US Supreme Court's Abortion Ruling and Uncertainty in Health Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision permits emergency abortions in Idaho while bypassing the main legal question. This ruling does not reduce the confusion in other states regarding emergency abortion protocols, which leaves doctors hesitant and women traveling to states with clearer laws. Legal experts suggest uncertainty persists.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US Supreme Court allows emergency abortions in Idaho for now

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to permit - for now - abortions to be performed in Idaho when pregnant women are facing medical emergencies, as the justices dispensed with the contentious issue without actually deciding the underlying legal issue in the case. The 6-3 ruling revived a federal judge's decision that a 1986 U.S. law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) takes precedence over Idaho's Republican-backed near-total abortion ban when the two conflict. EMTALA requires hospitals that receive funds under the federal Medicare program to "stabilize" patients with emergency medical conditions.

US Supreme Court ruling on emergency abortions offers no clarity for states

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday allowing abortions for women facing medical emergencies in Idaho - for now - despite the state's near-total ban on the procedure does nothing to lift the confusion in many states surrounding when emergency abortions are permissible, according to legal experts.

The case is one of several around the United States over when abortion is legally available in medical emergencies under exceptions to state abortion bans. Doctors have said that they are unable to perform abortions that they believe are medically necessary for fear of prosecution because it is not clear what is allowed, leaving pregnant women to travel to states with more permissive laws or wait as their medical conditions worsen.

US FDA declines to approve Merck-Daiichi's 'guided missile' cancer drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve Merck and Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo's lung cancer treatment, which belongs to a lucrative class of cancer therapies that work like "guided missiles". The FDA cited findings from an inspection of a third-party manufacturing facility in its so-called complete response letter, the companies said late on Wednesday.

US farm agency to pay farmers for milk loss due to bird flu

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin compensating dairy farmers for the loss of milk supply due to bird flu-infected cows, the agency said on Thursday. Bird flu has infected 132 dairy herds in 12 states since March. Farmers with infected cows can suffer financial losses from reduced milk production and the cost of veterinary care.

US charges 193 people in $2.75 billion health care fraud bust

The U.S. Justice Department has criminally charged 193 people, including 76 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, with participating in health care fraud schemes worth $2.75 billion, the agency said on Thursday. The two-week operation ensnared defendants accused of illegally distributing millions of pills of the stimulant Adderall. It also included $176 million in fraudulent schemes involving drug and alcohol abuse treatment, including one defendant accused of billing the federal Medicaid program for treatment that was either inadequate or nonexistent, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Eisai and Biogen launch Alzheimer's drug Leqembi in China

Eisai and Biogen have launched their Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi in China, the third country after the United States and Japan, the companies said on Friday. Leqembi, which works by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain, is the first Alzheimer's treatment proven to alter the course of the fatal, brain-wasting disease.

US CDC recommends updated COVID vaccines for those aged six months and older

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that individuals aged six months and older should be given an updated COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-25 immunization campaign, irrespective of whether they have previously been vaccinated for the disease. The agency's recommendation on Thursday echoed that of its panel of outside experts, who voted unanimously to recommend the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines, as authorized or approved by the FDA, in those aged six months and older.

Illumina to take $1.47 billion goodwill impairment charge related to Grail in Q2

Illumina said on Thursday it will take a goodwill impairment charge of $1.47 billion in the second quarter related to recently spun-off cancer diagnostic test maker Grail. Gene-sequencing equipment maker Illumina said it will likely recognize an additional impairment charge of about $420 million for Grail's in-process research and development intangible (IPR&D) asset in the quarter ended June.

German vaccine panel endorses Astra-Sanofi's RSV shot for infants

Germany's influential vaccine advisory panel said on Thursday all infants in the country should receive AstraZeneca and Sanofi's antibody therapy to protect them against the common respiratory infection RSV. The recommendation regardless of risk factors is another boost for the product, which has seen strong U.S. demand well above supplies during the first winter there.

Therapy developer Alumis prices U.S. IPO at about $902 million valuation

Alumis set the pricing of its U.S. initial public offering at $16 per share, the lower end of its price range, valuing it at around $902 million. Previously known as Esker Therapeutics, Alumis is moving ahead with its listing more than three months after it secured an upsized $259 million Series C financing. It aims to raise around $210 million, the company, involved in developing oral therapies to address immune dysfunction said late on Thursday.

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