Health News Roundup: China plans random, spot checks at hospitals to track COVID; India cancels licences of some drug firms in crackdown on fake products, says source and more

The government said in a statement that while some drugs such as treatments for spinal muscular atrophy or Duchenne muscular dystrophy are already exempted from customs duty, it had received many requests for relief from import tax for other rare disease drugs. Novo Nordisk says stopping obesity drug may cause full weight regain in 5 years Patients discontinuing the use of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy risk regaining their original body weight in about five years, a Novo Nordisk official said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China plans random, spot checks at hospitals to track COVID

Chinese officials plan random and spot checks at medical facilities in the country to track incomplete and under-reported COVID-19 data, the country's health authority said, amid a wider call by global authorities for more transparency. For months, the country has faced pressure from countries and health experts to reveal and be more forthcoming with COVID data, most notably official numbers around severe hospitalisations and deaths.

India cancels licences of some drug firms in crackdown on fake products, says source

Indian authorities have cancelled or suspended licences of some domestic drug companies as part of action taken against 76 pharmaceutical firms this month for selling adulterated or fake products, a government source said on Thursday. India is known as the 'pharmacy of the world' and its pharmaceuticals exports have more than doubled over the past decade to $24.5 billion in 2021-22.

Indian capital to boost COVID-19 testing amid jump in daily cases

New Delhi will ramp up testing for COVID-19 and encourage the increased use of masks, a local minister said on Thursday, after India recorded its highest daily case count in nearly six months. India recorded 3,016 new cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the federal health ministry said on Thursday, its highest daily case count since Oct. 3, a Reuters tally showed.

US doctor groups debate best use of new weight-loss drugs

As powerful new obesity drugs enter the U.S. market, medical associations are keen to advise their members on how to best use them for patients. That is where the debate begins. Some specialists advocate for broad use of drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, alongside a healthy diet and exercise. Others recommend prioritizing them for high-risk patients, who have other conditions that are exacerbated by excess weight.

India exempts import tax on pricey rare disease medicines

The Indian government said on Thursday it was providing a full exemption from basic customs duty for rare disease therapies and Merck & Co Inc's cancer therapy Keytruda when such medicines were imported for personal use. The government said in a statement that while some drugs such as treatments for spinal muscular atrophy or Duchenne muscular dystrophy are already exempted from customs duty, it had received many requests for relief from import tax for other rare disease drugs.

Novo Nordisk says stopping obesity drug may cause full weight regain in 5 years

Patients discontinuing the use of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy risk regaining their original body weight in about five years, a Novo Nordisk official said on Wednesday. Based on individual profile, patients could gain back about half of the original body weight in two to three years if they stop the treatment, the Danish drugmaker's head of global drug discovery, Karin Conde-Knape, told a health conference organized by CNBC.

GSK licenses companies to make cheap copies of HIV prevention drug

British drugmaker GSK has signed deals with three companies allowing them to make inexpensive generic versions of its long-acting HIV preventive medicine for use in lower-income countries, where the majority of new HIV cases occur. The injected drug cabotegravir was approved by regulators in the United States in late 2021. Last July, GSK announced a program with the United Nations-backed healthcare organisation, the Medicines Patent Pool, aiming to get poor countries access to new HIV therapies far earlier than they did for previous HIV medicines.

Philips expects to reach recall settlements this year

Dutch health technology company Philips expects to reach settlements this year relating to its global recall of respiratory devices, CEO Roy Jakobs said in an interview with Dutch financial daily FD published on Thursday. "I think we can at least reach a settlement on economic damages this year," Jakobs said without giving details on the expected costs.

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.

Factbox-New recommendations for weight-loss drugs

Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy won U.S. approval in June 2021 with a label that says it can be used for chronic weight management in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or more who have at least one weight-related ailment, or in any patient with a BMI of 30 or greater. Several leading international medical groups have since updated their recommendations on treating obesity while others are planning new guidance. Here are some of the new guidelines:

(With inputs from agencies.)