Reuters Health News Summary
The company said it had restarted production of intravenous solutions on two lines in November, and added they were manufacturing 1-liter IV solution bags, the most commonly used size by hospitals and clinics, at 85% of their pre-hurricane capacity. Factbox-What is the UnitedHealthcare business that was led by slain CEO Brian Thompson? Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning in what police described as a targeted attack by a masked assailant lying in wait just before the parent company's annual investor conference at a Hilton Hotel.
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
FDA chief defends work on obesity, food to US Senate as agency awaits fierce critic RFK Jr
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf defended the agency's role in addressing the country's obesity epidemic as he was grilled by senators over FDA regulation of the food and beverage industry on Thursday. The hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions follows President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the country's top health agency. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also said those at the agency in charge of nutrition labels on food have "to go".
Killer of UnitedHealth's Thompson still at large amid manhunt in New York
New York police released new photos on Thursday showing the face of the man suspected of gunning down UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan, with the shooter still at large nearly 36 hours after authorities launched a citywide manhunt to track him down. Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was shot from behind early on Wednesday morning in what police described as a targeted attack by a masked assailant. It came just before the company's annual investor conference at the Hilton on Sixth Avenue.
Baxter resumes dialysis solution production at its hurricane-hit facility
Baxter International said on Thursday it has resumed production on all dialysis solution manufacturing lines at its North Carolina facility after they were impacted by hurricane-related flooding. The company said it had restarted production of intravenous solutions on two lines in November, and added they were manufacturing 1-liter IV solution bags, the most commonly used size by hospitals and clinics, at 85% of their pre-hurricane capacity.
Factbox-What is the UnitedHealthcare business that was led by slain CEO Brian Thompson?
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning in what police described as a targeted attack by a masked assailant lying in wait just before the parent company's annual investor conference at a Hilton Hotel. Thompson, 50, had been with the company for 20 years and was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the large insurance unit of UnitedHealth Group, since April 2021. The following is what you need to know about UnitedHealthcare:
Healthcare industry rethinks risk after murder of UnitedHealth exec
Health insurance companies are reassessing the risks for their top executives after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday in Manhattan, with both UnitedHealth and rival CVS Health removing photos of their leadership teams from their websites after the shooting. UnitedHealthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, is the biggest U.S. insurer. CVS operates Aetna, another top insurer.
Thirteen children die in Mexico from possible IV bag contamination
Mexican health officials on Thursday reported the deaths of 13 children in medical centers in central Mexico due to the possible contamination of IV bags in four health centers. They linked the children's deaths, which took place in three public facilities and one private clinic in the state of Mexico, to an outbreak of the Klebsiella oxytoca bacteria, but stipulated that they were still working to confirm the cause.
Insulet wins $452 million US verdict against EOFlow in insulin pump secrets case
Medical device maker Insulet convinced a jury that Korean rival EOFlow owes it $452 million in damages for stealing trade secrets related to insulin pumps, according to a verdict made public in Massachusetts federal court on Thursday. The jury in its verdict on Tuesday agreed with Insulet that EOFlow stole the Acton, Massachusetts-based company's secrets in order to create a competitor to Insulet's Omnipod, a wearable insulin pump for diabetes patients.
Novo Nordisk to cut US list prices of two insulin products by more than 70%
Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk said on Thursday it will reduce the U.S. list prices of two insulin products by more than 70% from January of 2026. The list prices of its insulin drug Fiasp will be reduced by 75%, while the list prices of its Tresiba insulin will be reduced by 72.2%, Novo said in a statement.
Lilly invests $3 billion to expand Wisconsin plant as obesity drug demand soars
Eli Lilly said on Thursday it will invest $3 billion to expand the manufacturing plant it bought in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin earlier this year, as it scrambles to meet soaring demand for its weight-loss and diabetes drugs. The new investment in the factory, which it acquired from Nexus Pharmaceuticals, will help boost production of Lilly's powerful weight-loss drug Zepbound as well as its diabetes treatments and other medicines, the company said.
US FDA cited animal lab at Musk's Neuralink for 'objectionable conditions'
An animal testing laboratory at Elon Musk's Neuralink brain technology company was found to have "objectionable conditions or practices" by the Food and Drug Administration, which cited the company and urged it to address the problems. FDA inspectors identified the issues at Neuralink's animal testing facilities in California in June 2023, several weeks after the agency had given the company the green light for a small study of its brain implant in humans, according to the letter to Congress dated Nov. 29.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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