Key Health News Highlights: Congo's Vaccination Drive, ACA Coverage, and Pharmaceutical Developments

This material covers recent health news including Congo's expedited mpox vaccine launch, ACA's decade-long impact on US health coverage, and notable pharmaceutical developments like Roche’s weight-loss pill, GSK's failed HSV vaccine, and FDA's scrutiny of Intercept's liver drug. Also highlighted are settlements over opioid addiction by Baltimore City.

Current health updates include Congo's accelerated launch for its mpox vaccine, which commences on October 2nd. Congo is at the heart of the mpox outbreak, now classified as a global health emergency by WHO. The efforts have been delayed by a shortage of vaccines until now.

In the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provided health insurance to 49.4 million people over the past decade. Data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury shows one in seven Americans have benefited, with a peak enrollment of 20.8 million expected in 2024.

In pharmaceutical news, Roche's early-stage results for its weight-loss pill show promise but are based on just six patients, highlighting the project's uncertainties. Concurrently, analysts forecast a surge in the weight-loss drug market, predicting 16 new drugs by 2029. Novo Nordisk also reports mild-to-moderate side effects from its experimental pill.

Meanwhile, GSK's HSV vaccine failed to meet primary trial goals, halting its progress into late-stage trials. Intercept's liver disease drug faces FDA scrutiny over inconclusive confirmatory trial data, despite an accelerated approval in 2016.

Baltimore has settled opioid-related claims worth $402.5 million with Walgreens and Teva, just days before a scheduled trial. The specifics of the Walgreens settlement remain undisclosed.

Lastly, the FDA issued warning letters to two Chinese labs for lapses in lab practices and animal care, and UnitedHealth plans to remove Humira from some drug reimbursement lists, promoting biosimilars instead.

(With inputs from agencies.)