Health News Roundup: US FDA approves Dupixent to treat younger kids with esophageal condition; Lonza chairman to step down, drugmaker confirms targets, shares soar and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Musk brain implant company violated US hazardous material transport rules -documents

Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink was fined for violating U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rules regarding the movement of hazardous materials, according to records from the federal agency reviewed by Reuters. During inspections of the company's facilities in Texas and California in February 2023, DOT investigators found the company had failed to register itself as a transporter of hazardous material, the agency's records show.

US House bill would curb genetic info sharing with China's Wuxi Apptec, BGI

A congressional committee focused on China has introduced a bill that would restrict federally funded medical providers from allowing China's BGI Group, WuXi Apptec and other biotech companies from getting genetic information about Americans. The House select committee on China, led by Republican congressman Mike Gallagher, said the legislation unveiled on Thursday is aimed at BGI Group and its subsidiaries MGI and Complete Genomics, along with WuXi Apptec, according to a statement.

Haleon to recall batches of some adult cough syrups due to contamination

Haleon is recalling some lots of its adult cough syrup Robitussin because of microbial contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said. The consumer healthcare company is recalling the cough syrup, sold under the brand name "Robitussin Honey CF Max Day Adult" in 4-ounce and 8-ounce doses, along with its 8-ounce night-time version.

Mexico president says to present constitutional reform banning fentanyl consumption

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he will present a constitutional reform to ban consumption of chemical drugs such as fentanyl. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has pressured Mexico to devote sufficient resources to help stem the flow of the illegal drug fentanyl into the United States.

Europe to withdraw PTC Therapeutics' rare muscle disorder drug

PTC Therapeutics said on Thursday the European health regulator's advisory panel reaffirmed a negative opinion for its drug used to treat an inherited progressive muscle-wasting disorder, sending its shares down over 11% in extended trading. The drug, Translarna, had received conditional approval in the European Union in 2014 to treat ambulatory children aged five years and older with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) expressing "nonsense mutation", which prematurely ends the translation of a gene into a protein.

No decision yet on Wegovy heart benefits from EU drug regulator

The EU's drug regulator said on Friday it would continue to review whether Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drug Wegovy could also be used in some cases to reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks. The expert panel assessing Novo's request to include certain heart benefits in the product's label did not adopt an opinion, a spokesperson for the regulator said.

COVID and beyond: labs unite to boost genomic surveillance globally

Two laboratories in Britain and South Africa, which were at the forefront of tracking new coronavirus variants during the pandemic, have teamed up to keep the focus on genomic surveillance globally as the COVID emergency recedes. The teams said they were worried governments and funders may pull back from such surveillance, despite its potential to better monitor many infectious diseases, from malaria to cholera.

Bayer ordered to pay $2.25 billion in latest Roundup trial

Bayer was ordered on Friday to pay $2.25 billion to a Pennsylvania man who said he developed cancer from exposure to the company's Roundup weedkiller, the man's attorneys said. A jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas found that John McKivision's non-Hodgkins lymphoma was the result of using Roundup for yard work at his house for a period of several years. The verdict includes $250 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages.

US FDA approves Dupixent to treat younger kids with esophageal condition

The U.S. health regulator has approved the use of Regeneron and Sanofi's Dupixent to treat an allergic inflammation of the esophagus in children aged one to 11 years old and weighing at least 15 kg, the companies said on Thursday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022 approved the blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug for treating eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in patients aged 12 years and older, making it the first for the immune condition in the country.

Lonza chairman to step down, drugmaker confirms targets, shares soar

Lonza said on Friday Chairman Albert Baehny will step down in May after six years in the job, in a second senior management reshuffle in recent months as the Swiss contract drug manufacturer grapples with the loss of COVID-related business. The company also reported better-than-expected sales and margins last year and confirmed its 2024 and mid-term margin targets.

(With inputs from agencies.)