Health News Roundup: Bayer says 2024 sales of prostate cancer drug above $1 billion; Becton Dickinson ramps up U.S. syringe production amid China quality concerns and more

The annual World Happiness Report, launched in 2012 to support the United Nations' sustainable development goals, is based on data from U.S. market research company Gallup, analysed by a global team now led by the University of Oxford. Online drug retailer DocMorris says another core loss possible in 2024 Swiss online drug retailer DocMorris AG could make a core loss of up to 35 million Swiss francs ($39.6 million) in 2024, it said on Thursday, warning growth in its prescription business in Germany was "not yet fully predictable".

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bayer says 2024 sales of prostate cancer drug above $1 billion

Bayer on Thursday predicted at least $1 billion in 2024 sales for prostate cancer drug Nubeqa, which is playing a bigger role for the drugmaker's growth prospects after the failure of a promising anti-blood-clotting therapy. "Nubeqa ... is set for continued growth in prostate cancer and is on track to reach blockbuster status this year – only five years after first indication launch," it said in a statement.

Becton Dickinson ramps up U.S. syringe production amid China quality concerns

U.S-based medical equipment maker Becton Dickinson said on Thursday it has increased domestic production of medical syringes after the U.S. drug regulator recommended not using some China-made syringes as part of its ongoing quality probe. The U.S.-based medical equipment maker, one of the world's largest syringe suppliers, said it had increased manufacturing in its Nebraska and Connecticut facilities from November when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration first raised concerns about China-made syringes.

Musk's Neuralink shows first brain-chip patient playing online chess

Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink live-streamed on Wednesday its first patient implanted with a chip using his mind to play online chess. Noland Arbaugh, the 29-year-old patient who was paralyzed below the shoulder after a diving accident, played chess on his laptop and moved the cursor using the Neuralink device. The implant seeks to enable people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts.

Mirador Therapeutics raises over $400 million in early funding rounds

Mirador Therapeutics said on Thursday it had secured more than $400 million to develop precision medicines for immune-related diseases, in a rare, large early-stage fundraise.

Easing inflationary pressures, increasing bets of a soft landing, and promising data from drug trials are starting to boost the biotech funding market, which saw a downturn last year along with other industries.

German health ministry says Ozempic exports not a concern

Large volumes of diabetes drug Ozempic are not being exported from Germany, its health ministry said on Thursday, quashing a suggestion by its drugs regulator that outbound trade in the drug, coveted for its weight-loss effect, may have to be banned. The head of drugs regulator BfArM, which is subordinate to the ministry, in November suggested banning exports of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic if other steps fail, as Europe's health systems grapple with a shortage of the drug.

Global fertility rates to decline, shifting population burden to low-income countries

Fertility rates in nearly all countries will be too low to sustain population levels by the end of the century, and most of the world's live births will be occurring in poorer countries, according to a study published on Wednesday. The trend will lead to a "baby boom" and "baby bust" divide across the world, with the boom concentrated in low-income countries that are more susceptible to economic and political instability, senior researcher Stein Emil Vollset from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle said in a statement.

Gloomy youth pull US and western Europe down global happiness ranking

Rising unhappiness among younger people has caused the United States and some large western European countries to fall down a global wellbeing index, while Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots. The annual World Happiness Report, launched in 2012 to support the United Nations' sustainable development goals, is based on data from U.S. market research company Gallup, analysed by a global team now led by the University of Oxford.

Online drug retailer DocMorris says another core loss possible in 2024

Swiss online drug retailer DocMorris AG could make a core loss of up to 35 million Swiss francs ($39.6 million) in 2024, it said on Thursday, warning growth in its prescription business in Germany was "not yet fully predictable". Germany - DocMorris' key market, accounting for almost 95% of its net revenue in 2023 - has mandated the use of electronic prescriptions for publicly insured residents since Jan. 1, which DocMorris expects to help business. However, the company is awaiting regulatory approval for its fully digital prescription redemption service. That is expected "shortly" and DocMorris applied for certification this week, it said in a statement.

GSK to cap out-of-pocket inhaler costs in US

British pharmaceutical giant GSK said on Wednesday it would cap out-of-pocket costs for all its inhaled asthma and chronic lung disease medicines at $35 per month for eligible patients in the United States, following similar moves by two of its rivals. GSK said the decision will take effect by Jan. 1, 2025.

Merck combination treatment for lung cancer fails late-stage study

Merck said on Thursday a combination of two of its cancer drugs failed to meet the main goals of a late-stage study evaluating it as an initial treatment for a type of lung cancer.

The treatment, which combines Keytruda and AstraZeneca-partnered Lynparza, failed to extend survival in patients and survival without the disease worsening in certain patients with metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

(With inputs from agencies.)