Health News Roundup: Amgen bets on ChemoCentryx's rare disease drug in $3.7 billion deal; African monkeypox cases not concentrated among gay men, experts say and more

Shares in the Danish diabetes and obesity drug maker fell by almost 10% on Wednesday, despite a significant upgrade to its financial outlook, with some analysts attributing the drop in part to lower-than-expected U.S. sales of Wegovy and a delay in when the drug is fully available later this year. Explainer-How worried should we be about the monkeypox health emergency? The United States declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, a move that may increase health agency access to funds and allow the government new avenues for increasing production and use of existing vaccines.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Amgen bets on ChemoCentryx's rare disease drug in $3.7 billion deal

Amgen Inc on Thursday agreed to buy ChemoCentryx Inc for $3.7 billion to gain access to a potential blockbuster treatment for inflammatory disorders and beat quarterly revenue estimates on demand for its bone disease drug. The deal, announced before markets opened, will also hand the company control of at least two experimental therapies for immune disorders, a field in the spotlight following AstraZeneca's 2020 purchase of Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $39 billion.

Obesity drug supply delay not unusual says Novo Nordisk CEO

Novo Nordisk sought to soothe concerns about supplies of its new obesity drug Wegovy on Thursday, saying there was nothing unusual about a slight delay in its availability. Shares in the Danish diabetes and obesity drug maker fell by almost 10% on Wednesday, despite a significant upgrade to its financial outlook, with some analysts attributing the drop in part to lower-than-expected U.S. sales of Wegovy and a delay in when the drug is fully available later this year.

Explainer-How worried should we be about the monkeypox health emergency?

The United States declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, a move that may increase health agency access to funds and allow the government new avenues for increasing production and use of existing vaccines. The move follows the declaration by the World Health Organization in July. A Reuters tally has counted more than 25,800 cases globally and three countries outside of Africa have reported deaths.

Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

North Korea said on Friday all of its fever patients have recovered, its first such claim since the outbreak of the pandemic in the isolated economy, according to state media KCNA.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

African monkeypox cases not concentrated among gay men, experts say

Monkeypox outbreaks in Africa are not concentrated among gay men, unlike in other parts of the world, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa CDC said on Thursday. Outbreaks of the viral disease have been reported from 78 countries, mostly in Europe, and 98% of cases outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic have been reported in men who have sex with men, the WHO says.

U.S. FDA declines to approve expanded use of Acadia's antipsychotic drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve expanded use of Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc's antipsychotic drug for treating psychosis related to Alzheimer's disease, the company said on Thursday. The health regulator concluded there were limitations in the interpretability of Acadia's antipsychotic drug study and an additional study would be required, according to the company.

U.S. declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency

The United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, the health secretary said on Thursday, a move expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease. The U.S. tally topped 6,600 on Wednesday, almost all of the cases among men who have sex with men.

China's Sanya holiday hotspot shuts duty-free malls, venues to curb COVID

Sanya, a top tropical holiday destination on China's southern Hainan island, began closing its duty free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak. Since China shut its international borders in early 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, Hainan's duty-free industry has boomed, becoming a vital channel for global brands from Gucci to Coach, La Mer to L'Oreal to reach Chinese shoppers.

Ukraine health crisis worsens as medics work amid shelling - WHO

Ukraine is facing a worsening health emergency as the conflict with Russia rages on, the World Health Organization said, with a combination of burnt-out staff, increased shelling and the approach of winter fuelling the agency's concerns. There have been 434 attacks on healthcare facilities in the country, out of 615 such attacks reported this year worldwide, according to a WHO tracker.

South Africa reports first death causally linked to COVID vaccine

South Africa's health regulator reported on Thursday a causal link between the death of an individual and Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, the first time such a direct link has been made in the country. The person presented with the rare neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome soon after being given J&J's Janssen vaccine, after which the person was put on a ventilator and later died, senior scientists told a news conference.

(With inputs from agencies.)