Health News Roundup: US CDC urges measles vaccinations amid rising cases; US approves first gene therapy for children with rare genetic disease and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

EU lawmakers vote to extend exclusivity period for new medicines, softening Commission proposal

Lawmakers in a EU parliamentary committee on Tuesday voted to extend the exclusivity period for new medicines compared to an initial draft, seeking to address concerns expressed across the bloc's pharma industry as part of a wider regulatory overhaul. Committee members adopted the draft position published earlier this month before a final plenary vote scheduled for April 11 by a large majority.

'Critical' to catch up on measles vaccinations to stem outbreaks, says WHO

Vaccinating children who missed their measles shots during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical, a senior World Health Organization official said on Tuesday, as outbreaks of the infectious disease increase worldwide. More than 50 countries have experienced "large and disruptive" measles outbreaks in the last year, twice as many as in 2022, said Kate O'Brien, WHO director of immunisation, at a virtual press conference.

Many hospitals in China stop newborn delivery services as birth rate drops

Many hospitals in China have stopped offering newborn delivery services this year, state-backed news outlet Daily Economic News reported, with industry experts warning of an "obstetric winter" due to declining demand amid a record drop in new births. Hospitals in various provinces including in eastern Zhejiang and southern Jiangxi have in the past two months announced that they will close their obstetric departments, according to notices viewed by Reuters.

UnitedHealth says advanced over $2 billion in payments to providers

UnitedHealth Group said on Monday it has advanced payments of over $2 billion so far to provide assistance to healthcare providers, financially affected following a cybersecurity attack on its technology unit, Change Healthcare. The company said it will start releasing its medical claims software on Monday and it will become available to "thousands of customers" over the next several days.

US CDC urges measles vaccinations amid rising cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday issued a health advisory urging people, particularly children and international travelers, to get vaccinated against measles due to the increase in cases this year. The CDC had recorded 58 cases of the disease across 17 jurisdictions, as of March 14, same as the whole of 2023.

US approves first gene therapy for children with rare genetic disease

The U.S. health regulator on Monday approved UK-based Orchard Therapeutics' gene therapy to treat children with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), making it the first approved treatment in the United States for the rare, hereditary disease.

Orchard, which was acquired by Japanese pharmaceutical firm Kyowa Kirin for $477.6 million last year, said it will provide details on the pricing and availability of the therapy later in the week.

AstraZeneca bets on next-generation cancer therapy with $2 billion Fusion deal

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it will buy Canadian drug developer Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc for $2 billion in cash as the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker bets on next-generation cancer treatments. The deal gives AstraZeneca a foothold in the radiopharmaceutical drugs market, which has seen increasing investor interest since 2021 when data from Novartis' treatment showed that the drug extended survival for prostate cancer patients.

Bayer to seek approval for menopausal relief drug after third trial win

Bayer said on Tuesday that it would request regulatory approval for its menopause drug after the daily pill was shown to ease hot flashes in a third late-stage trial, providing some relief for its pharmaceuticals unit that is reeling from a recent development setback. Germany's Bayer said in a statement that a third Phase III trial with its elinzanetant drug candidate provided supporting data on efficacy and long-term safety.

Crinetics' hormonal disorder drug succeeds in late-stage study

Crinetics Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday its experimental drug to treat a rare hormonal disorder met the main goal of the second of two late-stage studies, putting the company on track to seek U.S. approval later this year. Shares of the San Diego, California-based drug developer jumped 8.2% in premarket trading. The stock has risen 45.4% since September, when the same drug met the main goal of another late-stage study.

More than 60% of US abortions in 2023 were done by pill, study shows

The proportion of U.S. abortions administered by medication rose to more than 60% in 2023, following a dramatic decline in surgical abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a report said on Tuesday. The Supreme Court's 2022 decision to end abortion rights allowed more than a dozen states to ban abortion with limited exceptions and close clinics, restricting access to surgical abortion procedures.

(With inputs from agencies.)