Global Health News Round-Up: Talc Lawsuits, Abortion Rights, and More

This summary covers various health news updates including a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over talc products, Poland clamping down on hospitals refusing abortions, Eli Lilly's lawsuits against counterfeit drug sales, and election pledge shortfalls for UK health funding. Other topics include extreme heat warnings, Gavi's funding needs, and regulations around kratom in Indonesia.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

J&J hit with new class action over talc seeking medical monitoring for cancer

Johnson & Johnson is facing a new proposed class action seeking damages and medical monitoring on behalf of women who have been diagnosed with cancer, or might develop it in the future, allegedly as a result of using the company's baby powder and other talc products. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in New Jersey federal court, is the first to seek medical monitoring, or regular testing meant to catch cancer early, on behalf of talc users. The proposed class could include thousands of women, but would not include the more than 61,000 people who have already filed personal injury lawsuits over J&J's talc, claiming it contains cancer-causing asbestos.

Poland clamps down on hospitals refusing to perform abortions

Polish authorities have imposed a significant fine on a hospital for denying an abortion to a woman whose pregnancy may have endangered her life, marking a shift in a country with some of the strictest termination rules in Europe. Poland's previous nationalist government introduced a near-total ban on abortion in 2021 and embedded conservative social values in law during its eight-year rule.

Lilly files more lawsuits to curb sales of counterfeit Mounjaro

U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly said on Thursday it was suing six more entities including medical spas and wellness centers for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in its popular diabetes drug, Mounjaro. Tirzepatide was approved late last year as Zepbound for weight loss, and Lilly is the only company that has the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell the drug.

UK election pledges fall short of $48 billion health funding gap, think tank says

Election pledges by Britain's governing Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party do not set out how they plan to meet a 38 billion pound ($48 billion) funding shortfall in the National Health Service (NHS) in England, a report said on Thursday. The performance of the state-run NHS is a major concern for voters ahead of a national election on July 4, as it has been hobbled by COVID and industrial action, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has struggled to bring down long waiting lists.

Explainer-How extreme heat threatens health and safety

With extreme heat gripping much of the Northern Hemisphere this week, authorities and public health experts have issued heat warnings to help keep people safe. Parts of China, India, the Middle East, southern Europe and the United States are bracing for the possibility of new record highs.

Vaccine group Gavi seeks $11.9 billion to immunize world's poorest children

The global vaccine organisation Gavi is likely to seek around $11.9 billion from governments and foundations on Thursday to fund immunisation efforts in the world's poorest countries over five years, board documents reviewed by Reuters showed. The amount will be finalised at a meeting on Thursday in Paris, where donors will make pledges for the organisation's plan for 2026-2030.

Nestle, Coke, Danone take cautious approach to catering to Ozempic users

Nestle's new food brand for people taking weight-loss drugs like Wegovy will note that the meals are high in protein, fiber and nutrients, but will not name the blockbuster medications, a company executive told Reuters. The world's largest food maker is keeping the names of the drugs off the packaging due to regulatory concerns, Tom Moe, Nestle USA's president of meals, said in a recent interview. Nestle will instead market its Vital Pursuit line of $5-and-under frozen meals on social media, he said.

Indonesia says it will regulate cultivation, export of herbal kratom products

Indonesia said on Thursday it would start regulating the cultivation and export of kratom, a substance that advocates say can help ease pain alongside other benefits, but is listed in the U.S. as a drug of concern. The controls on the native Southeast Asian tree leaves would improve quality, the president's chief of staff, Moeldoko, told reporters. "A number of our exporters faced rejections because their products had been contaminated," he said.

US FDA puts Zentalis' cancer drug studies on partial hold after patient deaths

The U.S. health regulator has placed three studies of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals' cancer drug on partial clinical hold following the death of two trial participants, the company said on Tuesday. Shares of the drug developer slumped about 26% to $6.22 in early trading.

India's Biocon seeks partner to test generic Wegovy, Ozempic in China

India's Biocon is searching for a partner in China to test generic versions of Novo Nordisk's hot-selling diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss treatment Wegovy, a senior executive told Reuters. Biocon, which aims to eventually launch generic versions of the injectible drugs globally, wants to find a Chinese partner for clinical trials on 500-plus patients so they can be sold in the world's second-biggest economy, said Amit Kaptain, Biocon's head of commercial active pharmaceutical ingredients business.

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