Health News Roundup: AbbVie's Allergan reaches $2 billion opioid lawsuit settlement - Bloomberg News; Australia makes monkeypox a disease of national significance and more

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies over the U.S. opioid crisis. Australia makes monkeypox a disease of national significance Australia said on Thursday the spread of monkeypox was now a "communicable disease incident of national significance" to allow for a more coordinated response, following the World Health Organization's declaration of a global health emergency.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AbbVie's Allergan reaches $2 billion opioid lawsuit settlement - Bloomberg News

AbbVie Inc's unit Allergan has reached an agreement to pay over $2 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits related to the marketing of its opioid painkiller, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal would settle more than 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments, but complete terms of the settlement are still being chalked out, according to the report. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against drugmakers, distributors, and pharmacies over the U.S. opioid crisis.

Australia makes monkeypox a disease of national significance

Australia said on Thursday the spread of monkeypox was now a "communicable disease incident of national significance" to allow for a more coordinated response, following the World Health Organization's declaration of a global health emergency. Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said in a statement that the National Incident Centre had been activated to enhance coordination across Australia's states and territories to manage the outbreak.

New monkeypox vaccine centre opens in Paris as infections rise

People lined up on Wednesday for the monkeypox vaccine at a new dedicated vaccine centre in Paris, which has been booked out for two days since opening. More than 1,800 people in France have caught the monkeypox virus, with most of the infections in the Paris region, representing around 10% of infections globally.

GSK says U.S. FDA approves kidney disease drug for children

GSK Plc said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared its kidney disease drug Benlysta for the treatment of children aged 5 to 17 years. The clearance makes Benlysta the first treatment approved by the U.S. regulator for children with lupus nephritis, a kind of kidney inflammation.

Democrats Manchin, Schumer agree on $430 billion tax, drugs, energy bill

U.S. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he has reached a deal with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on a bill to increase corporate taxes, reduce the national debt, invest in energy technologies and lower the cost of prescription drugs. Manchin has often been a roadblock to President Joe Biden's policy goals, including those specifically addressed in the bill. He previously said he wanted to address high U.S. prescription drug costs, but was concerned more government spending could increase inflation.

CDC to make monkeypox nationally notifiable condition

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday it plans to make the rapidly spreading monkeypox disease a nationally notifiable condition. The designation, which is set to take effect on Aug. 1, updates criteria for reporting of data on cases by states to the agency and would allow the agency to monitor and respond to monkeypox even after the current outbreak recedes, the CDC said.

Russia daily COVID cases hit highest since April

Russia reported 11,515 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, authorities said, the highest such figure since April 13. Forty-one people in Russia died of coronavirus over the last day, the country's anti-COVID-19 taskforce said in an update.

Tokyo's daily COVID cases to exceed 40,000 in record high -FNN, citing govt sources

The daily number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo is set to exceed 40,000 on Thursday, a record high, broadcaster FNN reported citing government sources. Japan has seen a spike in cases recently, with total domestic cases topping 200,000 on Wednesday, according to NHK.

Sanofi lifts profit outlook as Dupixent sales surge 43%

French healthcare group Sanofi lifted its full-year earnings outlook on continued forecast-beating sales growth for its bestselling drug Dupixent. In a statement on Thursday, Sanofi said it now expects 2022 adjusted earnings per share to grow by about 15%, excluding the effect of currency swings. It had previously predicted low double-digit percentage growth.

Pfizer profit beats estimates on higher demand for COVID products

Pfizer Inc beat second-quarter profit expectations on Thursday as its COVID-19 pill, as well as vaccine, remained in high demand following an uptick in infections in the United States. Revenue from the antiviral pill, Paxlovid, exceeded market estimates by more than $1 billion, while vaccine sales surged 20%, helping the drugmaker reaffirm the combined 2022 revenue forecast of $54 billion.

(With inputs from agencies.)