Reuters Health News Summary

Some have attributed it to an overall ageing population in the United States, while others also said a shift in the preference for more efficient setting such as ambulatory care centers that do not require patients to stay overnight has also aided demand. AbbVie lifts profit forecast after Skyrizi sales beat expectations AbbVie raised its annual profit forecast on Friday after strong sales of its immunology drug Skyrizi and cancer drug Imbruvica helped the company beat Wall Street estimates for the first quarter.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Explainer-What to know about bird flu in dairy cows and the risk to humans

U.S. officials have strengthened measures to contain the further spread of the first known outbreak of H5N1 or bird flu in dairy cows, which has now spread to 33 herds in eight states and bled over into the country's milk supply. So far, only one person - a Texas farm worker - has tested positive for H5N1, and while health officials and scientists say the risk to people remains low, many questions remain.

US FDA says about 1 in 5 commercial milk samples tested positive for bird flu traces

About one in five samples of commercial milk in the U.S. tested positive for traces of bird flu in a national survey, with a greater proportion coming from areas with infected herds, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. There is no evidence that the milk poses a danger or that a live virus is present, regulator have said.

PE firm Advent to invest $297 million in India's Apollo Hospitals unit

PE firm Advent International will invest 24.75 billion rupees (nearly $297 million) in Apollo Hospitals' unit Apollo HealthCo and will merge its online pharmacy vertical 'Apollo 24/7' with pharmacy distributor Keimed, the hospital chain operator said on Friday. Advent will invest in compulsory convertible instruments over two tranches to secure a 12.1% stake in the merged entity, valuing the latter at an enterprise value of 224.81 billion rupees.

Cigna to offer Humira rivals with $0 copay at specialty pharmacy

Cigna plans to make close copies of AbbVie's blockbuster arthritis drug Humira available with no out-of-pocket payment to eligible patients in the U.S. using its specialty pharmacy beginning in June, the health insurer said on Thursday. Cigna said it will stock high- and low-concentration biosimilar versions of Humira from drugmakers including Boehringer Ingelheim, Teva and Alvotech at its Accredo pharmacy.

US FDA approves Pfizer's gene therapy for rare bleeding disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's gene therapy for hemophilia B on Friday, the second such therapy for the rare bleeding disorder that typically requires regular infusions of a blood-clotting protein. People with hemophilia have a fault in a gene that regulates production of proteins called clotting factors, which can cause spontaneous as well as severe bleeding following injuries or surgery. It predominately affects males.

US states sue over agency rule on protections for workers who get abortions

A group of Republican-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block a federal rule that gives workers who had abortions the same legal protections as workers who are pregnant or recently gave birth. The 17 states claim in a complaint filed in Arkansas federal court that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule unveiled last week violates the U.S. Constitution by interfering with the ability of states to regulate and ban abortion.

HCA beats first-quarter profit estimates on higher patient admissions

HCA Healthcare on Friday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, helped by higher patient admissions due to demand for healthcare services. Demand for medical care has been healthy even after the COVID-induced backlog has cleared, analysts say. Some have attributed it to an overall ageing population in the United States, while others also said a shift in the preference for more efficient setting such as ambulatory care centers that do not require patients to stay overnight has also aided demand.

AbbVie lifts profit forecast after Skyrizi sales beat expectations

AbbVie raised its annual profit forecast on Friday after strong sales of its immunology drug Skyrizi and cancer drug Imbruvica helped the company beat Wall Street estimates for the first quarter. Shares of AbbVie rose nearly 2.5% in premarket trading.

US FDA sends warning letter to Cardinal Health for marketing unapproved devices

The U.S. health regulator has sent a warning letter to Cardinal Health after an inspection of its facility in Illinois found the company was marketing and distributing unapproved devices made by a Chinese manufacturer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023 recommended against the use of some China-made syringes as it investigated reports of leaks, breakages and other quality problems with such products and last month expanded the guidance.

Bayer investor Deka takes a stand against CEO in annual vote

Bayer shareholder Deka Investment said on Friday it would not join other large investors in supporting the healthcare and agriculture group's management at its annual general meeting. Two other larger German mutual fund management houses, DWS and Union Investment, have said they would vote in favour of approving the management board's actions while shareholder advisory firms Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) have recommended such a vote.

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