Reuters Health News Summary

Philips said it had agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle all personal injury claims filed in the U.S., ending uncertainty that had slashed its market value over the past three years. US FDA grants full approval for Pfizer's cervical cancer drug The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval for Pfizer's drug for treating cervical cancer patients whose disease had progressed on or after chemotherapy, the agency said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

One dose of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy back in supply, FDA website shows

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website showed on Monday one dose of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy as available after being in short supply, while three other doses remained in limited availability due to increased demand. The website listed the 1.7 milligram (mg) dose as available — making that and the 2.4 mg dose of the drug available for supply. But lower doses of 1 mg, 0.5 mg and 0.25 mg were still listed as in shortage.

State health plans must cover gender-affirming surgery, US appeals court rules

Health insurance plans run by U.S. states must cover gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday. The 8-6 opinion from the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld two lower court rulings, which had found that North Carolina's state employee health insurance plan discriminated against transgender people by not covering surgeries for "sex changes or modifications," and that West Virginia's Medicaid program discriminated by excluding "transsexual surgeries."

Japan's Ono to buy US drugmaker Deciphera for $2.4 billion

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals said on Monday Japan's Ono Pharmaceutical Co will acquire the cancer drugmaker for $2.4 billion to expand its oncology portfolio and presence in the United States and Europe. Ono Pharma has offered $25.60 per share in cash, a premium of 74.7% to U.S.-based Deciphera's last closing price of $14.65.

Morphosys says takeover by Novartis on course after report of drug safety concern

Morphosys said its takeover by Novartis is still expected to close in the first half of this year, after a news report on a possible drug safety risk knocked the German biotechnology company's stock price on Monday. Morphosys' statement came after a report by specialist website STAT News, citing two people familiar with the matter, of a safety issue with its experimental drug pelabresib, which is being developed to treat myelofibrosis, a rare type of blood cancer affecting the bone marrow.

Philips shares surge on US recall settlement news

Philips shares surged 35% early on Monday as the medical devices maker announced a smaller-than-expected settlement to resolve claims over recalled breathing devices in the United States. Philips said it had agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle all personal injury claims filed in the U.S., ending uncertainty that had slashed its market value over the past three years.

US FDA grants full approval for Pfizer's cervical cancer drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval for Pfizer's drug for treating cervical cancer patients whose disease had progressed on or after chemotherapy, the agency said on Monday. The treatment, Tivdak - an antibody-drug conjugate co-developed by Genmab A/S and Seagen - received the FDA's accelerated approval for the same indication in 2021.

US FDA tightens scrutiny of lab-developed tests with new rule

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday tightened regulations for clinical laboratories with a new rule that gives it more oversight of diagnostic tests developed by them. For years, the agency had allowed labs to use their in-house tests to diagnose a range of conditions if they met certain standards, without a traditional authorization process.

US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows

The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas.

Philip Morris faces key test with US heated tobacco push

Philip Morris International's goals for heated tobacco in the United States are reachable, analysts and investors say, even though rivals see limited potential in a market where vaping dominates. The world's biggest tobacco company by market value will launch its flagship heated tobacco device IQOS in the U.S. in the second quarter, developing the brand pretty much from scratch.

US FDA approves X4 Pharmaceuticals' therapy for immunodeficiency disease

X4 Pharmaceuticals said on Monday the U.S. FDA has approved its therapy to treat a rare genetic immunodeficiency disease in patients 12 years of age and older. X4's mavorixafor, to be sold under the brand name Xolremdi, is the first therapy to get U.S. approval specifically for the treatment of WHIM syndrome.

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