Reuters Health News Summary

Lilly has quickly built a roughly 40% market share in the U.S. since it launched Zepbound in December, hitting 130,000 prescriptions for the week ending July 19, compared to 200,000 for Wegovy, according to IQVIA data published in analyst notes. Novartis, Viatris face new lawsuit over 'HeLa' cell misuse claims Novartis and Viatris were hit with a federal lawsuit in Maryland on Monday by the family of a woman whose tissue cells were taken from her body in the 1950s and used to fuel medical research and development.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mallinckrodt to sell Therakos unit to CVC Capital for $925 million

Drugmaker Mallinckrodt said on Monday it will sell its Therakos business to CVC Capital Partners for $925 million. Dublin-based Mallinckrodt, which bought the business in 2015 for $1.33 billion, said it will use the proceeds from the deal with CVC to reduce its debt by more than 50%.

Lilly, Novo Nordisk battle for weight-loss market lands at the pharmacy shelf

As Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound gains ground in the U.S. against Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, some doctors say their guiding principle for writing prescriptions is simple: which drug can my patients actually get at the pharmacy? Lilly has quickly built a roughly 40% market share in the U.S. since it launched Zepbound in December, hitting 130,000 prescriptions for the week ending July 19, compared to 200,000 for Wegovy, according to IQVIA data published in analyst notes.

Novartis, Viatris face new lawsuit over 'HeLa' cell misuse claims

Novartis and Viatris were hit with a federal lawsuit in Maryland on Monday by the family of a woman whose tissue cells were taken from her body in the 1950s and used to fuel medical research and development. The estate of Henrietta Lacks accused Novartis and Viatris of unlawfully profiting from the use of the "HeLa" cells to create drugs that have been "integral to their market presence" without paying or gaining permission from her estate.

Biotech firm drops defamation suit against short-sellers after researcher charged

Cassava Sciences ended its defamation lawsuit against four short sellers who expressed doubts about its experimental Alzheimer's drug after a medical professor whose research underpinned the treatment was charged with fraud. The biotechnology company sued in 2022 after the short sellers, who were also scientists who investigated Cassava's statements about its simufilam drug, claimed on social media and the website "cassavafraud.com" that Hoau-Yan Wang's research for simufilam was fabricated.

Tenet to sell five Brookwood Baptist Health hospitals for $910 million

Tenet Healthcare will sell its majority ownership in Brookwood Baptist Health in Birmingham, Alabama, for about $910 million to not-for-profit healthcare organization Orlando Health, the U.S. hospital operator said on Monday. The sale of its 70% interest includes five hospitals as well as affiliated physician practices and other related operations.

BioNTech counts on shift to cancer drugs after second quarter losses quadruple

Losses at German drugmaker BioNTech quadrupled in the second quarter from a year earlier, the company said on Monday, as it banks on a strategy shift towards new cancer treatments following a sharp drop-off in sales of its COVID-19 vaccine.

BioNTech reported a second-quarter net loss of 807.8 million euros ($885 million), versus a loss of 190.4 million a year earlier.

Olympics-Triathlon-Seine swim caused stress, prompted early decision on relay event

Triathletes fresh from their second swim in the Seine generally shrugged off the risk of waste in the river making them sick, but highlighted the stress they were put through as the levels of bacteria in the waterway caused repeated disruption. French authorities have spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.53 billion) on upgrading the capital's sewage systems, promising the river will be clean enough for residents to swim in by next summer, though that will come too late for the athletes swallowing mouthfuls of it during their Olympic exertions.

US FDA approves Adaptimmune's therapy for rare type of cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has approved Adaptimmune's first-of-its-kind treatment for a rare type of cancer in the soft tissues that most often affects young people. The therapy, branded as Tecelra, was approved to treat synovial sarcoma — a potentially life-threatening cancer — in certain patients who have received prior chemotherapy.

Neuralink implanted second trial patient with brain chip, Musk says

Neuralink has successfully implanted in a second patient its device designed to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, according to the startup's owner Elon Musk. Neuralink is in the process of testing its device, which is intended to help people with spinal cord injuries. The device has allowed the first patient to play video games, browse the internet, post on social media and move a cursor on his laptop.

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