Health Highlights: Innovations, Investments, and Controversies in the Sector

Recent developments in the health sector include Australia's assistance for hearing implants in Japan, EU court's criticism of the European Commission's COVID vaccine contract handling, Sanofi's substantial investment in India, Roche's new obesity drug trial success, and J&J's strong sales. Other notable events include Nvidia and Pfizer's investment in CytoReason and disputes surrounding Philip Morris' tobacco device.

Australia is supporting a new programme in Japan to help children with hearing impairments. The A$6.5 million initiative will train experts at the Shizuoka Prefecture Hospital for three years to enhance child hearing capabilities.

The EU's second-highest court criticized the European Commission for its handling of COVID-19 vaccine contracts, questioning the lack of transparency and disclosure of key communications.

French drugmaker Sanofi announced a significant investment of 400 million euros in its global capacity centre in India, with plans to double its workforce over the next two years.

Roche achieved promising early trial results for its new obesity drug candidate, showcasing significant weight loss in non-diabetic obese patients.

Johnson & Johnson reported higher-than-expected second-quarter profits, driven by strong drug sales, particularly from Stelara and Darzalex.

Israeli AI firm CytoReason secured $80 million in funding led by Nvidia and Pfizer, aiming to advance disease modeling technology.

Health advocates are challenging Philip Morris International's launch of its heated tobacco device, IQOS, in the US, accusing the company of misrepresenting regulatory decisions.

Bayer's Nubeqa drug showed effectiveness in slowing prostate cancer progression, reinforcing its growth potential.

Novo Nordisk expressed disappointment over the Dutch agency's advice against insurance coverage for its weight-loss drug Wegovy.

Elevance Health surpassed profit expectations due to lower medical costs and growth in health plans, despite a decrease in Medicaid plan memberships.

(With inputs from agencies.)