Reuters Health News Summary

There are now 10 Humira biosimilars available in the U.S. The loss of exclusivity has forced AbbVie to reduce the drug's net price to maintain market share, of which it now holds more than 80%. Sanofi lifts 2024 profit forecast on strength in Dupixent, new products Sanofi on Thursday raised its full-year profit outlook after strong demand for blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent and better-than-expected sales of new launches helped its second-quarter results beat estimates.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australian judge dismisses lawsuit claiming Bayer weedkiller causes blood cancer

An Australian judge on Thursday dismissed a class action lawsuit claiming Bayer's Roundup weedkiller can cause a type of blood cancer, a ruling the company said it would seek to leverage in similar cases being fought in the United States. More than 1,000 people had joined the lawsuit, claiming Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate, caused their non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL).

Explainer-How does extreme heat affect medicines and those taking them?

The world just experienced the hottest day on record and prolonged heat waves have become more common due to climate change, conditions that can alter medications and their effects on patients taking them. Here is what you need to know about medicines in hot weather:

Pharma aims to deliver personalized cancer therapies more quickly

Big pharmaceutical companies that make personalized blood cancer treatments are working to cut the manufacturing turnaround time by as much as half in coming years, as they try to deliver them sooner in a patient's disease course. These treatments known as CAR-T therapies are used for the sickest patients for whom standard treatments have failed. They involve removing a patient's T cells - a key component of the immune system - after which they are re-engineered to recognize and attack malignant cells once they are re-infused.

Roche lifts 2024 profit guidance on strong drug sales

Roche on Thursday raised its full-year earnings forecast after exceeding expectations for the first half, driven by strong demand for newer drugs such as eye medicine Vabysmo. The Swiss drugmaker said it expects growth in adjusted earnings in the "high single-digit range", excluding the effect of currency swings and resolution of tax disputes in 2023, up from previous estimates of "mid single-digit" percentage growth.

As Canadian drug deaths rise, programs to keep users safe face backlash

Years into a drug overdose crisis, Canada is facing backlash against government-sanctioned programs such as legal injection sites designed to keep users alive without curtailing drug use. The British Columbia government has walked back a pilot project to decriminalize small quantities of illicit drugs in public places in the province. Police there also are prosecuting activists seeking to make safe drugs available.

West Pharmaceutical lowers full-year sales, profit forecast on subdued demand

West Pharmaceutical Services cut its annual profit and sales forecast on Thursday, on lower demand for its medical equipment used in making injectable drugs as biotech customers worked through their existing inventories. Biotech clients had stocked up on inventories after facing supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and are now using existing supplies before placing new orders for equipment.

UN agency urges urgent effort to combat rise in Asia-Pacific bird flu cases

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday called for urgent regional efforts to combat a rise in avian influenza cases across the Asia-Pacific region. "Since late 2023, we have observed a rise in human cases and the virus spreading to new animal species," Kachen Wongsathapornchai, regional manager of the FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), said in a statement.

AstraZeneca raises profit outlook on strong medicines demand

Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca raised its full year sales and profit forecast on Thursday after beating analyst expectations for second-quarter revenue on strong demand for its cancer, rare disease and heart disease medicines. Sales in AstraZeneca's top business, oncology, grew 19% at constant currency rates to $5.33 billion and accounted for 41% of the total, while its rare disease and heart and kidney disease divisions also each raked in double-digit growth.

AbbVie lifts annual profit forecast on strong immunology drug sales

AbbVie raised its annual profit forecast on Thursday as strong sales of its key immunology drugs, including Humira, helped it beat Wall Street expectations for the second quarter. Sales of Humira, once the world's top-selling drug, have been declining since its close copies, or biosimilars, hit the U.S. market. There are now 10 Humira biosimilars available in the U.S. The loss of exclusivity has forced AbbVie to reduce the drug's net price to maintain market share, of which it now holds more than 80%.

Sanofi lifts 2024 profit forecast on strength in Dupixent, new products

Sanofi on Thursday raised its full-year profit outlook after strong demand for blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent and better-than-expected sales of new launches helped its second-quarter results beat estimates. The French drugmaker forecast 2024 earnings per share would remain stable versus 2023 levels, an improvement on its previous expectation of a low single-digit percentage fall, at constant currency exchange rates.

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