Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK's proposed assisted dying law could be delayed until 2029

Britain's proposed assisted dying law for terminally ill people could be delayed until 2029, after the next election, casting doubt over the future of the legislation. In a historic vote last year, lawmakers backed a bill to allow assisted dying, paving the way for Britain to follow other countries such as Australia, Canada and some U.S. states in what would be one of its biggest social reforms in a generation.

Novo shares on track for biggest monthly fall since 2002, investor worries grow

Novo Nordisk shares have fallen 25% so far in March and are on track for their biggest monthly drop since July 2002, as investor worries intensify that the obesity drug market pioneer has lost its edge over U.S. rival Eli Lilly. The Danish drugmaker's launch of weight-loss injection Wegovy propelled it to become Europe's most valuable company by market capitalization in September 2023, a mantle it lost on Monday to German software company SAP, though French luxury group LVMH had also earlier briefly unseated it.

US Senate confirms Trump's picks to lead FDA, NIH

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Donald Trump's nominees Martin Makary and Jay Bhattacharya as heads of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, respectively. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 56-44 to confirm Martin Makary as the commissioner of the FDA, which is currently embroiled in a controversy over the mass firing of federal employees.

Rubio to discuss with Jamaica Cuban doctor program after US visa threats

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said that Jamaica and the U.S. will discuss the Cuban doctors helping the Caribbean island's health system to better understand the medical program, after Washington threatened to halt visas for officials tied to these programs. Rubio has accused officials in the program of being involved in human trafficking and labor exploitation, accusations denied by Cuba and many Caribbean leaders, who say the Cuban medical programs are essential and comply with international labor laws.

European Patent Office declares CureVac mRNA patent valid

The European Patent Office declared a patent owned by CureVac valid, after a challenge from drugmaker BioNTech, the company said on Thursday. U.S.-listed shares of Germany-based CureVac rose 11.8% in extended trading.

NY official rejects Texas judgment against doctor in abortion pill case

A local official in New York on Thursday rejected Texas' effort to enforce a $100,000 judgment against a New York doctor accused of sending abortion pills to the state, escalating an unprecedented interstate conflict. Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck said in a statement that he would not allow Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to file a motion to enforce the judgment in New York court, in what appeared to be the first use of New York's so-called shield law meant to protect New Yorkers from enforcement under other states' abortion laws.

Philip Morris' heated tobacco device IQOS goes on sale in Texas

Philip Morris International began selling its IQOS heated tobacco device in Austin, Texas on Thursday for $60 a piece, an executive told Reuters, kicking off efforts by the world's largest cigarette maker to build a market for its flagship heated tobacco device in the United States. PMI hopes to capture a 10% share of U.S. tobacco and heated tobacco unit volume by 2030 and build a substantial base of new users in the world's top market for smoking alternatives.

Merck plans to launch US subcutaneous version of Keytruda on October 1

Merck & Co said on Thursday that it plans to launch a subcutaneously injected version of its blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruda in the U.S. on October 1, and expects to hit peak adoption rates of the new version within two years. The subcutaneous version of the drug is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has a target of September 23 to decide. By injecting Keytruda under the skin rather than intravenous delivery, it will reduce the time it takes for patients to receive the medicine, the drugmaker said.

Explainer-What to know about US measles cases on the rise

Measles, one of the world's most contagious illnesses, was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, several decades after the introduction of a highly effective vaccine. But a decline in vaccination among U.S. children in recent years, fueled by unscientific claims that the shots are unsafe, has triggered larger outbreaks, including one that has been spreading in Texas and New Mexico this year. Here is what you need to know about measles:

Lilly adds Alzheimer's to online offerings

Eli Lilly on Thursday expanded its direct-to-consumer online platform LillyDirect to include telehealth providers to diagnose and care for patients with Alzheimer's disease, potentially boosting sales of its drug Kisunla. "There are capacity challenges ... not all patients live directly near a health center or a specialist who is treating Alzheimer's patients," said Laura Steele, senior vice president of U.S. neuroscience at Lilly.

France hails bird flu vaccination as poultry let back outdoors

France said on Wednesday its poultry flocks will be allowed outdoors again after a lull in bird flu infections that the government attributed to a vaccination programme. France in 2023 became the world's first large poultry exporter to launch a nationwide vaccine campaign against highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, as it sought to curb the virus that has ravaged poultry flocks worldwide and spread to other species including humans.

UnitedHealth has scrapped mentions of DEI from website, TechCrunch reports

UnitedHealth Group has removed most mentions of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies from its website, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. It was not clear whether the health insurer pulled down the pages to represent a shift in terminology or an actual change in its policies, the report said.

UK's Starmer heads for test of health strategy as Reform gains ground

In the nuclear medicine department of London's University College Hospital, patients pass through polished corridors to airy rooms decorated with green-leaf stencils, where they are scanned and treated, particularly for cancer, with cutting-edge technology that uses radioactive tracers. The facility is a showcase for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's bid to revitalise Britain's National Health Service that should boost employment, as well as helping to counter the growing popularity of Nigel Farage's party, Reform UK, members of Starmer's team say. Starmer has visited to advertise his "reform or die" agenda for the health service.

US pulls back $12 billion in funding to state health departments

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services canceled around $12 billion in federal grants to states that were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal department and state officials said on Wednesday. The grants were being used to track, prevent and control infectious diseases, including measles and bird flu, as well as track mental health services and fund addiction treatment, said lawmakers and state governors, who sharply criticized the move.

NY official rejects Texas judgment against doctor in abortion pill case

A local official in New York on Thursday rejected Texas' effort to enforce a $100,000 judgment against a New York doctor accused of sending abortion pills to the state, escalating an unprecedented interstate conflict. Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck said in a statement that he would not allow Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to file a motion to enforce the judgment in New York court, in what appeared to be the first use of New York's so-called shield law meant to protect New Yorkers from enforcement under other states' abortion laws.

Walgreen to pay more than $2.85 million to settle US overbilling charges

Walgreen will pay more than $2.85 million to settle whistleblower allegations that the pharmacy overbilled Medicaid programs in Georgia and Massachusetts for generic medications, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday. The settlement partially resolves claims against the Walgreens Boots Alliance unit brought under the federal, Georgia and Massachusetts False Claims Act.

Cassava Sciences must face malicious prosecution lawsuit over Alzheimer's drug

The biotechnology company Cassava Sciences failed on Wednesday to end a malicious prosecution lawsuit by doctors and short-sellers who expressed doubts about its experimental, soon-to-be-discontinued Alzheimer's drug simufilam. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon in Manhattan said Adrian Heilbut, Jesse Brodkin, Enea Milioris, David Bredt and Geoffrey Pitt could try to prove that Cassava knew or should have known that it could not win its defamation lawsuit against them, which it dismissed in August.

US FDA approves first treatment for rare genetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Soleno Therapeutics' drug to treat a rare genetic disorder, making it the first treatment available for patients who experience feelings of intense and persistent hunger. The drug, to be called Vykat XR, treats hyperphagia, the hallmark symptom of the Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by full or partial deletions on chromosome 15 that affect the regulation of gene expression, or how genes turn on and off.

US to end funding for childhood vaccines in poorest countries, document shows

President Donald Trump's administration plans to end U.S. funding for Gavi, an organization that helps buy vaccines for children in poor countries, and will scale back efforts to fight malaria, according to a document prepared by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The document, reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday and shared with Congress earlier this week, lists international aid programs that will be dismantled as well as those that will be retained.

US prosecutors probe tip about timing of Pfizer's COVID vaccine, WSJ reports

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are probing a claim by GSK that Pfizer delayed announcing its COVID shot's success in 2020 until after that year's election, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said on Wednesday GSK's former head of vaccine development, Philip Dormitzer, had told his colleagues about the delay by Pfizer, where he worked before joining the British company.

Exclusive-Trump tariff threats prompt some drugmakers to expedite shipments to US

Some drugmakers are taking the unusual step of sending more medicines by air to the U.S., two executives and two logistics firms said amid fears President Donald Trump's April 2 tariffs announcement could include products made in Europe. Two European-headquartered drugmakers told Reuters this week they are sending as much of their medicines across the Atlantic as possible over the past several weeks and heard other pharmaceuticals companies were doing the same.

Kennedy to slash 10,000 jobs in major overhaul of US health agencies

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to reshape federal public health agencies on Thursday, including cutting 10,000 employees and centralizing some functions of the FDA, CDC and others under his purview. The job cuts include 3,500 at the Food and Drug Administration, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health.

Bausch + Lomb recalls some of its implantable eye lenses

Bausch + Lomb said on Thursday it will recall some of its implantable eye lenses after receiving reports of complications, the cause of which could not immediately be known. The company said it is recalling these lenses, which are part of its enVista platform, out of an abundance of caution, and was looking to identify a root cause.

Exclusive-FDA staff struggle to meet product review deadlines after DOGE layoffs

Some U.S. health regulators who review medical devices and tobacco products for safety and efficacy are struggling to meet deadlines mandated by Congress due to Trump administration layoffs, three scientists working on the projects told Reuters. On Thursday, the government said it will cut jobs across health agencies, including 3,500 at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a follow-on to earlier layoffs.

KKR nears deal to buy Japanese medical gear maker Topcon, sources say

Private equity firm KKR is nearing a deal to acquire Japanese medical gear maker Topcon, according to people familiar with the matter, marking the latest sign of increased leveraged buyout activity in Japan. If the talks are successful, a deal could be signed in the coming days, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential. The price being discussed has not been disclosed yet.

Soleno jumps as analysts say US nod for rare disease drug transforms treatment options

Shares of Soleno Therapeutics jumped 40% in morning trading on Thursday, after the company's drug for a rare metabolic condition became the first such treatment to receive U.S. regulatory nod. Soleno's Vykat XR was approved late on Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration to treat hyperphagia, or feelings of intense and persistent hunger, in patients with the genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome.

Trump healthcare price transparency order may not bring intended relief to patients

A Trump administration executive order intended to provide patients with the prices from hospitals and insurers they need to shop around may prove ineffective because of the huge amount of unorganized data it will generate, experts say. President Donald Trump first told hospitals to put prices online in 2019 during his first administration and transparency rules for insurers soon followed, as the government sought to lower U.S. healthcare spending, the highest in the world.

Analysis-Trump turbulence stalls large pharma and biotech deals, bankers say

Large deals involving pharmaceutical and biotech companies are stalling as executives grapple with mercurial White House economic policies that have roiled markets and set off a global trade war, according to four top healthcare investment bankers. The excitement late last year over U.S. President Donald Trump's election victory and prospects for a subsequent flurry of mergers and acquisition deals have quickly faded, they say.

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