Health News Roundup: Moderna to cut mRNA drug substance production at Lonza facility; Eli Lilly sues over US sales of bogus Mounjaro for weight loss and more

Announcing the deal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Novo said the contract would lead to the production of 16 million vials of insulin next year, marking its "expanded commitment" to improving access to life-saving insulin to people living with diabetes in Africa. Boston Scientific to buy chronic back pain therapy maker Relievant Medical devices maker Boston Scientific said on Tuesday it would buy private medical tech company Relievant Medsystems for an upfront cash payment of $850 million, gaining access to an FDA-cleared therapy for chronic pain.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Musk's Neuralink to start human trial for brain implant chip

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday that it has received approval from an independent review board to start the first human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients. The study aims to test the safety and efficacy of Neuralink's wireless, implantable brain-computer interface, to enable people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts, the company said.

Novo Nordisk contracts Aspen to produce insulin for Africa

Novo Nordisk has contracted Aspen Pharmacare to produce human insulin on its behalf in South Africa for export to African countries through a low-cost government tender system, the Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday. Announcing the deal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Novo said the contract would lead to the production of 16 million vials of insulin next year, marking its "expanded commitment" to improving access to life-saving insulin to people living with diabetes in Africa.

Boston Scientific to buy chronic back pain therapy maker Relievant

Medical devices maker Boston Scientific said on Tuesday it would buy private medical tech company Relievant Medsystems for an upfront cash payment of $850 million, gaining access to an FDA-cleared therapy for chronic pain. The Massachusetts-based company is also obliged to pay Relievant additional undisclosed payments based on sales performance over the next three years.

European Commission authorises GSK's HIV prevention drug

The European Commission has authorised GSK's HIV-focused unit ViiV Healthcare's cabotegravir long-acting injectable and tablets, the British drugmaker said on Tuesday. Cabotegravir is recommended in combination with safer sex practices for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually-acquired HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilogrammes, according to the company.

BeiGene to go solo with cancer drug after Novartis deal termination

BeiGene and Swiss drugmaker Novartis have terminated a 2021 deal to jointly develop the Hong Kong-listed company's cancer drug, the companies said on Tuesday, marking the second such discontinuation in just over two months. BeiGene will regain full global rights to the drug, tislelizumab, or Tevimbra, with no royalty payments due to Novartis, which will continue to manufacture it.

Moderna to cut mRNA drug substance production at Lonza facility

Moderna said on Tuesday it will cut production of mRNA drug substance for its COVID-19 vaccine at Lonza's facility in Switzerland this quarter as part of a plan to align manufacturing of the shots with lower post-pandemic demand. The U.S. company had announced last week it was in talks with its partners that fill vials and syringes globally to downsize vaccine production.

Ecuador reports three birds dead from avian flu in Galapagos

Ecuador's Galapagos National Park (PNG) on Tuesday said that three birds had died of avian flu, prompting officials to activate biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of the virus spreading across the archipelago. "Preliminarily, of the five specimens examined, three of them have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza," PNG said in a statement, adding that samples were sent to Guayaquil for confirmation.

Eli Lilly sues over US sales of bogus Mounjaro for weight loss

Eli Lilly on Tuesday said it was suing 10 U.S. medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in its diabetes drug Mounjaro which is expected to be approved for weight loss later this year. In four separate lawsuits filed in Florida and Texas federal courts, Eli Lilly is seeking orders barring Better Life Pharmacy, ReviveRX, Rx Compound Store and Wells Pharmacy Network from selling tirzepatide, and requesting unspecified damages.

EU antitrust regulators raid cardiovascular medical device company

EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday raided a cardiovascular medical device company in an EU country on concerns that the company may have abused its market power in breach of the bloc's antitrust rules. "The European Commission is carrying out unannounced inspections at the premises of a company active in medical devices for cardiovascular applications," the EU competition enforcer said in a statement.

BioNTech wins up to $90 million in funding for mpox vaccine development

Germany's BioNTech announced on Monday a partnership with a global coalition for up to $90 million in funding to support the development of mpox vaccine candidates. BioNTech would initiate an early-to-mid stage trial for the vaccine program BNT166 to prevent mpox, a viral illness that causes skin rashes and could be transmitted to humans through physical contact.

(With inputs from agencies.)