S. due to the presence of microbial contamination that was observed during routine stability testing. The company has not received any adverse event reports related to the lot to date, it said.

Exclusive-Manufacturer Lonza says it will not fill obesity drug syringes

Lonza's chairman has ruled out plans to use its capacity to fill syringes and provide final production steps for new obesity drugs even as rivals scramble for a share of the booming weight-loss market. That marks a climb down from remarks at an investor event a month ago, when Albert Baehny said that Lonza would participate in the obesity therapy market thanks to its growing fill and finish capacity.

FDA panel flags insufficient data for Merck's chronic cough drug

Advisers to the U.S. health regulator said on Friday that data on Merck's chronic cough drug does not provide sufficient evidence to prove its clinical benefit for patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) panel voted 12 to 1 against the late-stage data submitted by Merck for the drug gefapixant, which showed a small reduction in cough frequency compared to a placebo.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)