Health News Roundup: Bayer plans to spend $1 billion on US pharma R&D in 2023-US pharma head; GSK expects US launch of RSV vaccine with no supply issues and more

The drugmaker is racing rival Pfizer Inc to introduce the first approved RSV vaccine in the United States, where 14,000 people die annually of the lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus. India prohibits use of propylene glycol from supplier linked to Uzbekistan deaths India directed drug manufacturers to stop using propylene glycol sourced from the Delhi-based firm that supplied the ingredient to Marion Biotech, whose cough syrups were linked to deaths of 19 children in Uzbekistan, according to a government document seen by Reuters.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bayer plans to spend $1 billion on US pharma R&D in 2023-US pharma head

Bayer AG plans to spend $1 billion on drug research and development in the U.S. this year as it works to double its sales in the country by the end of the decade, Bayer's top U.S. pharmaceutical executive told Reuters. Sebastian Guth, president of Bayer's pharmaceuticals business in the Americas, also said in an interview on Wednesday that the company had raised the number of U.S. employees working on marketing for its pharmaceutical business by around 50% over the last three years, and plans to expand on that by another 75% by 2030.

GSK expects US launch of RSV vaccine with no supply issues

GSK expects to launch its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in the U.S. this year without supply constraints and sees China as a major future market for the shot, a senior executive told Reuters. The drugmaker is racing rival Pfizer Inc to introduce the first approved RSV vaccine in the United States, where 14,000 people die annually of the lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus.

India prohibits use of propylene glycol from supplier linked to Uzbekistan deaths

India directed drug manufacturers to stop using propylene glycol sourced from the Delhi-based firm that supplied the ingredient to Marion Biotech, whose cough syrups were linked to deaths of 19 children in Uzbekistan, according to a government document seen by Reuters. Uzbekistan said in December that the children died after consuming Marion's cough syrups, Ambronol and DOK-1 Max, which were contaminated with unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol.

AstraZeneca says cancer drug Imfinzi improves survival chances in late-stage trial

Lung cancer patients treated with AstraZeneca's immunotherapy Imfinzi pre- and post-surgery in a trial lived significantly longer without the disease progressing or recurring than those treated with chemotherapy, the drugmaker said on Thursday. The late-stage study compared patients with resectable, early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with Imfinzi along with chemotherapy before surgery and as a monotherapy after surgery, to patients treated with chemotherapy pre-surgery.

Pfizer ready to launch RSV vaccines for older adults, pregnant women in US, Europe

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer is ready to launch its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for both older adults and pregnant women in the U.S. and Europe later this year, executives said on Thursday. Both Pfizer and British drugmaker GSK have RSV vaccines they hope to launch in the U.S. and Europe this year, pending regulators' approval.

Older Eli Lilly's drug fails Alzheimer's prevention trial

An early-generation Alzheimer's drug from Eli Lilly and Co failed to slow cognitive decline in patients treated before they showed symptoms, but the large trial found a strong link between levels of brain plaques and disease progression, the company said on Wednesday. The experimental drug, solanezumab, was designed to target only soluble forms of amyloid beta, a toxic protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. The drug, which does not clear existing plaques, was abandoned by Lilly in 2016 after it did not slow loss of mental functioning in patients with mild Alzheimer's symptoms in clinical trials.

China's medical insurance fund paid 150 billion yuan COVID vaccine expenses in 2021-22

China's total settlement of COVID-19 vaccine expenses from its medical insurance fund nationwide was more than 150 billion yuan ($21.55 billion) in 2021-22, the National Healthcare Security Administration said in a statement on Thursday. The health insurance fund paid PCR testing expenses worth 4.3 billion yuan in 2022, the administration said.

Honduras lifts decade-long ban on 'morning after pill'

Honduran President Xiomara Castro signed an executive order on Wednesday ending a ban of more than 10 years on the use and sale of the "morning after pill," fulfilling a campaign promise long-awaited by feminist groups. Castro, the country's first female president, took office last year after running on the promise of rolling back the country's restrictive reproductive policies.

US FDA flags shortage of medication used to treat breathing conditions

The U.S. health regulator said on Wednesday that it is working to address a shortage of a particular form of albuterol, a medication used to treat breathing conditions, as its sole manufacturer Akorn has stopped production. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added that it is working closely with manufacturers in the supply chain to "understand, mitigate and prevent or reduce any related impacts" due to the shortage of the medication.

Malawi's deadly cholera epidemic hits the poor hardest

Domestic worker Annita Symon fears for her children's health after seeing several friends fall seriously ill due to a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 1,600 people in Malawi over the last year. Like many low-income families, she and her two children are forced to get their drinking water supplies from contaminated rivers that are spreading the disease in a country where about one in three households lacks access to safe drinking water.