Reuters Health News Summary

The company is conducting mid-stage studies of the injectable drug and said that, based on interim data, it was "confident in MariTide's differentiated profile and believe it will address important unmet medical needs". Novo Nordisk trims price for blockbuster obesity drug as competition heats up Novo Nordisk raised its 2024 outlook on Thursday as the Danish drugmaker races to boost output of its Wegovy weight-loss treatment, while competition from rival Eli Lilly forced the company to cut prices of the drug, knocking its shares.


Reuters | Updated: 03-05-2024 18:26 IST | Created: 03-05-2024 18:26 IST
Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bird flu likely circulated in US cows for four months before diagnosis -paper

Bird flu likely circulated in U.S. dairy cows on a limited basis for about four months before federal officials confirmed the disease that has now spread to nine states, according to a new federally funded research paper. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the first-ever H5N1 virus infection in a dairy cow in Texas on March 25, following reports of decreased milk yields in multiple states.

British pharmacies vie for weight-loss patients with drug price cuts

Online pharmacies and slimming clinics are cutting prices for Wegovy and Mounjaro in Britain just months after the weight-loss drugs were launched there, as initial supply shortages ease. But growing competition between retailers has raised fears that some patients who buy the drugs themselves, rather than relying on the National Health Service (NHS), will miss out on long-term aftercare if they keep switching providers.

Brazil declares country foot-and-mouth disease-free without vaccination

Brazil declared itself on Thursday as free of foot and mouth disease without vaccination, and will request World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) to recognize that status as it seeks to open more markets for its meat exports. Foot-and-mouth disease causes fever and mouth blisters in animals with foot ruptures, such as cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.

Novartis to buy radiology drug specialist Mariana for $1 billion

Novartis agreed to acquire U.S. radiopharmaceutical company Mariana Oncology for $1 billion upfront, boosting its portfolio of precision cancer treatments in development, the Swiss drug manufacturer said on Thursday. The deal includes up to $750 million of further payments upon achieving certain milestones, it added.

Amgen jumps after teasing weight-loss drug data, rival stocks slide

Amgen shares jumped 14% premarket on Friday after the U.S. drugmaker hinted at encouraging interim trial data on its experimental obesity drug, denting rival stocks such as Novo Nordisk but leaving analysts frustrated over a lack of details. The company is conducting mid-stage studies of the injectable drug and said that, based on interim data, it was "confident in MariTide's differentiated profile and believe it will address important unmet medical needs".

Novo Nordisk trims price for blockbuster obesity drug as competition heats up

Novo Nordisk raised its 2024 outlook on Thursday as the Danish drugmaker races to boost output of its Wegovy weight-loss treatment, while competition from rival Eli Lilly forced the company to cut prices of the drug, knocking its shares. These are Novo's second set of results since Lilly launched obesity drug Zepbound in the United States in December and highlight the fast-changing dynamics as the two companies go head to head in a market which analysts estimate could be worth as much as $100 billion by the end of the decade.

GSK knew about Zantac cancer risk, attorneys tell jury in first trial

U.S. attorneys for a woman who claims her colon cancer was caused by the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac on Thursday told a jury in Chicago that pharmaceutical companies GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim knew the product could cause cancer if it was not handled properly but failed to warn the public. Mikal Watts, who is representing 89-year-old Angela Valadez, said the companies knew that Zantac's active ingredient, ranitidine, would turn into a cancer-causing substance called NDMA as it aged or was exposed to extreme temperatures, but did not ensure it was properly handled by transporters, distributors and stores.

Moderna expects US CDC to view its RSV vaccine as equal to rival shots, shares jump

Moderna said on Thursday it expects U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisers to recommend the company's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine be considered equal to rival shots launched last year. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company is banking on its experimental shots to make up for plunging demand for Moderna's Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, its only marketed product.

Biden expands health insurance access for DACA immigrants

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will allow certain immigrants illegally brought to the U.S. as children greater access to federally run health insurance, the White House said on Friday, addressing a sensitive issue ahead of elections in November. With the move, an estimated 100,000 previously uninsured participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, are expected to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace and Basic Health Program, both created under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said.

Bird flu outbreak in dairy cows fails to deter US raw milk sellers

U.S. sellers of raw milk appear undeterred by federal health warnings for consumers to avoid drinking unpasteurized milk in light of a bird flu outbreak that has affected dairy herds in nine states and sickened at least one dairy farm worker. Thirty of the 50 U.S. states permit the sale of raw milk, which accounts for less than 1% percent of U.S. milk sales. A nationwide survey of pasteurized milk - heated to kill pathogens - found avian flu virus particles in about 20% of samples tested.

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

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