Health News Roundup: US FDA panel to discuss first psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment next month; China's health body probes hospital after surrogacy claims and more

The CDC said it asked state health departments to work with their agriculture department counterparts and partners in communities to prioritize the distribution of personal protective equipment from their stockpile to workers on farms where dairy herds have been known to be infected with bird flu. China should boost number of ICU beds, state agencies say China should increase the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds over the next few years as part of its public health measures, several state agencies recommended in a joint statement published on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US hospital network Steward files for bankruptcy, aims for new loan

Steward Health Care, which operates 31 hospitals in eight U.S. states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas on Monday, aiming to secure a new loan from its landlord Medical Properties Trust. Steward, the largest private physician-owned for-profit healthcare network in the U.S., said it would continue serving patients as normal during its bankruptcy.

Vertex tops Q1 profit estimates on robust demand for cystic fibrosis treatments

Vertex Pharmaceuticals beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Monday, driven by robust uptake for its blockbuster cystic fibrosis treatments. Cystic fibrosis (CF) - an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs - affects an estimated 105,000 people across 94 countries, according to data from U.S.-based CF Foundation.

US FDA panel to discuss first psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment next month

The U.S. FDA's panel of independent advisers will on June 4 deliberate whether they should recommend approval for the first MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, Lykos Therapeutics said on Monday. This would be the first FDA panel of outside experts to review a potential new PTSD treatment in 25 years.

China's health body probes hospital after surrogacy claims

China's National Health Commission said it was investigating a hospital in the southwest megacity of Chongqing for its alleged involvement in surrogacy, which is illegal in China, after wide circulation of the issue on social media. The incident comes after a series of official investigations last year related to the issuance of fake birth certificates at a time when China is trying to boost its birth rate.

US CDC asks states to make worker protective gear available to combat bird flu

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday it had met with state health officials and asked them to facilitate distribution of protective gear for farm workers to avoid infection against H5N1 bird flu. The CDC said it asked state health departments to work with their agriculture department counterparts and partners in communities to prioritize the distribution of personal protective equipment from their stockpile to workers on farms where dairy herds have been known to be infected with bird flu.

China should boost number of ICU beds, state agencies say

China should increase the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds over the next few years as part of its public health measures, several state agencies recommended in a joint statement published on Monday. The world's second most populous country has gradually increased ICU beds over the years, but critics say its health system remains under-resourced and it was severely stretched after authorities abruptly ended national COVID pandemic restrictions in late 2022.

Gossamer Bio and Chiesi Group to collaborate in therapy for lung condition

Gossamer Bio said on Monday it will collaborate with Italian drugmaker Chiesi Group to develop and commercialize its therapy seralutinib in multiple indications related to high blood pressure due to constriction of lung arteries. The therapy is currently in late-stage development for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which affects about 40,000 people in the United States.

Australia's CSL tests 'dynamic pricing' of donor blood amid cost surge

Australia's CSL, the world's largest producer of blood plasma products, is trialling "dynamic pricing" of payments to donors to grow profit margins amid persistently high supply costs, a senior executive said on Tuesday. CSL, one of Australia's biggest listed companies, makes most of its profit from converting the plasma of donated blood into treatments for rare diseases.

New York state sues group over abortion pill reversal claims

New York state's top prosecutor on Monday sued Heartbeat International, an anti-abortion group, and 11 crisis pregnancy centers, accusing them of misleading and potentially endangering women by claiming that they can provide a treatment reversing the effect of the abortion pill mifepristone. In the lawsuit, New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a state court in Manhattan to block Heartbeat International and the centers, located across New York state and whose mission is to discourage women from having abortions, from advertising abortion pill reversal on their websites or anywhere else and award an unspecified amount of money damages.

People with two copies of a risk gene have genetic form of Alzheimer's, scientists say

People who carry two copies of the APOE4 gene are virtually guaranteed to develop Alzheimer's and face symptoms at an earlier age, researchers reported on Monday in a study that could redefine such carriers as having a new genetic form of the mind-wasting disease. The reclassification could change Alzheimer's research, diagnosis and approaches to treatment, according to the researchers, whose study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

(With inputs from agencies.)