U.S. Supreme Court Greenlights Emergency Abortions Amid Health Updates

The U.S. Supreme Court permits emergency abortions in Idaho temporarily amidst ongoing legal debates. EU regulator recommends ARS Pharma's nasal spray. India to incentivize local GLP-1 drugs in 2026. US FDA rejects Rocket Pharma and Merck-Daiichi’s treatments. Kobayashi Pharma investigates deaths linked to supplements. DOJ charges 193 in health fraud. Eisai and Biogen launch Alzheimer's drug in China. CDC recommends updated COVID vaccines.

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.

EU regulator recommends approval for ARS pharma's nasal spray alternative to EpiPen

ARS Pharmaceuticals said on Friday the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the approval of its needle-free emergency treatment, EURneffy, for allergic reactions. EURneffy is seen as an alternative to EpiPen and other autoinjectors that are filled with epinephrine, a life-saving drug used by people at risk of anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions.

India plans incentives for diabetes, obesity drug makers in 2026, government official says

India is planning to offer incentives to promote local manufacturing of GLP-1 drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity, in 2026, a top government official said on Friday. GLP-1 drugs, originally approved to treat diabetes, are also widely being used to treat obesity as they slow digestion, helping patients feel full longer.

US FDA declines to approve Rocket Pharma's immune disorder gene therapy

The U.S. health regulator has declined to approve Rocket Pharmaceuticals' gene therapy to treat a rare and severe pediatric disorder that causes the immune system to malfunction, the company said on Friday. Shares of the New Jersey-based company fell more than 13% to $18.51 premarket on the news.

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.

Kobayashi Pharma: investigating 76 deaths, link to supplements

Japan's Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said on Friday it was investigating 76 deaths and their potential relationship with its dietary supplements containing "Beni-Koji" red yeast. The company previously reported five deaths possibly linked to the product.

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.

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.)