Health News Roundup: Carl Icahn wants to bring back Illumina's ex-CEO -WSJ; J&J bows out of RSV vaccine race after scrapping trial and more

ICU Medical, a U.S. medical device maker, has submitted an offer for the assets in partnership with buyout firm Linden Capital Partners and is through to the second round of bidding in the auction process, the sources said. Factbox-First RSV vaccines inch closer to the finish line Drugmakers Pfizer Inc and GSK are close to bringing the first two vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to the United States after gaining the backing of a panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Carl Icahn wants to bring back Illumina's ex-CEO -WSJ

Carl Icahn wants former Illumina CEO Jay Flatley back at the U.S. life sciences firm, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, as the activist investor intensifies his proxy fight that was launched earlier this month. In an interview with the WSJ, Icahn signaled that Illumina "should bring Flatley back as CEO immediately". The billionaire did not disclose if he was in touch with Flatley, according to the report.

J&J bows out of RSV vaccine race after scrapping trial

Johnson & Johnson said it will discontinue the late-stage study of its experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) adult vaccine, weeks after rivals Pfizer and GSK gained a lead in the race for the first vaccine against the virus. J&J made the decision in order "to focus on medicines with the greatest potential benefit to patients," the company said on Wednesday.

US FDA approves over-the-counter sale of overdose reversal drug Narcan

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved over-the-counter (OTC) sales of Emergent BioSolutions Inc's Narcan, allowing for easier availability of the life-saving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. The formal decision makes Narcan the first naloxone-based drug available without a prescription.

FDA's Marks hopes to align global regulators to boost gene therapy

U.S. Food and Drug Administration official Peter Marks said on Wednesday he hopes to align global regulations to boost commercialization for gene and cell therapies to get more treatments launched for patients with rare diseases. “If you could have a way of having the EU, U.S., Japan, Canada, perhaps Switzerland all have approvals at close to the same time, that would give a market that would be four or five times as large as just the U.S.,” he said at the Reuters Pharma USA conference in Philadelphia.

UnitedHealth insurance unit to cut use of prior authorization process

UnitedHealth Group Inc said on Wednesday its insurance unit will reduce the use of prior authorization process by 20% for some non-urgent surgeries and procedures. Under this process, Healthcare providers get coverage approval for certain non-emergency procedures.

Exclusive-ICU Medical to compete against GE Healthcare for Medtronic units -sources

ICU Medical Inc has teamed up with a private equity firm to challenge GE Healthcare Technologies Inc in its pursuit of two medical technology businesses that Medtronic Plc is seeking to sell for between $8 billion and $9 billion, according to people familiar with the process. ICU Medical, a U.S. medical device maker, has submitted an offer for the assets in partnership with buyout firm Linden Capital Partners and is through to the second round of bidding in the auction process, the sources said.

Factbox-First RSV vaccines inch closer to the finish line

Drugmakers Pfizer Inc and GSK are close to bringing the first two vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to the United States after gaining the backing of a panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can also lead to serious illness and hospitalization. The market for its vaccines could exceed $10 billion by 2030, analysts have said.

WHO revises COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for Omicron-era

The World Health Organization has tailored its COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for a new phase of the pandemic, suggesting that healthy children and adolescents may not necessarily need a shot but older, high-risk groups should get a booster between 6 to 12 months after their last vaccine. The U.N. agency said the aim was to focus efforts on vaccinating those facing the greatest threat of severe disease and death from COVID-19, considering the high-level population immunity worldwide due to widespread infection and vaccination.

Chile detects first case of bird flu in a human

Chile detected the first case of bird flue in a human, the country's health ministry reported on Wednesday. The case was detected in a 53-year-old man who presented severe influenza symptoms, according to a statement issued by the ministry, but they noted the patient was in stable condition.

Equatorial Guinea confirms 13 Marburg cases after WHO comments

Equatorial Guinea has confirmed 13 cases of Marburg disease since the beginning of the epidemic, its health officials said on Wednesday after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the Central African country's government to report new cases officially. Marburg virus disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO.

(With inputs from agencies.)